"The human heart plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps." - Proverbs 16:9 

The lid on the new washer was taller than the one on the old washer, so it hit the cabinet doors above the washer when open. There seemed to be two options: (1) raise the cabinet, or (2) put some kind of a "stopper" on the cabinet. While option #1 was probably the cleaner solution, it seemed way too difficult, so option #2 became the better choice. 

Now the question was: what kind of a "stopper" to put on the cabinet? Brainstorming resulted in a few creative options like felt pads, some kind of  a rubber product, or something hung on the doorknob such as a cotton ornament or a velvet pouch. 

Online searches turned up some possibilities but a clear solution did not present itself. Who would have guessed that a routine trip to a crowded grocery store would provide the answer? 

God works in mysterious ways if you are open to them! After picking up groceries and working our way to the check-out, one aisle seemed crowded so we took another aisle to slither our way down. It just so happened that this aisle had cat toys in it. There it was: "Lamb Chop." It's perfect! Placing it between the two doors provides the perfect padding for the washer lid to rest on. It's easily removable when you need to open the cabinets, and it's attractive (and cute) when left in place. 

If God hadn't steered us down this aisle, we never would have found Lamb Chop. Leading us to the right place at the right time was all in His perfect design! 

Lamb of God, thank you for directing our steps to Your way. Help us to see Your hand in everything and make the most of every opportunity. Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Story

Come Creator Spirit, 
Renew me with your strength. 
Purify me with your love. 
Strengthen me with your hope. 
Empower me with your justice. 
Cover me with your protection. 
Surround me with your compassion. 
Illumine me with your mercy. 
Console me with your fire. 
Motivate me with your power. 
Humble me with your passion. 
Satisfy me with your presence. 
Complete me with your grace. 
Hear and answer me in my need. 
Amen. 

© Rev. Michael Pavlakovich 

Click HERE to pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts. Starts on Friday, May 19. 

TAGS: Prayer

"For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 

Have you ever felt so down like you're in a chasm or deep hole that you just can't crawl out of? Are you feeling like the walls surrounding you are caving in on you, brick by brick, one by one? Do you wonder how you're ever going to get out of this "funk"? Do you need to put caution cones around you so that others will avoid you and not be the brunt of your depression and anger? 

Become childlike. Look up. Look beyond. See the God waiting for you with outstretched arms. Imagine your arms outstretched, reaching out to your mother or father waiting to hold you in their arms, close to their heart. 

Instead of looking at the bricks falling in, look at the bricks as building blocks to be constructed into a wonderfully-made work of art, created as you are by the God who loves you. 

Just remember: this too will pass. The pit you are in will be restored again, and patched over so that all signs of your present troubles will be removed. 

O Master Carpenter, patch over the holes in my life. Be my bricklayer to rebuild me anew in Your love. Amen. 

TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer

Dear Lord, your disciple Peter wanted to know who would betray you. You pointed to Judas but a little later also to him. Judas betrayed, Peter denied you. Judas hanged himself, Peter became the apostle whom you made the first among equals. Lord, give me faith, faith in your endless mercy, your boundless forgiveness, your unfathomable goodness. Let me not be tempted to think that my sins are too great to be forgiven, too abominable to be touched by your mercy. Let me never run away from you but return to you again and again, asking you to be my Lord, my Shep­herd, my Stronghold, and my Refuge. Take me under your wing, O Lord, and let me know that you do not reject me as long as I keep asking you to forgive me. Perhaps my doubt in your for­giveness is a greater sin than the sins I consider too great to be forgiven. Perhaps I make myself too important, too great when I think that I cannot be embraced by you anymore. Lord, look at me, accept my prayer as you accepted Peter’s prayer, and let me not run away from you in the night as Judas did. 
 
Bless me, Lord, in this Holy Week, and give me the grace to know your loving presence more intimately. Amen. 
 
--"A Prayer for Holy Week" by Henry J. M. Nouwen

TAGS: Prayer

"No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 

Do you ever feel like you have “information overload” or have been inundated with TMI (too much information)? It seems as though we can only take so much before we start “bursting at the seams.” Like this utility tower, we start spouting out in every direction, sometimes by laughing, crying, yelling, or some other outburst, in order to release the pressure building within us. 

Remember that there will be occasions when God takes us through a time of correction and testing. When we respond the way He wants us to, and not the way we want to, He then brings us out of it and pours His blessings upon us. Many times we want the blessings of God without the testing and correction, but some impurities in our life will only come out with increased pressure. Don’t despise this happening. Look to God and allow Him to finish the work. 

Glorious God, help me to see all situations as a blessing from You. When You give me more than I think I can handle, let me watch how You turn it into something much better than I could imagine. Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection

"If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing." - 1 John 1:9 

I entered the church early and made my way over to the line. It was just starting to form so it wasn't too long yet. 

Looking around, I thought I recognized the man who was two persons ahead of me. He was dressed in casual clothes and he sure looked familiar, but I just couldn't put a name with the face. "Good thing he wasn't right next to me," I thought. After all, what would we talk about? 

Everyone was fairly quiet. Nobody really talking to anyone else. The man in front of me was checking his phone, and we just cordially smiled at one another. 

Boy, I sure wished I could remember the name of the man two persons ahead of me. Now it was starting to bother me. 

The line slowly inched forward, each one taking his turn. Then it was time for the man two persons ahead of me. He turned and closed the confessional door behind him. 

