Читать книгу Pocket Prayers for Commuters - Christopher Herbert - Страница 8

ON THE WAY TO WORK: MORNING PRAYER

PRESENCE AND PEACE

Prayer is bringing yourself, your concerns and everyone you love into the presence of God who is love, knowing that he is with you now and always. So each session begins with a time when you place yourself consciously in the presence of God. Of course, God is with us at every moment. He is as close and as intimate to us as breathing, but in prayer we bring all that to mind.

Let the words of the opening sentence or prayer act like the hands of a potter making a pot: allow the words to mould your thinking and praying. Say the words to yourself slowly, a few times, and then wait; that’s all, just wait. What you are doing is bringing your very self into the presence of God. It may take the whole journey just to do that. And if it does, so be it.

PRAISE

Once you feel you have some kind of inner peace, if only for a brief moment, you could turn to the prayer or passage of Scripture inviting you to offer praise. God is always very close to us, waiting for our response of love, and this is a moment to call to mind not only being in God’s presence but also the pleasure of being with him.

READING AND REFLECTION

Each day in the pages that follow you will find a biblical passage for you to think about. There are a number of suggestions to help you to read the passage thoughtfully, but you may want to ignore those suggestions and approach the text in your own way. That’s fine, but please let both your imagination and your intelligence play their part in what you are doing. And again, don’t rush. Reading the Scriptures as a part of prayer needs to be done with an open mind and with gentle, rigorous patience.

PRAYER

Now begin to turn towards all those people or situations that are on your own heart. Think of the people you are going to meet later today: a colleague, a friend, a stranger – perhaps the people who are sitting around you on the bus or train. Imagine that they are with you now and accompany them into the presence of God. Ask God to bless them and to look upon them with love.

And finally, pray for anyone you have had to leave at home today; with them and for them, in silence, say: ‘Our Father . . .’

CONCLUSION

At the end of the ‘Our Father’ there is a closing prayer to send you out into the day that lies ahead. You might want to try to memorise and hold on to a phrase from this – or from any part of the session – to repeat to yourself throughout the day.