Weekly Breath Prayers: February 2024
Every Sunday, we begin our worship services with a simple breath prayer from Milford First's lay leader to guide us through the week. Below are this month’s breath prayers along with weekly reflections from Deb Johnson. We hope these prayers are meaningful tools for your spiritual life and journey!
Sunday, February 25, 2024
May I walk beside you, Lord?
As we continue on our Lenten journey, this week's breath prayer is an opportunity to draw nearer to our Lord. By reciting it, we can pause, quiet our hearts and draw nearer. We can tune out the noise around us and the long lists of "to-dos" and quietly center ourselves on our Lord.
It actually is a beautiful prayer to remind ourselves to walk intentionally with everyone. When you are conversing with a friend or family member, stop multi-tasking and start multi-listening. What are they saying? What words are they choosing? What expression is on their face? Am I making genuine eye contact?
Take a deep breath as you meet your Lord this week...whether at devotion time, dinner time, quiet time or even as you get in the car time! Invite Jesus to walk or ride beside you and then intentionally listen! You might hear more than you expect!
Sunday, February 18, 2024
I pray to find my forgiving heart.
As we enter into Lent, the following breath prayers and Pastor Mick's sermons will be focused on Jesus and his steps to the cross. Today, we concentrate on forgiveness. As only the Holy Spirit can do, the devotion on Ash Wednesday of this week in the Upper Room was on forgiveness…it challenged us instead of "giving up something for Lent" to release a grudge or resentment instead…setting us free from emotional burdens. Sometimes I think it is easier to forgive someone we don't know than to forgive someone close to us. Their words and actions just seem to hurt more acutely. Yet when we find that forgiving heart, our lives become so much richer and joyful!
And then the bigger concept of forgiveness…forgiving ourselves! It is often tough to look yourself in the mirror or let go of actions of the past. But our loving Father has done so and we need to prayerfully reach that place of genuine forgiveness as well.
Breath prayers are a wonderful way to reset our old habits. When we find ourselves retreating to old ways, feeling selfish or resentful, offer up this breath prayer. We all have forgiving hearts, sometimes we just need a gentle reminder.
Sunday, February 11, 2024
May we be transformed and honor You.
Are you ready for spring weather and the many transformations that will inevitably occur? Take some time to sit with this week's breath prayer and reflection from Deb Johnson:
I, for one, try very hard to not dread winter...the long, dark dreary days and the colder temperatures are not my favorite! But one of the things I do love is watching winter transform into spring. The buds of green poking through the brown earth, the return of bird calls when the sun shines...all those transformations cannot happen without tolerating the bleakness of winter season first.
On this week of Transfiguration Sunday, we're asking the Holy Three to transform us so that we can better honor them with our spirit and actions. That transforming can be bleak, grey and discouraging, but if we pray with certainty, we can emerge to bring delight not only to ourselves but especially to others around us. We can be that "breath of fresh air" and honor the Spirit that speaks to our heart.
My aunt would say to me "Don't pray for an easy life, pray to be a stronger person". If we are willing to be molded by God, we'll find all the strength we need to do God's will!
Sunday, February 4, 2024
I will sit in silence and wait upon You!
This week's breath prayer is an opportunity to practice waiting and listening, NOT skills that are most humans strong points! I think it starts with that call from the back seat on a family trip..."Are we there yet?" Sitting in silence is a real challenge in the world we live today. There are plenty of distractions to disrupt us. All of them pull us away from hearing what Spirit wishes us to know!
Yet when we do actually and intentionally sit in silence, Spirit is right there ready to put words upon our heart. We wait, we listen, and all truths will be revealed to us.
I encourage you, especially those of us who struggle to be still, to use this breath prayer as a means to settle our soul. It is an opportunity to practice, to strengthen our ability to be silent AND to draw nearer to our Lord. We just might find that the rest of our days goes so much smoother as well!