It’s easy for me to lose my way or think my life is too difficult unless I spend some quiet time in the morning reading the Bible and in prayer.
I read from First Thessalonians this morning while the birds still slept: Light enough to see, but the sun had not yet risen. The promise of a new day: Peaceful, quiet, and pregnant with expectation.
The Apostle Paul wrote thousands of years ago: “…warn those who are lazy, comfort those who are frightened, take tender care of those who are week, and be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 14-18) Paul’s words survived to guide us.
No matter how tired I am, how confused, how distracted, Jesus answers me when I read the Bible and open my heart to Him in prayer. And always, Christ calls me to serve others as He served us – and continues to do so. Each day I am presented with opportunities to serve, and each day the Holy Spirit guides me. With God’s mercy, sometimes I listen and obey.
The opportunities to serve are endless and as varied as the tidal flats near my home. Sometimes I am presented with opportunities to serve family, sometimes friends, sometimes strangers, sometimes enemies, and sometimes there is an opportunity to serve our environment and the living creatures in it.
We were meant to be caregivers for one another and for our world in unlimited ways. Sometimes we are called to perform a simple gesture of kindness, sometimes an encouraging word, sometimes by what we do not say or do in a particular situation — and sometimes an act of great difficulty and sacrifice. It’s not for others to know or say; these are opportunities that speak directly to the heart.
For me, opportunities to serve God are easiest to recognize if preceded by morning prayer, gratitude for God’s gifts — and silence.
For the silence of meditation is thunder to my soul — it’s the deafening sound of the voice of Spirit.
And it’s both soothing and empowering.
Morning prayer is the music of my heart in conversation.
Morning prayer, accompanied by silence, is the duet between God and my soul.
Photo by Jazzdat
REFLECTIONS 
I’m sorry but as an atheist I don’t pray. It’s simply not something I do as I believe it does not help and is a waste of time. I will donate money to charity to help people, though, so don’t get me wrong.
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Do you ever meditate or simply take time to reflect on things? I’m curious whether you find time alone to reflect on your thoughts helpful. If so, we share that in common. Sometimes I simply need to insulate myself from the “noise” of the world that is distracting me so I can connect with my thoughts and feelings. For me, prayer does that. For you and others, perhaps it is something else. For one of my friends it is a run along the beach; for another it is a cup of morning coffee alone while he listens to music. Thank you for sharing your perspective. It means a lot to me.
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I take time to reflect but I don’t meditate. I like to be relaxed but prayer causes an allergic reaction
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I must admit, I laughed when I read your response about having an allergic reaction to prayer. (There are times I feel that way when I read the genealogies in the Old Testament, lol.) Perhaps time to reflect relaxes you similarly to how I feel when I pray. Again, thank you for commenting.
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