03/20/2020
Goodmorning!
I'm not feeling great this morning, so I'm posting a guided prayer rather than a video. I pray this is a help to you in grounding your day in prayer.
First, take some time to reflect through your day yesterday, offering confession of sins and gratitude to God. Then, form a simple intention for the coming day. If it helps, you can use my live video from yesterday to guide you through this.
Now, read through the following psalm. This is an example of an imprecatory psalm, one that offers anger and lament to God. Sometimes these psalms guide us in connecting with God over great sorrow or anger. At other times, they bring us outside of ourselves and guide us to offer up the sorrow or anger of others. As you read this psalm, offer it in solidarity with the many suffering in the world right now and perhaps allow it to make space in prayer for your sorrow or anger.
Psalm: 88
1 O LORD, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
2 let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help,
5 like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you?
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me.
18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.
The Lord hears all our prayers. Thank God. Many of us suddenly have much more free time than we have. If that's you, I encourage you to take some time with the other daily office texts for today at http://www.bookofcommonprayer.net/ #/daily_office/readings/rite_i/2/3L/5/0/Friday,_March_20,_2020 .
Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow morning on Facebook Live!
Jared
Dynamically driven Online Book of Common Prayer; interactive Daily Offices with choice of Bible version. Do the prayers online.
