The SENTENCE that CONNECTS

 

July 11, 2024

 

Philippians 4:8

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

 

We have acknowledged this week that the discipline of Prayer, can be a struggle for us Jesus followers. We would never say prayer is unimportant, because we have the example of Jesus and his prayer life. After all, he gave us a prayer to serve as an example, as a model, “This then is how you should pray, Our Father ….”

I know what it is to have times of struggle in the practice of prayer, yet over time I have found some resources that help me to break through the struggle and bring me into the presence of God and reignite the joy and value of a relationship with God.

So, today I want to share the One Sentence prayer as another type of prayer we can use to connect, and to be in touch with our Creator and consider the condition of our souls. The One Sentence prayer can be used in times of grief, joy, gratitude, and petition. When we cannot find the words, or perhaps when we want to engage in simple conversation with God, offering just one sentence of prayer can be just what our spirit’s need to connect, or maybe for some, reconnect with our Loving God.

In this type of prayer, we can use a sentence found in Scripture rather than formulating our own prayer if it feels like the words are not coming to us. Whether we pray the words of scripture, or our own words based on scripture, we offer our prayer to God. What we do in this type of prayer is to focus on each syllable and repeat the sentence until we feel it has been “written on our heart.”

Here are a few examples of one sentence prayers:

“God, have mercy on me according to your steadfast love.”      Psalm 51

“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things.” Psalm 119

“Great are you Lord, and greatly to be praised.” Psalm 145

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" Psalm 103

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

I know that these are short prayers, yet they can, when spoken. quickly shift our thoughts from “worthless things” and turn our eyes toward God. Remember, simple or complex, short or long, God hears our prayers and remains near to us, always!!

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, 

To all who call upon Him in truth.     

                                                                    Psalm 145:18