Jesus claimed many names. Not only do these names define him but they give us access to who he is and what he offers us in this life and the next. Over the next couple of weeks we will use these names in our prayers. Today we come to Jesus who is the Bread of Life and the Vine of Life.
O great I Am,
Creator of every star above our heads and maker of every grain of sand beneath our feet, hear us as we cry out in the names you called yourself.
Bread of Life,
We are hungry and know not for what. Like crows, we scrabble after every shiny object. Like dogs we chase our tails. Invite us to your sumptuous table, laden with what we truly need. Show us that in You is no scarcity. Then through us, your people, provide for the truly hungry in body and soul.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Vine of Life:
You are the vine and we mere branches. Graft us into our rightful place in you. Though we are dust, teach us we are your beloved and we belong in and to you. From the powerful to the powerless, from presidents to children, show us our need for you and your desire to provide and be present with us.
Like the fruit of the vine, your life was crushed, pressed down, that we may be forgiven. Let us drink of your life and goodness and live free in your grace. Overflow through us that we may fill others with your forgiveness and love.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
If you missed last week’s prayer click here: Sunday Psalm: Confessing the Deadly Sin of Seeing Life Like Narcissus.
Or Sunday Psalm: A Prayer to Be Transformed to Think and Act like Christ
Finally one of my most popular blogs may also be an encouragement. Want to Be More Like Jesus? Practice this One Simple Spiritual Discipline.
love the dog and crow analogies!,… “our hearts are restless, until they rest in thee” comes to mind,…
googled: Saint Augustine writes in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
I’m getting a “picture” of “energy”,… frenetic energy expending itself willy-nilly, becoming channeled into deeper and broader and more unified streams and experiences of “living water”,… certainly, the desirable “way to go”,… (-:
Georgie Ann: Thank you for adding so much depth to this prayer. May you rest in him today.
one of my all-time favorite quotes: “God Bless us, every one!”,… from Charles Dickens, via Tiny Tim Cratchit,… (-: