“[The Lord] raised up for his people [the Christ], the praise of… the people close to his heart” (Psalm 148:14).
“People close to his heart.” I am close to the Lord’s heart! You are close to the Lord’s heart! Doesn’t this make your heart skip with joy? If you join me in this meditation and prayer it will!
Remember John at the Last Supper? He reclined on Jesus’ chest and later he told the whole world again and again: “I am the disciple Jesus loves!” (John 13:23, 26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20).
What a blessing it is when I’m meditating on Scripture and the Holy Spirit [...]
Continue reading Come Close to Christ
Psalm 135:4 says: “The LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.”
Let’s apply this to you and I today. Let’s pause to ponder, paraphrase, and pray this verse.
Today I found myself captivated by a little prayer that emerged from this verse. I prayed it over and over throughout the day. I invite you to pause with me now to ponder, paraphrase, and pray. Open your heart be stirred to appreciate God’s goodness to you!
The Father treasures me as his child;
Christ chooses me as his disciple;
The Holy Spirit lives [...]
Continue reading The Lord Treasures You!
By Bill Gaultiere © 2010
Many people after they put themselves out to minister to others feel self-doubt. Pastors may wonder if they preached a good sermon. Small group leaders may question their effectiveness. Counselors feel might feel unsure they said the right thing. Anyone who serves others is likely to ask: “Did I make a difference?”
In order to feel adequate in our ministry to others most of us try too hard. We rely more on our own wisdom and strength than on the Holy Spirit. We try to please people and base our identity on what they think of us. What exhaustion and distress this [...]
Continue reading A Prayer for When You Minister to Others
You long to be pursued in love. So do I.
“How are you… really? What do you need? What are you hoping for? How can I pray for you?” When someone expresses genuine personal interest in you it is healing. When you open up to grace it is life-giving.
But somewhere along the line we all have felt rejected… devalued… unknown… lost…
And we have learned to deny our hurts… not have emotional needs… distract ourselves from our inner pain… isolate…
We must come to the point where we cry out to God with the Psalmist: “May my cry come before you, O Lord… May [...]
Continue reading Good Shepherd is Looking for You!
On Palm Sunday Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the people didn’t recognize him (Luke 19:41). Later in Holy Week Jesus cried out for us all: “O how I have longed to gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings!” (Matthew 23:37, paraphrase).
Do you desire to be that close to Christ? David sought to take refuge under the wings of the Lord, snuggled up to his chest. We can “take heart” from him.
In Psalm 61:1-4 David is in a desert wilderness and he prays: “Hear my cry, O God… From the ends of the earth I call to you… Lead me to [...]
Continue reading Jesus is My Refuge
The way to life and freedom is to trust in the name of the Lord. The wise man says: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:12).
But what does it mean to trust in the name of the Lord? In my personal life and in my ministry as a psychologist and spiritual mentor I have learned that we must learn to bring our reliance upon the name of the Lord into our daily life challenges and struggles.
Today I was about to hurry as I drove until I breathed the name of Jesus in prayer.
I [...]
Continue reading Jesus, in Your Name I Hope
The Sons of Korah may have written Psalm 42 by these waterfalls that flow into the Jordan River. I can imagine this because I love praying a Psalm in its nature setting!
Two years ago in Maui I watched my son and daughter surf at Puamana Beach. As I did I listened to the waves and meditated on Psalm 42. The waves and words flowed together into my soul. I waited… I breathed them in… I breathed them out…
I realized that God, like the echoing sounds of the waves and the unfolding insights [...]
Continue reading Waves of Love
Breathing a prayer is like getting in rhythm with the ocean's waves
In my teaching, counseling, and leading of retreats I find that people greatly benefit from learning how to use a “Breath Prayer” approach to meditating on a phrase from the Bible.
A reader of the Soul Shepherding Blog asked me for help in learning to do this…
My recent post, God’s Word to Me (based on my meditations from Psalm 19), included a number of Breath Prayers. Let’s take one as example (many of the short prayers I post work like this)…
“Jesus… I smile in your light.”
This easy and joyful prayer is a deep and [...]
Continue reading Breathe a Prayer – it’s Simple, Delightful!
A small door leads to the birth place of Christ
What makes for a “good day”? For me it starts with prayer.
This morning I awoke early. My thoughts started down the path of planning all I had to do and I started to feel anxious… How easy it is for me at that point to get out of bed and go to work!
Instead, as CS Lewis described so aptly, I shoved back all those “wild animals” and began to pray! I laid in bed. I grabbed an ancient little prayer and held on for dear [...]
Continue reading Small Beginnings
“[The Lord] raised up for his people [the Christ], the praise of… the people close to his heart” (Psalm 148:14).
