Weekly Breath Prayers: February 2025
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 2, 2025
Alleluia!
During our recent combined worship experience with Calvary UMC, Pastor Andre's mother shared the ultimate breath prayer with me, which is simply this: "Alleluia!"
Breathe in on the "Ah," breathe out on the "lleluia."
I believe the first full week of the calendar year is the perfect time to use this breath prayer. Alleluia means "hallelujah," or "God be praised." In this new year, let's focus on all that we already have and all that we are blessed with from our great God.
Sunday, February 9, 2025
I strive to honor you, Lord, with the choices I make.
Do you remember the acronym W.W.J.D.? What would Jesus do? The intention, when it was stamped on bracelets and t-shirts, was to remind us to pause before we act and truly consider what WOULD Jesus do in this situation? An excellent visual reminder to stop, think and not necessarily react so emotionally. Unfortunately, like the rest of commercialism in our society, the impact slowly disappeared.
But I believe it is time to resurrect this concept because this world is hungry for kindness, starving for love, desperate for compassion. When we are intentional about the choices we make, nothing makes our Father more happy!
Prayer is an integral part of striving to honor our Father's wishes. Let this breath prayer remind you, refocus you and encourage you to truly strive to honor the One who has already given us so very much. A heartfelt prayer said in one breath…take it with you all week long!
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Draw nearer as I humble myself in prayer, Lord.
Sometimes a breath prayer is an excellent way to open the lines of communication between God and yourself. It is an invitation to come, sit and listen to what is on your heart. It is also and invitation to the Holy Spirit to write on your heart what you need to hear. Prayer is not about the fancy articulation of words or the well-thought-out prose. It is about quieting our hearts, bringing our busy lives to a halt, and listening to what you receive. You have heard it before…God already knows what is on our minds and in our hearts. The real challenge is making the time to sit in prayer. This breath prayer is a perfect opener to meeting God. I challenge you to use it purposefully every day this week and then humble yourself. Wait…pause…listen…the Spirit of God is right there waiting for you!
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Let our prayers rise to You in joyful celebration!
We have so much to celebrate in our lives! Take just a minute to reflect on all the joys in your life right now. Take a moment to reflect on all the joys that are occurring right here at Milford First. For the past few weeks we have been focusing on generosity and I believe we feel it here as a congregation!
With so much to celebrate and be grateful for in our lives, let's use this week's breath prayer to remind us to rejoice with the Holy Three that give us so much, the root source of all our joy! Coming in prayerful communication would make any Father smile, but this breath prayer reminds us that our heavenly Father wants to dance with us as well!
It is easy to get burdened with the struggles of our daily lives. Place this breath prayer in multiple places where you will see it to remind you to shift your mindset to joy instead…and remind your family members as well!