The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together,
And a little child shall lead them.
And that child will be their source of peace.
I invite you to find a comfortable seated position you can remain in for a few minutes.
Picture a person you know well and care about deeply.
Imagine them sitting across from you.
Really try to imagine that they are actually there with you.
Close your eyes if that helps.
Focus on the details of their face.
Once this picture is vivid enough to feel real,
Say this prayer over them.
I pray for good things for you.
I pray you will have peace.
I pray you will have joy.
I pray you will feel loved.
How did that make you feel?
Now,
Let's do the same thing again,
Only this time visualize someone you don't know very well,
Or perhaps don't have a very strong opinion of one way or another.
Perhaps a clerk at the grocery store,
An acquaintance,
Or a friend of a friend,
And say the same prayer over them.
I pray for good things for you.
I pray you will have peace.
I pray you will have joy.
I pray you will feel loved.
Was there any difference between how you felt about saying the prayer that time?
Perhaps it wasn't quite as natural.
Maybe it even felt kind of strange.
The next round may be a little more difficult.
I'd like you to imagine someone who has hurt you sitting across from you.
Perhaps it is someone you dislike or who dislikes you.
Maybe you would even use a stronger word than dislike,
Or even view this person as an enemy.
If at any point this becomes too painful for you,
Feel free to stop anytime.
Once you have a person pictured,
I invite you to do your best to imagine that they are actually sitting right across from you,
And you can reach out and touch them,
And say this prayer over them.
I pray for good things for you.
I pray you will have peace.
I pray you will have joy.
I pray you will feel loved.
How did it make you feel that time?
Was it more difficult that time?
Perhaps it was even a little distressing.
Take a moment if you need it.
Some people find the next and final part of this exercise even more difficult.
Imagine yourself sitting across from you.
Not like you are looking into a mirror,
But as if you are truly sitting across from yourself.
Once again,
Say this prayer over you.
I pray for good things for you.
I pray you will have peace.
I pray you will have joy.
I pray you will feel loved.
What sort of feelings were brought up for you when you did that?
This is the prayer Yeshua prays over all the people you just pictured.
This is the prayer I pray over you.
This is the prayer Yeshua prays over you.
I pray for good things for you.
I pray you will have peace.
I pray you will have joy.
I pray you will feel loved.
I pray you will feel loved.
