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| Quiet Time at my desk.... |
Every morning when I open my e-mail inbox, I read and pray through the
Daily Reflections from
The High Calling.
Today's Daily Reflection includes a Scriptural prayer that has long been near and dear to my heart. When I practice
Centering Prayer, this is the prayer I use.
Here is
today's Daily Reflection by Mark D. Roberts in its entirety:
Jul
28, 2014
The
Jesus Prayer
When
Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus,
Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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By
Mark D. Roberts
As Jesus and his
disciples journeyed near Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus heard that
Jesus was about to pass his way. So he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!” (10:47). When people tried to get Bartimaeus to be quiet, he
shouted even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
This simple
cry for mercy has inspired countless prayers during the last two millennia. In
particular, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, one of the most common and
influential prayers is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a
sinner.” This so-called “Jesus Prayer,” which has a variety of forms, is spoken
millions of times each day by believers throughout the world. It begins with an
acknowledgement of who Jesus is as Lord and Son of God. This goes beyond the
messianic confession of Bartimaeus, who addressed Jesus as the Son of
David. Then, the Jesus Prayer makes a simple request: “Have mercy on me, a
sinner.” We need God’s mercy, not just every now and then, not just when we’re
in a tough predicament, but throughout our lives, each and every day. As
sinners, we need to experience God’s forgiveness, cleansing, and freedom. This
comes, not through our efforts, but through God’s mercy. Because of his love for
us and his faithfulness, God’s mercy is new every morning (Lam.
3:23).
How different our lives might be if we learned to rely on God’s
mercy each and every day. Learning to pray the Jesus Prayer regularly helps us
to be open to God in new ways as we acknowledge our dependence on him and his
matchless mercy.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Have
you ever prayed the Jesus Prayer on a regular basis? Do you ever ask the Lord
for mercy? What would it mean for you to live each day by leaning on the mercy
of God?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Amen.
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Wishing you all a blessed week in God's mercy and grace,
3 comments:
Susie, I love this as as "angelic" as you may think your Teddy Bear is, I also have a "devilish" side to me that brings me woe, unhappiness, & guilt, and so this passage was comforting...I guess the moral for me to true repentance for some of the things I am not proud of that I do is "Go and sin no more", and most importantly, forgive myself
My dear Teddy Bear,
I couldn't have said it better myself.
We all struggle with our "devilish" sides, and often forgiving ourselves is the most difficult part. But I think that we have truly sought and accepted God's forgiveness when we can indeed forgive ourselves. It's something I struggle with myself.
And you're always "angelic" in my eyes, my dear friend, with your kind, kind heart and the joy you bring to all of us. :)
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