Sighings

Father,

This morning I rejoin the land of the living.

This morning I come out of my seclusion, out of the cocoon that sickness and worry create.

I praise you, Father, this morning. This is your day; the day you have made, and may I (we) rejoice in it. Perhaps, today we can learn and know what that really means. May we count gifts and blessings and yes, even the trials as a means to rejoicing.

Teach us what it means to be content in all circumstances. Teach us how to live a life of honest rejoicing.

Father, this morning I pray for the sick, the hurting, the confused, the angry, the lost, the sad, the bitter and the happy. I pray for us all and ask that we would come to you with every one of these and allow you to be present in them, to allow you to work through all of them and to allow you to use each of them as a tool to shape the clay that we are.

Father, I pray that you would hear our sighings, our groanings and moanings. When we have no words, when our minds and tongues cannot articulate the inward places, the interiors of us, please interpret our sighings for us. Thank you that the Spirit prays for us. Thank you that your Son intercedes on our behalf.

Thank you that you hear. Thank you, Father, that you hear and that you move on our behalf. Father, often times we don’t see that movement, the ripples are too deep. Often we don’t detect the provision you are offering because we are in the middle of the swirling eddies of all our circumstances.

Enable us to see. Remove the scales of doubt, cynicism and discouragement from our eyes.

Enable us to hear. Remove the wax of routine, noise and selective hearing from our ears.

Enable us to taste. Remove the film of blandness and tastelessness from our tongues.

Enable us to feel. Remove the numbness and the deadness from our fingers.

Wake us up, Father. Help us to recognize what you are doing. We want to see you. We want to trace your hand. We want to participate with you. We want to rejoice—show us how.

Amen and amen.