MorningPrayer

Dear God,   How do we experience your presence?      Do we feel you in a gentle wind or the brush of a child touching our face?    Do we taste you in honey or lemon or the juices of an apple or peach?    Do we smell you in  a luscious wild rose or the breath of a newborn kitten?    Do we see you in the eyes of a loved one or the velvet darkness of a star-filled night?    Do we hear you in the birds early morning voice or the whisper of a gentle rainfall?    Yes, in all of these, you are present but especially in the deep recesses of our mind and heart--     we know that you dwell within us as our God of compassion and love who offer us infinite and eternal grace.    In Jesus way and being we pray, AMEN

Dear God,   We know that there is hardship and difficulty and sadness and pain in our world.  We understand that there is devastation of natural causes and viruses and conflicts of war.  We know this. We are not in denial. So hep us to live in the midst of these things and also in mercy to do what we are able to  be helpful.  And allow us to see beauty.  Keep our eyes open to the wonder and mystery of a rose smelling in petaled harmony and the clouds lifted in golden sunset grandeur. May the smile of a loved face and the simple word of kindness fill our hearts with eternal hope and joy. May your face, O God,  be in our mind. AMEN

God of Heavens,   As we look into the depths of the night sky seeing billions of years ago, may we also peer deeply into our minds discovering distant energized thoughts and clusters of unexplored meditations on wisdom and life. May we clear away the dark matter and the dust of exploded fears and sins and see clearly the brilliance of humanity flowing in the mind of God. May we hear the  sound of God's heartbeat and feel the breath of exhalation and know the connection of our spirits. And then, in reverence might we bow in the dust of earth and inhale the holiness of sacred ground and smile. AMEN

Dear God,    May we have a holy pause of gratitude for our blessings and comforts in life.  Many of us are (lucky, fortunate, blessed) with a supportive country and community, loving family and friends, and financial resources. We are surrounded by beauty and nature calling forth with new life. We have health and thought. Truly, the gift of life is a present treasure and we stop...and are thankful. AMEN

Dear God,   Once again, morning has broken in upon us; another splashing of sunlight, another waking moment, another opportunity to live. What shall we do with this daylight of possibility?  What shall our attitude on life and death be?  Help us to live this day to its fullest potential, whatever that might individually and uniquely  be. May we capture meaning, peace and joy in our net of experience as we loudly proclaim that we, choose the precious gift of life. AMEN

Lord God,   Thank you for the beauty and truth of Wisdom.  She is woven into the very fabric of creation and is the DNA of righteous living as well as the song and dance of life.  She shows us the way to be pure, peaceable, gentle merciful and sincere. We pray that we might have the wisdom to pause and receive the gift.  We humbly pray that our knowledge might be spun only with the aid of Wisdom and that our works of goodness will be created in the certainty and  grace of your love. AMEN

Dear God,    May the broad, brown earth support our steps.    May the good, green land give vibrant growth to our minds and bodies.     May the boisterous, blue sky offer breath and joy to our spirits.     May the truth, beauty and harmony of your grace provide us with all our needs and wants. AMEN

Lord God,    Sometimes our prayers feel selfish; as if it is all about me, me, me. We are sorry for this sin of arrogance, but we do earnestly strive to be better and do better  and to achieve the heights you might vision for us.  We know that we are who and what we are, often for unexplained reasons of genetics, nature, nurture or just plain luck.  But where we have some control and freedom, may you help us to reach for those gifts of the spirit so we might excel in being a person.  May we in our devotion, discipline, dedication and desire see you as the gift-giver and Lord of our life. AMEN

Dear God,   May this day bring the opportunity to pause beside still waters and drink of your spirit.  May we know the comfort of a meadow of luxurious grasses and be nourished.  May we experience the  hand of righteousness and the piercing gaze of justice and  know truth. May we see the reflection of the earth in the pond and know beauty. And as we have been cared for, tended, comforted and loved, so might we do likewise. AMEN

Dear God,   Sometimes we are stiff-necked people, overly rigid, arrogant and harsh.  Our self-righteousness gets in the way of our sight and we see with tunnel vision. Relax, we pray, the muscles of our neck and the bands of our mind so we might move and see more clearly the world around us. Let us be fluid and gentle in thought and motion, dancers of light and grace, love and purity. AMEN

