Desert Wind

Fresh air in a dry land

Archive for category Prayers

Valentines Blessing

Feb 14

Posted by i.burgess in Prayers | 1 Comment

It hurts me to write this. Really, I’d rather dip my face in burning acid than admit it, but one of the clearest and most blessed ways by which God reveals himself is by the union of man and woman.

Marriage shows the perfect representation of the invisible God, as together man and woman are in his likeness. Similarly, those who are married can testify to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the mystery of his love for the Church.

So these words I want to bless those who are married and those who are on the way towards it.

May the Spirit of the Divine
Bind you to one another
With the ties of love and service
Obedience and honour
Which are good and right in the sight of God

May you learn together what it means to be human
Formed in the image of the Most Holy

May you bring honour to Jesus through your conduct and conscience
Glorifying our Risen Saviour
And baring witness to the great Lover
The Bridegroom who loves his people

May God be pleased to manifest his presence with you
And may he rejoice over you
His dear children

Amen

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Deadline Prayer

Jan 21

Posted by i.burgess in Prayers | No Comments

May the Lord honour the work
I have done in his name

May he bless my endeavour
As I have sought his will

May he grant me peace
and rest from this work

For after the Lord’s work, he rested
And I shall rest with him.

Lord, I trust my cares into your hands.

And acknowledge that I have reached my limits.

Glorify your name, do what I cannot do.
And give me the gift of rest, true trust in you.

In Christ’s name

Amen

How Majestic Your Name

Jan 5

Posted by i.burgess in Bible Reflection, Prayers, Psalms, Spirituality | No Comments

Sadly I can’t see the moon from my current position, without straining to look around.

I think the night sky can unite many of us, throughout the ages and across the world people have looked up, out and encountered something far bigger and outside of themselves

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Work ceases in the dark. Tending of fields and growing of crops can’t be done at night. This is animportant fact, if you are living in the ancient near east, where crop growing is one of the central activities of your countries economy.

Funnily enough, not a lot has changed. Most work still occurs in the daytime, when the sun rules the sky and its brightness and warmth permits life to carry on.

One of the great kings of the ancient near east, called David, wrote on the night sky. His words carry weight for me tonight.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

The eighth Psalm is a wonderful one. The night sky, for this song writer, reminds him that God’s concern for his people extends into the night time. When working ceases and we must surrender our bodies to sleep, God has set the moon and stars in the sky to watch over us. When we are busy resting, God is still at work.

What grace! What astonishing love and care! God who is above and outside of our world still cares for it, when we surrender our control and our activity.

This was the perplexity of the king. It’s amazing to think that God would hold man in his hands

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,

Whilst we have been given great responsibility over creation, there comes a point where we must surrender that control, as we rest and sleep.

I want to remember this year, a new school year, that God is mindful of me, even when I am mindful of… well nothing at all. I don’t need to be strong, wise or great for God to be mindful of me. What a relief!

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
God I seek the peace that comes from knowing where I stand
That comes from knowing that I am a limited being, that I don’t have all the power
Or all the wisdom
Or all the glory
For these are yours, and they are gifts bestowed upon fragile human frames
God remember me, be mindful of me when I cease to be mindful of anything at all
For your name is majestic in all the earth
Amen

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This isn’t a new years resolution.

Jan 1

Posted by i.burgess in Life, Prayers, Spirituality | 1 Comment

Happy new year. Though in the immortal words of a college friend of mine: “How do you know it’s going to be a happy year?”

Dieting, drinking less and cutting out smoking: These were among the new years resolutions amongst my friends. By 1 AM, the smoker caved and I’m fairly sure some of my drinking friends woke up feeling a little fragile.

Each New Year, people are honest enough to say they wished things were different in their lives. Yet year-in, year-out these changes don’t seem to occur. Gritting your teeth, asserting your self-will and being sincere, determined enough doesn’t seem to get very far.

I wonder sometimes, if this is the attitude we have toward the Good News of Jesus. God, in undeserved love, comes to save humanity from the mess it’s in. This is primarily accomplished by Jesus on the cross and continued by God’s work through his Holy Spirit.

But making this Gospel part of our lives is often a challenge. I know I have often decided to try my hardest to be a better person, as defined by the wonderful ‘modern’ ethical assertion that each individual person has the completely independent power to become a good person in his or her own eyes.

But as I have sought God over this year, I have come to understand that this is nonsense.

No, this is not the Gospel.

The Gospel says that I cannot do what is right by myself, indeed I can’t even know what is right with my own resources. When I want to do the right thing, I inevitably do only what is best for me.

This New Year, I want to seek God.

Because I know I have not got the power to transform myself or my situation.

But God does.

And so, each day I shall pray for the things I need, for healing and wholeness and for God to help me to follow him. Now, your needs will be different to mine, so think about what it is you need to ask God for. The Gospel is not self help. It is not trying harder. It is the good news of God with us.

I’ll pray something like this:

Dear God,
Thank you for yesterday and the goodness you showed me
I am sorry for the selfishness and pride that controlled me
Please forgive me.

God, I rise this morning
And ask for your Spirit within me
Please give me self control, humbleness and obedience to your will
These things are sweeter to me than the finest riches
I don’t want to be lost to evil, hate, anger, lust, gossip and pride
Protect me.

God, grant to me your great love
So I can share it with everyone you take me to today.
And glorify your name

Amen

So what about you?

Seek God.

Christmas Eve

Dec 24

Posted by i.burgess in Prayers | 3 Comments

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
(Isaiah 9:2)
Ask God, now, to shine his light.
In your deepest darkness.
Into the dark paths of this world
This Christmas.

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A Discontented Prayer

Dec 24

Posted by i.burgess in Life, Prayers, Young free and single | No Comments

Dear Lord.

I want to be found.

I want to be discovered.

I want to be known.

Read the rest of this entry »

On the third day (Remembering God’s Grace)

Dec 21

Posted by i.burgess in Life, Prayers, Spirituality | No Comments

Sunday has been a very significant day for Christians. The reason we have traditionally held church worship on this day is because it is the day of Jesus’ resurrection.

New life and new hope came on Sunday.

God has brought me safely through the week. I saw a dear old friend, had a wonderful meal with my college, finished some work, prepared a carol service and participated in the sketch.

God has been good, giving me strength, resolve and hope to be able to do all these things.

He has kept me safe from sin and placed people in my path this week who would sit and listen to me.

The snow and ice have not harmed me, and I have been able to bless people by offering them lifts when they might otherwise be stuck inside.

He provided me with enough money to afford the petrol home, given me patience with which to bless my parents and the peace in my heart which ends my stress.

I am blessed and I am a blessing. I am blessed to be a blessing.

Merry Christmas.

Into your hands… (Remembering God on the Cross)

Dec 18

Posted by i.burgess in Prayers, Spirituality, Uncategorized | No Comments

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45-46)

What is your cry to God, now?

The week has been hard, God. I don’t understand it. This is your season, when we remember you. Yet it has been full of stress and ceaseless activity.

What I have to do seems to be unending. Wearying burdens.

Please, Jesus remember me. I want to know true rest.

Amen

Deficiency of Love

Dec 16

Posted by i.burgess in Bible Reflection, Matthew, Prayers, Spirituality | No Comments

One of the core sets or collections of teaching for Christians is that which is contained in Matthew 5-7. It’s called the Sermon on the Mount, since it was delivered on a mountainside. It’s some fantastic teaching, really worth a read sometime.

The way Jesus taught was revolutionary to his listeners, since ‘he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.’ He didn’t mess around. He told it like it was:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matt 5:43-44)

It sounds a good idea. But what if I can’t muster up enough love, even for my neighbor? Read the rest of this entry »

Midweek, midday, midthought

Dec 9

Posted by i.burgess in Prayers | No Comments

Let God interrupt you.

Stop, be still. What is God going to say? Read the rest of this entry »