Then I recognized him. 

He was the priest who presided at Mass the day before. But today he was a sinner like me. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 

TAGS: Prayer, Story

“Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart … “ – Joel 2:12 
 
Too often, we approach Ash Wednesday with liturgical gloom and doom. It’s the “black sheep” of the family of dark solemnities in the liturgical calendar, failing even to garner status as a holy day of obligation. But when painted in this light, it’s easy to miss its beautiful invitation to claim our brokenness, embrace our vulnerability, and stand in solidarity with all those who do the same. 
 
The difference between the good in us and the bad in us is sometimes frightfully thin. We so often fall short of the Faith we claim. We have treated people as things and we have treated things as if they were valuable people. 
 
Lent is a season that reminds us to repent and get our lives centered, our priorities straight, and our hearts clean. This holy season offers us a new chance to say, "yes" to the Lover of our Souls who created us and who made us in his own image. Lent is the time for a restoration project that will reveal the beauty of God’s design for us, showing once again the scale, proportion, and priorities intended by our Maker. 
 
Lent is a season of hope and with ashes on our foreheads and hope in our hearts, we go forth to love and serve. For by God’s grace in Christ, we do not have to stay the way we are. 
 
God is ready to heal our woundedness, to make us more whole than ever before. Ash Wednesday is our call to make room for the divine dance to work its sacred magic within us. 
 
Lover of my Soul, as I begin this year's Lenten Journey, turn my attention to the things that matter most to you. Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection

“'Who will bring me down to earth?'” - Obadiah 1:3 

Have you ever known someone who is so stuck on themself? Seems like they walk around all day with their head in the clouds. "Smell me," we say about them. 

But has that "someone" ever been you? Have you ever been so "puffed up" after making a great play in a ballgame, hearing a thunderous ovation after a performance, getting a pat on the back after signing a tough business deal, or acing an examination at school? 

While those can be worthy reasons to celebrate, we must remember the source of the good that has happened to us. If not, we will, usually, inevitably, be quickly reminded of that source. 

God has a knack of bringing us down to earth in a flash. That great day you had yesterday turns into a day of disasters today. We've all been there. 

Enjoy the moment. Proudly keep your head in the clouds. But know your God brings you down to earth. Make the ride a smooth one. 

Father God, as you remind us through your Word: "Though you soar like the eagle, and your nest is set upon the stars, from there I will bring you down." (Obadiah 1:4) Thank you, God, for the ride. Amen. 

TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer

As 2022 comes to a close, we make New Year's resolutions in an attempt to want to improve our lives. While there's nothing wrong with self-improvement, the most important area of our lives that can always use improvement is our spiritual life. Instead of New Year's resolutions we often make and fail to complete, what about making 2023 the year we revitalize our prayer life? 
 
LORD, HUMBLE ME 
One of the biggest sins we can easily fall into without recognizing it is the sin of pride. We read our Bibles, bow our heads in prayer and attend church regularly. But if we're not careful, our spiritual growth based solely on our behaviors can lead to comparison and, eventually, pride. Let's live our lives like Jesus with a posture of humility. Let's seek to give grace-filled responses to those who oppose us politically, personally, or spiritually. 
 
LORD, GIVE ME PEACE 
As we round the corner of a global pandemic, mental health issues are on the rise. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders plaguing people today. And Christians are not immune. Just as our bodies break down in this broken world, our brains sometimes break down too. There is no shame in getting professional help or using medication if needed. 
 
LORD, GRANT ME GRACE 
As we struggle to surrender our pride and become humbler, it is easier to treat others with kindness than to treat ourselves. Sometimes the hardest person for us to forgive is ourselves. The more grace we grant ourselves, the more grace we grant to others. Let's ask God to give us an extra measure of grace as we process through past pain, forgive ourselves, and move forward into becoming the examples of Christ God desires for his people. 
 
LORD, HEAL OUR LAND 
As the world continues to be an uncertain place, and large corporations make it more difficult to speak about the gospel freely without fear of persecution, the world is more divided now than ever. To regain our voice within society, we must be a people who are willing to reach across the aisle and unite with people who are diametrically opposed to our viewpoints. The Lord desires unity for his people, not division. Let 2023 be the year we achieve unity in America and around the world. 
 
LORD, HELP ME TO SEE 
Although we may see the circumstances around us, do we really see people the way Jesus would want us to see them? May God grant us new ways to see the world around us. 
 
LORD, MAKE ME MORE LIKE YOU 
The best way we can be examples of Christ is to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit in our lives. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot claim to know God. Therefore, our actions should be evident in the holy spirit's presence in our lives. Pray and ask God for ways to cultivate these fruits every day in your life. 
 
LORD, SEND ME 
We sing the hymn "I Surrender All" in church, then go home and try desperately to cling to all the things of the world that are most important to us: our health, and finances, to name a few. Are we serious about dedicating our lives to God's will? Let's assume a posture of being willing to go, minister to others, and do anything the Lord chooses to do with our lives. 
 
Instead of settling for the same old stale resolutions, let's resolve to have the best prayer lives. Let's give over every area of our lives to Him and make 2023 the year we need revival not only in our hearts but in the world. Let's be a nation hungry for more of the Lord instead of hungry to exalt ourselves. 

SOURCE: https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/happy-new-year/prayers-for-2023.html 

TAGS: Prayer