Filled With the Holy Spirit

                “Oh dear Lord, I humbly place myself in Your presence. I feel so small, vulnerable, exposed. What do You see when you look at me? Your gaze is more than our humanly view of what lies directly in front of our eyes. Your gaze penetrates much deeper, into the souls of those who humbly stand before You. I feel Your gaze pierce through my flesh and into the spirit of my soul. What do You see there? If anything is not of Your liking, pluck it out and reshape me to what You see as a thing of beauty. Empty my soul of all I don’t need, of anything that blocks Your light. I feel empty, lonely, silent and unable to move. My soul longs for You in this state more than ever. I feel like a lost starving child with nowhere to go.

                “Fill me now with the Holy Spirit. May it blow into my soul like a cool fresh breeze through the windows You have opened. Oh Holy Spirit, first You fill me with love, hope and faith. You assure me that I am becoming all that You want me to be. Oh Holy Spirit, You fill the empty void in my soul. You quench my deep longing the way water moistens my dry throat – slowly but surely restoring the dry damaged tissue layer by layer. Oh Holy Spirit, next You fill me with knowledge and intelligence, providing a mind ready to discern God’s will. I breathe in deeply, inflating my body with all Your grace. Oh dear Holy Spirit, I feel great joy and deep peace throughout my soul. I no longer feel small and vulnerable; I feel tall like I could reach a cloud and I feel protected, shrouded in the power of the Holy Spirit.

                “Dear Lord, my God, my risen King, I humbly but gratefully place myself in Your holy presence.”

Standing Before You My God

                “My Lord, My God, my love, how I long to see You face to face yet how I fear to see You face to face. My love for You wells up and pours out of me like a fountain creating a stream that flows to You and draws me closer and closer to You. I can’t help myself; I must follow this stream, caught in this current of love to Your heart. Yet at the thought of actually seeing You standing in front of me, I tremble and bow my head and can’t find the courage to look up into Your eyes.

“I feel Your hand on my cheek and under my chin, gently lifting my face to Yours. I hear Your kind sweet voice saying, “My child, how I have longed for this moment as well.” “But Lord,” I cry, tears blurring my eyes and a lump choking my throat, “I am not worthy to stand here. I have failed You in so many ways.” You answer, “Yes, but every time, you turned back to me acknowledging your transgression and seeking my help and grace. Open your eyes my child, your faith has healed you.”

Distractions

                “Oh dear Lord, I am plagued with distractions. Why do I allow myself to be so easily distracted? My mind wanders in thought, sometimes focused yet other times, chaotically bouncing from one thing to the next. My time here on earth is so short when one considers all history behind this moment and all eternity from here on out. Since I am only here on earth for so short a time, I need to focus my mind on the things that will help prepare me for eternity with You. There are many things here on earth now that are just passing fancies. They pass through pleasantly like a mild breeze on a warm day, but they just pass through and then are gone. The same goes for things that disturb me and my peace. They also just pass through and then are gone. I need to remember this and make the most out of every experience I have and in every person I meet and not cling to the thoughts of things past and of possible future events. The things You send me are in the here and now and help to shape me.

                “Help me Lord to seek You and Your teaching in everything I do and experience. Help me walk with Your hand on my shoulder throughout this life, always pointing out how something that I do or see or say can bring me closer to You and closer to the image You see of me. Walking with You throughout this life frees me to welcome all that comes to me as a way to learn about You and Your love. Help me stay focused on You and not to be distracted. All distractions are like a haze that blurs my vision of You and numbs my hearing of Your Word. Remind me always of Your great love and nothing can distract me from the joining of our hearts.”