Dear God. The morning has burst upon us like fireworks exploding; sparks of color, flashing movements, booming activity. So much life to catch our attention and bring us awake. Awake and aware! O God, we remember those who do not have normal waking up activity this morning. In their pain, sorrow and loss we pray for their solace and comfort and the ability to face despair. May prayers of loving support dwell in your children, Lord, as hammocks of grace. AMEN

Lord God,   Place us in a quiet garden, a spot of soil that we might tend.  May we prepare the earth under your guidance and direction.  Help us to pull the weeds that threaten wholesome life. May the plants we grow be gifts of the spirit that offer beauty and truth in this garden of joy.  May we gracefully nourish and nurture our spot of earth in the sunlight and mist of your love. May this garden, even though small, be of  the purest wonder and mystery, a place of presence and goodness. AMEN

PENTECOST SUNDAY...THE GIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT May the Holy Spirit, this special gift of God flowing through the breath of Jesus, fill you full to overflowing.  May you be animated, energized and empowered -- filled with the Heavenly Host as the Almighty lives within you.  In the fresh wind of the Spirit may you see the world through crystal clear glasses; brighter, more colorful, wiser and filled with new love immersed in grace. Come Holy Spirit, come! Fill us with life anew. AMEN

Dear God,    Our plans and ambitions are often at the mercy of fickle wind and rain.  Our dreams are sometimes bound and chained by our own minds or events beyond our control. As we struggle to stay upright on slippery slopes and maintain our balance, we look to you, our God, to help us and hold us.  We look to you to keep us adaptable and flexible   We look to you to help us adjust and rethink our plans  goals and visions.  Thank you God, for the ability to adapt while at the same time holding on to long term dreams of enrichment, and life eternal. AMEN

Spirit of Holiness,   We pray that the murmur of your breath will surround us, clothing us in your compassionate power.  We pray that your breath of life and peace will fill us full, saturating our cells  and flowing in our bloodstream with elegance and love.  We pray that our hands and feet will tingle  in the empowerment of your energy and that justice will radiate out from us like a rainbow arching across the heavens. We pray in the enriching, enabling grace of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

Lord God of Hosts,   We are surrounded by reflections of a world, stunning in its diversity.  Even our actions are reflections of our ideas and thoughts.  Oftentimes, the events of our life are reflections of our attitudes. Are we reflecting your love for us?  Are we the image of your belief in us? Help us to be like crystal, pure and clear this day, as we do our best to reflect the purity of your grace and being. AMEN

Dear God,   May we be clothed this day in garments of your presence.  May a cloak of white lights and silken thread wrap protectively around our shoulders. May a hat of woolen wisdom be on our head. May our glasses be clear and sharp showing us your vision of the world. May our shoes help us walk with balance and sure direction. May we dress in beauty and harmony so we are vessels of your truth and love. AMEN

Dear God,   Sometimes we feel like we are sinking in the quick sand of details and issues and problems and minutiae; we are up to our neck.  We want to fight, yelling out at the absurdity or we want to flee, running to a cave and hiding inside.  At such times, O God, we pray for the ability to float in faith.  Help us to rise gracefully to the surface and gently move through the morass to find answers, solutions and overcome the frustration. Be in us as the calm solution for all of life. AMEN

Dear God,   The routine of our day is pretty established.   Our brain doesn't need prodding to remember the details of our morning rituals. So, help us to be intentional and override the automatic pilot and make of the day a new experience in being. Help us to pause and be perceptive of the red cardinal that flits from branch to branch.  Help us to see the newborn rose that adorns the thorny branch. Create in us a stillness so we might pray, if even for a moment a prayer of gratitude for the day. Help us to breathe a deep breath of peace, filling ourselves full of wholeness. Help us to inject into our software a program of joy and wonder. AMEN

Shepherd God ,   We pray you will be with our family, the sheep of your pasture, wherever they might be.  For they are scattered here and there, and some might be in danger and some might need comfort and some might need strength; we pray that you will tend and watch over them. They are ever in our thoughts and even though we reach out to them with our prayers we know we are limited and so, God, we pray that you will take care of our loved ones.  May we all know the great peace that comes in abiding love, that connects us all and makes of us, one people. AMEN

