Good morning, friends,

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”
― Mother Teresa

I love this quote so so much.  Christ is calling us to this deep intimacy with Him, pulling us close, and constantly speaking to us.  It’s so easy to forget that this intimate relationship is even possible, but it is!!!  Read that quote again…  putting oneself in the hands of God.  Listening to His voice in the depth of our heart.  That is powerful!!!

It is powerful, but it is also quite simple.  Forming that beautiful relationship with Christ is a matter of trusting Him in the little things, in the things that we might think aren’t as important.  It’s about realizing that He has our best interest in mine.  ALL the time.  Everyday.  And it’s about simply recognizing the immense power of his love, a depth of affection that we will never truly be able to comprehend.

But how do we achieve that depth of trust that Christ is calling us to?  How do we learn to know that He is always there.  Not just know it, theologically, but know it in our heart.

Now I’m not going to sit here, typing away at my laptop, and give you a cookie cutter answer.  Cuz that’s not how faith works.  It’s up to you how you go about forming a strong prayer life, reading the bible, and practicing your faith.  BUT.  The following “10 Second Prayers” have helped me in so many ways.  They are almost a way of re-finding a ‘center’ in Christ.  They don’t need to be scheduled or planned out.  They’re just always going to be there when we need a little bit of Jesus time, even for literally 10 seconds.

 

 

+ Jesus, I trust in you.

2 Samuel 7:28 | Psalm 9:10 | Psalm 13:5 | Psalm 31:14

Isn’t that just the most beautiful little prayer??  You can pray it when you’re happy and you can pray it when you’re sad.  When you just don’t understand what the heck is happening, He certainly does.  So, who better to put our trust in?  You got it!!

 

+ Help me to recognize your presence.

Psalm 139:7 | Exodus 33:14 | Psalm 16:11 | 1 Kings 8:27

This is a prayer I only recently recognized the power of.  By doing a nightly examine with the Examen Journal over the past few months, I have realized the importance of seeking to recognize Christ’s presence in a whole new way.  Just as Christ is constantly seeking us out, we, too, must always be seeking Him out in our day to day life.  He is in the sun, a smiling face, a bit of good news, and a bit of bad news.  As long as we keep looking for Him, He will always be waiting for us!!

 

+ Be with me, Lord.

Genesis 50:25 | Lamentations 3:22-23 | Psalm 119:90 | 1 Corinthians 1:9

This is such a powerful prayer.  By simply invoking the Lord’s name, He comes to our aid.  Whether it be a time of crisis, stress, or decision making, calling on Him is always the best option!!

 

+ You are good, O Lord, always good.

Psalm 119:68 | Psalm 73:1 | Psalm 145:9 | 1 Chronicles 16:34

This is by far my favorite go to prayer.  Maybe because it’s part of one of my all-time favorite songs (King of my Heart) or maybe because I find it is just a beautiful phrase.  I think, if we look into the corners of our lives, we will all be surprised by the goodness that god has revealed to us.  Even in the little things, He is good, always and forever.

 

+ Not my will, but your will.

Psalm 143:10 | Jeremiah 29:11 | 1 Thessalonians 5:18 | Psalm 119:105

Ouch.  But why would we want to succumb our ‘all knowing will’ to that of someone else?  Whatever happened to freedom?  It’s tricky to give up our control.  I know, for me, I like to know what to expect.  And putting my complete trust and future in God may seem like a gamble.  But what if I’m not ‘all knowing’ after all.  Well, duh.  And what if God, the creator of the universe, and not to mention, me, IS all knowing.  Maybe he would know what was best for me.  So, to keep us humble, and to remind us of the perfect plan of God, this prayer definitely comes in handy!!

 

+ Your Love is sufficient for me.

John 15:9 | Romans 5:8 | Galatians 2:20 | 1 John 4:9-11

No matter what life may throw at us, His love will cover us.  His forgiveness does not “cover a multitude of sins”.  No, it erases them and wipes us clean.  He will walk with us, both in sunny days and tear stained nights.  He will not forsake us, will never leave us, will never stop loving us.  Even if everyone else fails us, He will not leave.  By praying this prayer, we are praying these truths over our lives and into our soul.  Talk about powerful!!

I hope you all have a blessed Saturday!!  See you soon!!

Maddy