Prayer of Thanks

Dear God, 

Thank you for being our Father in this troubled and wounded world, where dreams are so easily crushed and hearts so easily broken. Thank you for the cool drops of grace that refresh us in this arid and lonely desert we are walking through. Thank you that, through Jesus Christ, you are not only our Father in heaven, watching us from a safe distance, but also our friend and companion on the road. We talk to you, we put our hand in yours and suddenly our burden feels so much lighter and everything seems so much easier. You have made our minds large enough to seek you and our hearts large enough to love you, but, above all, you have made yourself small enough to enter our world and change it forever. And change us forever. 

Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for your words on the cross, when you prayed "Father, forgive them" for those who were crucifying you. These are healing words we can always turn to when we need a breath of fresh air and a new perspective in our lives. By forgiving them -- and us -- you have opened a new way for humanity, making possible that kind of love and forgiveness that seems humanly impossible. Thank you for defying the merciless laws of nature for us. For overcoming gravity by grace and death by eternal life, thus releasing an immense power for the good in our wounded world. And for giving us constant access to this power through the Holy Spirit that dwells and works in us. For all this and much more, we give you thanks and praise and surrender our hearts to you. 

Amen

Law vs. Grace

Law can control people, but it can't change their hearts. Grace can. Therefore grace is a much greater force than the law.

Justice pays evil for evil, "an eye for an eye". But to pay evil for evil means to increase evil (it's simple mathematics). To go "an eye for an eye" means to lose two eyes instead of one, therefore to increase the darkness.

To pay good for evil is to increase the good. To forgive is to open someone's eyes to the reality of grace, therefore to bring in more light.

To punish a guilty man is to identify him with his guilt. To forgive him is to reveal to him that he is more than his guilt. In the first case you set limitations. In the second case, you remove limitations.

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The Royal Way

When people hate you and despise you
And distort every word you say,
Don’t fight or curse them, don’t get even,
Forgiveness is the royal way.

When burdens are too hard to bear
And pain knocks down your house of clay,
Don’t moan, don’t give in to despair,
Endurance is the royal way.

When you see suffering and fear,
When others turn their face away,
Tend to the wounds and wipe the tears,
Compassion is the royal way.

And whether you meet kings or beggars,
Great saints or sinners gone astray,
Serve all as if they were your brothers,
Humility’s the royal way.

Whatever this world has to offer,
And in your journey come what may,
You’ll conquer all if you remember
That Jesus walked the royal way.

Prayer To Help Me To Forgive

My Lord, help me forgive when everything inside me tells me not to. Help me let go when my heart is so wounded that I feel it’s breaking. Open my eyes to things that can heal me, things that can comfort me and make me stronger. Hold my hand and let me cry on Your shoulder. Take me to places I’ve never been, let me stand on the highest mountain, so I can see how foolish I am for clinging to my anger. Show me a glimpse of Your greatness, so that I can make it my treasure when everything else seems to crumble around me.

Teach me to make the best of all the painful circumstances in my life and help me love the people who hurt me as You love us all, although we hurt You every day by our words, thoughts and actions. Give me the wisdom to see beyond this moment, to understand and accept the deepest motivations that make people hurt other people. Give me the inner strength to heal and not to break, to comfort and not to destroy, to repay good for evil and love for hatred.

And last, but not least, make my faith stronger, so that I can cope with moments like this in the future. Turn every experience into a magic well, from which I can always draw drops of strength and wisdom. Teach me the alchemy of love, which changes dust and mud into gold and makes everything worthwhile. For You are the only help I’ve got and in You I put all my trust now and forever.

AMEN

Life-Changing Books:

"The Shack" by William P. Young

How can a man forgive his father who has abused him as a child? How can a father forgive the serial killer who murdered his 6-year-old little daughter? What revelation can turn the bitterness of a broken heart into joy and peace with the world, God and the self? What amazing experience can heal such painful wounds and replace the horror by faith and love? It must have been something great, something deep, with a huge impact, something coming from far beyond the boundaries of this world. You can find the answer in William P. Young's novel "The Shack", a book that combines a skillfully woven plot with such depth and wisdom that it can't but make its way to the most intimate part of the reader's soul. 

