Month: December 2009

Advent Benediction : The Blessing of Love

imageBlessed is the name of the Lord,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

He alone is your blessing,

He alone is worthy of receiving your blessing,

He alone blesses you.

 

Blessed is the one who watches and waits,

for the Son, sent of the Father, followed by the Holy Spirit.

He alone is our light.

He alone is our salvation.

Be blessed as you wait the night of His arrival.

 

Blessed is the one who loves,

the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

May God bless you with love,

to give Love as He has,

to be Love as He is,

to know Love as He does.

 

Blessed is the one who blesses.

Blessed is the one who waits.

Blessed is the one who loves.

May you be counted as blessed.

Amen.

 

 

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Day Twelve in the School of Prayer : Have Faith!

WithChristInPrayer

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.’  (Mark 11:22-23)

The last lesson of the Master taught us to believe as though we had already received the answer to our prayers, infusing our petitions with a fresh urgency and strength. Belief or trust in the response is predicated on something. It is not our natural attitude toward anything as adults and with ‘things unseen’, it becomes an even greater challenge. Jesus points our belief to its foundation in this lesson. Faith in God is the basis for our belief.

The Lord points us to the God who created all, permeates all, and who knows all in and out of our hearts. On the basis of what we know to be true about God and His consistency in upholding and delivering all He has ever promised we can place our faith. As our tenure as a friend of God lengthens He becomes more visible to us. We know His works in our lives and in the historical lives of others. We make connections between what His Word has told us and what we experience. Faith becomes more real and gradually solidified. Our faith is the core of our belief.

In this faith we pray. We approach the throne with our petitions and a mature trust. We yield and mountains move.