Dear God, Do you have a vision for us? Is there a master plan and a purpose that we are predestined for? What control and free will do we have? When we look up the road, can we see far enough to make choices? Help us God, to stop and pause, to reflect and meditate, to be still and pray. Help us to find your will as we pursue our way in your vision. AMEN

Lord,   In healing be with those who have needs of health and wellness. May your golden light of growth pour into bodies, bringing strength and wholeness to all cells.  May hurting minds receive anointing oils that soothe and comfort. In your love and spirit, O God, may broken bodies, stressed minds and wounded spirits find relief and new life in the mystery and wonder of your grace. AMEN

Creator God,    We are stunned by the complexity of nature, the weaving of leaves and branches capturing sparkled sunlight and diamond drops of rain. Within the white clouds of mist, the startled deer leaps and runs silently, disappearing, a ghost in the forest. We pause on the brink of thought, our minds teetering on the edge of revelation and new wisdom.  Flashing color and wisps of mist slip and slide through our mind; God speaking,  imagination dancing, love exploding in the morning of our awakening. AMEN

Dear God,   Lift us up so we can be the best we can be. Inspire us so we breathe the breath of your compassion.  Open our eyes so we can clearly see our neighbor, family and  enemy as one humanity. Assist our hands in acts of kindness and mercy. Weave us in the tapestry of beauty, truth and harmony. And if we falter then hold  us in the palm of your hand and empower us with a new heartbeat of love. AMEN

Dear God,   We must stop and pause and be still between the rushing of the days events. Our ever present sky-star is filtered through layers of clouds and damp verdant trees.  The layers of our mind filters thoughts and impressions, a prism of beliefs sparkling our world.  We look to you, O God, a spotlight in the midst of the forest. Yes, if we wish to know the halo  of your presence, we must be still. We stand quietly in the center of the light and know your love. Yes,  let  us be illuminated and saturated in Alleluia, AMEN

Holy Lord,    Sometimes we are twirling and whirling and floundering in dark gray clouds and rain unceasing.  And then, on the other side of ourselves we are floating and soaring and spiraling in blue heaven with vibrant earth of greens and pearls and diamonds of spotted color.  May the light of heaven saturate our gloom and create rainbows of colored rivers that we inhale as the hope, promise and vision of our loving, compassionate God. In the music and mystery of Jesus singing, we pray. AMEN

Dear God,   Remind us every morning to give thanks for  simple things; for water that is fresh and clean and cold or hot.  This is a precious gift.  For our shelter that is warm or cool and dry and comfortable. How precious is this comfort.  For food that is wholesome or not; but is hot or cool and keeps our stomachs full.  How fortunate are we. For clothing that fills our closets to overflowing, keeping us cool or hot.  How lucky are we.  For so much, O God, we give thanks every morning for these simple gifts, which I guess are not so simple after all. AMEN

Dear God,   The winds of life pick us up and send us soaring; we are carried, we know not no where. We are surprised because we see things and do things and are things unexpected and unanticipated.  Wow! Where are we? What is happening?  Oh, we say, we are on your wings, the eagle wings of the cosmic God. Let us soar and spiral in the joy, wonder and mystery. AMEN 

Hello, to all who might be reading this Blog. A year and a half ago I started to write a "Morning Prayer." Just one a morning.  No scriptures, no other thoughts; just the one short prayer.  Not only have I found meaning and significance in doing this, but it seems to have touched a number of people in positive ways.  I plan to continue this practice and have decided to put the morning prayer on this Blog so that anyone can see them, and respond if they wish. i prepare to  write  the prayer by sitting very still and allowing my mind to float.  Usually, a word or phrase comes to mind and as i start to prayerfully write, the prayer falls  into  place.  I edit very little but allow it to be as it is. I offer them as a form of meditation and mystery in our daily relationship with God. Below is the last 12 morning prayers, just to get us started. Thank you Many  Blessings  of Peace and Joy, Keith Haverkamp Dear God of Today,     Decision: may it be a