Unconventional and fascinating, captivating and profound, straightforward but subtle and delicate, this novel has all the attributes of a life-changing book. It deals with an old controversial topic and attempts to provide answers to the most burning questions of humanity. But it does it in such an original and charming way that, whether you are a convinced Christian or not, you feel you are taken one step forward on your spiritual journey. 

"The Shack" attempts to reveal the secret face of the true living God and the Holy Trinity. God is not what people have made of Him in their attempt to control their own destiny and protect their vulnerabilities. His image is built gradually around His own words "I am Who I am". Suddenly God appears to us surprising, fresh and new. Ideas we've been used to, things we've been taught to believe for such a long time lose their grip, and other things we've never thought of come into the equation to bring new light to the matter. 

Is God a male or a female? Is God really the stern master portrayed in the Old Testament? Does God have the sense of humour? Does God intervene in human existence? What is the truth about heaven and hell? Why does God allow evil? Can the Holy Spirit alter the dimensions of time and space? These are just a few of the questions that are dealt with in this novel. 

"The Shack" is much more than a best seller or an enjoyable read. It is a living book, one of those inspirational writings you remember and treasure for a long time. There is nothing rigid in it, nothing ostentatious or preaching-like. It teaches without sounding like a sermon. Nothing near. It is a book that opens hearts and minds by challenging the very prejudices that stand in the way of our relationship with God and with one another. 

Links: 

The Shack Book Website

Author's Blog

My Lord, here I am, in front of you again, with all my heart and my soul. Teach me to be honest with myself and with you. Teach me not to hide behind words, behind polished phrases. Here I am, my soul all naked, ready to let you in. I have so many things to repent for. So many things I should have done and I haven’t. So many things I shouldn’t have done and I have. So many dark corners inside my heart where your light hasn’t reached yet. Forgive me for all those things and for many others that can’t be said here and now. You know each and every one of them. Purify my soul of all the rubbish, so that you can turn me into an instrument of your love. Clean all the places that need to be cleaned. Heal all the wounds that need to be healed. Light all the corners that are still in the dark. Hold my hand and guide my steps on the right path. Help me keep the candle burning. Show me the meaning of my life and your will for it. Let me find my strength in you, even when I feel that all in me is weakness and that all around me is crumbling to pieces. Be my comforter and my friend. Listen to my prayers and help me cry when the burden of restrained tears becomes too heavy within me. Cry with me. Let me feel your tears like a rain inside me, setting me free from all the tension, from all the negative energy. Let me feel your love touching my soul like a soft summer breeze, your tender care like a warm coat on a chilly day, your sweet presence like a long-wanted gift on a magic Christmas Eve. Teach me how to live and how to die. How to pray and how to forgive. All the things that could help my faith grow. Teach me all the little things no one has ever taught me. All that my soul longs to know. And don’t leave me. Stay with me forever and ever. Especially in the moments when I’m down and there’s no one else to lift me up. Especially in the moment of my death. Share it with me to make it easier. Make me feel then - like I felt all throughout my life - that everywhere is home, since home is wherever you are and you are everywhere.

AMEN

My Lord, thank you for this brand new morning, when all the troubles and worries of yesterday seem light years away. Thank you for the night, the time of sleep and rest you gave us to clear all the rubbish  of the day. Thank you for every new beginning, for every fresh start. For every new dream. Thank you for, no matter how hurt we are in the evening, there's always a new morning waiting for us when we can find the strength to forgive and to forget.

Forgiveness

Lord God, give us the wisdom and the power to forgive one another like you forgive us. Search our hearts and where you find bitterness, pour your divine love. Where you find darkness, pour your healing light. Where you find resentment and anger, pour your endless mercy. Teach us how loved and precious we are in your eyes. Teach us to give the same love and appreciation to our neighbours. Teach us not to judge, but rather help those who go astray. In Jesus' name. Amen.