Beyond the Mere Ritual

 

 

Heavenly Father,

I pray today

That my prayer

Would go beyond mere ritual,

And be not the complaints

Or the grocery list

As usual.

 

Help me,

Heavenly Father,

To appreciate you

Simply just for who you are

And to thank you

For supplying my needs

As you always do.

 

And to do so,

Heavenly Father,

Form a heart of gratitude,

Ascribing to You all glory,

And all honour,

And all praise

In the right attitude.

 

Giving thanks,

Heavenly Father,

For those necessities

I often take for granted:

Like the strength I use,

And the air I breathe

Uninhibited.

 

For the so-much

That is going for me,

Heavenly Father,

Rather than the focus I take

On life’s challenges

And making the same

A huge bother.

 

 

Help me today

And always,

Heavenly Father,

To go beyond the mere ritual,

Praying from the heart,

And that without ceasing,

It will be continual.

 

Help me, Heavenly Father,

To conform to the image of Christ

As I grow and glow,

And that the beauty of Jesus

Will be seen in me

As I live out in my life

Here below.

 

I pray, Heavenly Father,

That…

My walk will match my talk,

My life will match my lip,

My prayer would be mindful

And meaningful

And not just a daily habit.

 

Stewart Russell © February 21, 2022

 

Teach Me Lord

Lord teach me how to pray

As I unpack each and every day

And teach me how to walk

And step in line with my talk.

For often there is dissonance

Between my walk and talk

And my growth is undeveloped

Like an undernourished stalk.

Teach me the truth to hold

As undiluted from Thy Word

And not ever to be attracted

To the mystical and absurd.

Teach me to taste my words

In case I have to swallow them

And to always live uprightly

In the presence of all men.

Teach me to be consistent

At church as well as home

And to walk as you would guide

In the throng and when alone.

Teach me Lord and let me learn

The principles of Thy kingdom

That as I dwell here on this earth

I may reflect the life of your Son.

Teach me the foundation truths

On which my life be built

That even in the sternest test

I would not desire to quit.

Teach me to be ever faithful

In word and thought and deed

And reach out to the unfortunate

To give help in time of need.

Teach me to be always thankful

For your gift of life each day

And when disappointments come

To think of blessings on the way.

  

Teach me to share my little

With someone with less than me

For in sharing there is a witness

Of my God-given ministry.

Teach me to keep in focus

The moment this life will be o’er

And as the years should roll along

Teach me to trust you more.

Teach me to always remember

I am here only for a while

And even if the journey be long

To treat each day as the last mile.

Teach me to leave a legacy

That’s really worth remembering

One replete with kindly acts

In keeping with my Lord and King.

A legacy that shows not self-reliance

But dependence on Almighty God

And if there be nothing else to show

Let this endeavour be spread abroad.

Stewart Russell © April 2018