What wonderful life transformation begins to take place in us when we pray from our heart: “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing” (Psalm 16:2).
Worries fade. Irritations dissipate. Busyness ceases. Spirits are lifted. Time becomes holy.
We are right where we need to be when our hearts cry out to God: “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
Let David’s Prayer Live in You
Do you know this prayer of David? Have you spent some time letting it live in you until your heart is warmed and devotion to the Lord starts to burn within you?
The primitive Christians knew this prayer. The Apostles stressed the importance of Psalm 16 as prophesying of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. They prayed this Psalm to help them engage with the risen Christ, participating in the eternal life he wanted to live through them in the now.
Connect with Father, Son, and Spirit
Joy! Joy! Joy! When we connect with the Son of God in Psalm 16 we also connect with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Following Jesus into the Trinitarian community is the most wonderful blessing!
Let’s do it now. I’d like to share with you one of my favorite Trinitarian prayers which I wrote based on Psalm 16:2:
My All in All: Abba, Jesus, Parakletos
Abba… Apart from your arms of love I have no good thing
Jesus… Apart from your cross I have no good thing
Parakletos… Apart from your breath of life I have no good thing
Yahweh… Apart from you I have no good thing
Breath Prayer
To help you resolve to love the Lord with your whole heart you can try spending a few minutes using “My All in All” as a Breath Prayer. This is a way to use your body to help you slow down your praying, think deeply, and engage your heart (will) with God’s Word. I find that the breathing rhythm helps me to keep myself engaged with God:
Breathe in to receive from God as you whisper his name
Hold your breath to linger in your appreciation of God’s love
Breathe out to let go of everything except God as you whisper the second part
What peace, purpose, power we can experience in the sweet society of divine persons!
Practice God’s Presence
You might write this Trinitarian Prayer down on a little piece of paper to carry it in your pocket and memorize it so you can pray it for moments throughout your day or while you lay in bed and drift off to sleep.
What a blessing it is to train our souls in a prayer of devotion to the Lord like this. Saturate your mind in the Trinitarian presence. Let God fill your body and engage your heart. Appreciating the delightful sufficiency of the Father-Son-Spirit presence with you changes how you participate in the events of your day, how you respond to stress, and how you care for the people around you.
O to live with wholehearted devotion to the Lord! O to love and honor him in all that we do. It makes everything in life beautiful!
May you grow in the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. May you rejoice to learn to make the Lord your All in all. May you radiate with the life of Christ to the people around you.More Breath Prayers
To pray a short verse or paraphrase of Scripture as a Breath Prayer is refreshing and empowering. It helps you learn to practice God’s presence all day and stay in tune with the peace of Christ. I’ve selected key verses of Scripture and developed step-by-step instructions for meditation, breathing rhythms, and prayer in “Breath Prayer Guides.”
