Welcome to this meditation and prayer for followers of the Christian tradition.
Taking a moment to become present,
To put separation from whatever might have been preoccupying you,
Concerning you,
Or coming from a time of peaceful sleep,
Allowing yourself to come into a state of stillness,
Stilling your body,
Stilling your mind,
Allowing your heart to be open,
Expectant,
Grateful,
Offering thanks for this day,
For the fact of being alive in a body,
Having opportunities to grow,
To learn,
To be inspired,
To experience beauty in this world.
And dear Lord,
Dear God,
We ask that you will open our eyes,
Our hearts,
Our ears,
Our senses to the opportunities presented to us this day,
To enjoy the experience of being alive,
To notice perhaps what we might not notice without your direction,
To be in wonder at your creation,
Knowing that nothing is mundane,
Is ordinary,
Everything is miraculous and beautiful if we have eyes to see,
Ears of the heart to hear.
And taking a moment now to be grateful for what you've received this past 24 hours.
One day on earth,
A day in which our planet has completed another rotation,
A day in which our earth has moved further in its orbit around the sun,
A miracle that it is held in perfect balance,
Receiving its share of light and warmth.
Being grateful for what food you may have eaten,
For water,
For shelter,
Being grateful for what you might have learned,
What might have inspired you,
What might have been received as wisdom,
Fresh insight,
Awareness,
And just allowing time to bring to mind anything,
The small or seemingly small,
Perhaps the not so small,
Many reasons to be grateful for this past day.
Thank you,
Mighty,
Gracious Lord,
For your immeasurable provision,
For the experience of another day in this body,
The adventure that awaits.
Fill our hearts with your love,
Guide our paths,
Keep us safe in your company,
And may we receive with gratitude all that you have to show us.
Amen.
I feel that you want to expand your focus to include the many reasons to be grateful from the past seven days,
The past week,
The many opportunities that have presented themselves that perhaps at the time you did not recognize immediately as opportunities,
As gifts,
As learnings,
As we are too often blinded by our busyness,
Not allowing time to be still and to notice,
Rushing from one place to another,
Now taking a brief time to reflect,
To recognize,
To be grateful.
And so,
Gracious Lord,
Thank you for this time.
Thank you for your continued blessings.
Warm our hearts,
Guide our paths,
Bring us ever closer to you.
We offer this prayer in the name of our Lord and Savior,
Our precious Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
