You Are Mine

Here are the lyrics of a comforting song, written as if the Lord is singing it to us.    At the end, you'll find a link where you can listen.

YOU ARE MINE

I will come to you in the silence,
I will lift you from all your fear.
You will hear my voice
I claim you as my choice,
be still and know that I am here.

I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see.
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light,
Come and rest in me.

I am strength for all the despairing,
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame.
All the blind will see,
the lame will all run free,
All will know my name.

I am the Word that leads to all freedom,
I am the peace the world cannot give.
I will call your name, embracing all your pain,
Stand up, now walk, and live.

Refrain
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name.
Come, and follow me
I will bring you home.
I love you and you are mine.
 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL_bN9NeOM0

Afraid of Alzheimer's

My mother, 81, is sliding into the dementia of Alzheimer's.  It runs in her family.  I take more after Mom than Dad and the thought of developing this ravaging disease is scary.  I have been praying that God would spare me from such a future.  Today at church, I saw this prayer:


Lord Jesus Christ,

Take all my freedom, my memory, my understanding and my will. All that I have and cherish You have given me.  I surrender it all to be guided by Your will.  Your love and Your grace are wealth enough for me.  Give me these, Lord Jesus, and I ask for nothing more.  Amen.   St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556


The above will be my prayer as time marches me towards old age.

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. [Psalm 71:18]

A Picture of My Wilderness Path

Open My Eyes, Lord

Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water...  [Genesis 21:19]

Hagar - Abraham's concubine, mother of  baby Ishmael, borne to Abraham at the request of his wife, Sarah.  Then Sarah had her own son, Isaac,  and Hagar's presence became a source of annoyance and jealousy.  So, Sarah got rid of her.  (Abraham agreed to the idea only after God spoke to him.)


Hagar finds herself in the desert with her young son crying.  She cast the child under one of the bushes.  Then she went, and sat down over against him a good way... for she said, "Let me not look upon the death of the child."  Hagar was in utter despair - tired, thirsty and waiting to die.

And then, God spoke to her words of encouragement and opened her eyes.  She saw a well of water in front of her.  Had it been there the whole time, but she couldn't or wouldn't see it?

Lord, open my eyes on this desert journey.  Show me the well of water that you have placed in front of me.

The LORD Being Merciful

When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city."  

 But he lingered; so the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him forth and set him outside the city. [Genesis 19:15,16]


Lot lingered.  He didn't want to leave his familiar environment.  Perhaps he didn't really believe that all would be destroyed.  

How did God show his mercy?  He had the "men" (angels, really) seize the hands of Lot, his wife and his daughters.  The men set them outside of the city.  Lot needed to be dragged away in order to be saved.

Lord, is there a familiar, yet dangerous place in which I am lingering?  If so, please send angels to seize my hand and bring me forth to the place of safety.  Amen.  

Jesus Never Fails

And they that know Thy Name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, Lord, hast never failed them that seek Thee.  [Psalm 9:9]

There is a little chorus I like to sing.  Here are the lyrics:

Jesus never fails. Jesus never fails.  Heaven and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails.

As we face the day ahead, whether it brings routine or something serious like foreclosure or surgery, the Lord will meet us as we seek Him.   May that be your reality this very day, this very moment.

Prayer for Mothers

I found a bookmark this morning that must have come from a resource table at one of the prayer chapels I often visit.  It was a timely read.  Perhaps it will be the same for you.

PRAYER FOR MOTHERS

God of all peoples,
God, our Father,
God of Mary, mother of Jesus,
Bless the mother of our family,
Bless her with the strength of Your Spirit,
She who had taught her children how to walk,
How to speak, and how to pray to You.
Bless her and all mothers today with health,
Joy, love, laughter and pride in her children.
May she who embraced the gift of life that you entrusted to her,
Be embraced by You for all eternity 
To rejoice with her family and friends forever.
This blessing and all graces, we pray
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen+

 [Prayers for the Domestic Church: A Handbook for Worship in the Home by Edward Hays.  1979: Forest of Peace Books, Inc. -- Easton, KS 66020]