A Prayer for the Journey

God,

Remind me daily why I am on this journey. Remind me that you are leading me, and as I hear Your voice, I will follow You, because I know Your voice1. You are also with me, and Your rod and staff comfort me2. Not only that, but goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life3. That includes today.

Unless you build the house, my work is useless4 because apart from You I can do nothing. 5 May I become so busy or so slothful that I lose touch with you as the Vine. I need to remember that you call me to come to You when I am weary and heavy laden, so that You can give me rest for my soul. As I share Your yoke, I will find that Your yoke is easy and your burden is light. 6I cannot plough the furrow myself.

The good things I do today cannot save me – only grace, as Your gift to me. Thank You for this gift. I receive it with faith.7 Nevertheless, I have been created in You, Christ, for good works, prepared for me by You, Father. All this flows from my identity in You, as Your workmanship. 8 Lead me into these good works, that I may be clear that I am walking in Your will and not labouring in vain.

There will be many voices clamouring for my attention today. Over them all, may I hear Your voice, as You stand at my door and patiently knock, waiting to be invited in so we can share a meal together.9 I open that door now, inviting You in. Let all needs be addressed from this dining room; let all hearts be spoken to from this dining room; may I never leave this room to do ‘ministry’, but remind me that all ministry flows from this meal we are sharing together.

As I walk through this broken world with You today, Lord, I understand that I am chosen of You. I am holy and dearly loved. In response, I choose right now to clothe myself with compassion, with kindness, with humility, with gentleness and with patience. Strengthen me to bear with others, and remind me to forgive what ever grievances I have against others, as a pale reflection of the way You forgave me. Over all these virtues I choose to put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. 10

Prince of Peace, may Your peace rule in my heart since, with my brothers and sisters as one body, we were called to peace. Spring up a fount of thankfulness in my heart11, for Your joy is my strength. 12

Father, in You I stand firm. In You, nothing will move me. I give myself fully, without reservation, wholeheartedly to Your work, because I know that my labour in You is not in vain13 – it has purpose, it has meaning, it has a reason, no matter how mundane, frustrating or humiliating it is.

Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the power, Yours is the glory. Forever and ever.
Amen

1 John 10:4

2 Psalm 23:4

3 Psalm 23:6

4 Psalm 127:1

5 John 15:5

6 Matt 11:28-30

7 Eph 2:8

8 Eph 2:10

9 Rev 3:20

10 Colossians 3:12-14

11 Colossians 3:15

12 Nehemiah 8:10

13 1 Corinthians 15:58