We sometimes sing:

As we have been reflecting on what our souls need to be fully alive in Christ and in particular this past Sunday on the need to foster a spirit of gratitude, the challenge for this week was to write our own prayers of blessing.So here is my list:

Blessed are you, Lord for the gift of rest;  he grants sleep to those he loves (Psalm 127:2); for your abiding presence through the night hours and the assurance that you are with me as a new day begins.
 
Blessed are you, Lord for giving me the gift of this new day and the promise of your mercy and grace to accompany me throughout this day.  This is the day you have made, I will receive it as a good gift and rejoice and be glad in it.  (Psalm 118:24)

Blessed are you, Lord for giving to me the strength of body and mind I have this day; for eyes to see and hears to listen and the beauty of your created world all around me.  I think again of the words of G. K. Chesterton, "Here ends another day during which I have had eyes, ears, hands, and the great world around me, and tomorrow brings another. Why am I allowed two?"

Blessed are you, Lord for giving to me a beautiful and gifted wife.   A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. (Proverbs 31:10-11)

Blessed are you, Lord for giving to me three children that have grown up knowing you and are all doing well.
Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.  (Psalm 127:3)

Blessed are you, Lord for giving me a reason for being, a purpose for this day; a ministry to embrace and an opportunity to serve you.  Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.  (1 Timothy 3:13)

Blessed are you, Lord for the gift of your Spirit; to guide me according to your truth and direct my path this day.  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:13)

Blessed are you, Lord for the gift of your Word.  Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)

Blessed are you, Lord for the gift of the Church; for my church family at Valley.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:26-27)

Blessed are you, Lord for the promise of your abiding presence with me throughout this day.  My soul needs to be with you:  As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  (Psalm 42:1)  And thank you that should the days ordained for me come to an end on this day I have the promise of a home in heaven, being prepared for me:  Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)   Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)

Blessed are you, Lord!  What good God you've been; what a faithful God you've been, what a loving God you've been to me!

O, the pure delight of a single hour, that before Thy throne I spend (Fanny Crosby – I Am Thine, O Lord)…Really!  An hour!  I have a hard time keeping my mind focused for a few minutes!

My desire to honor the principle of the Sabbath in my weekly routine (a ‘take away’ from my summer Sabbatical) got off to great start the first 2-3 weeks; this week is proving to more challenging to carve out that one day in seven…but there’s still time to redeem this week!  I’m learning just how much of challenge this is! It sounds simple, one in seven but it is so very hard to put into practice.

Last week as I sat outside listening to worship music and seeking to be still in the presence of the Lord, I found it incredibility difficult to do just that – to be still.  My body wanted to go to some yard work that needed to be done and my mind was all over the place.  I began to think about the message for Sunday and had to resist the temptation to go to the computer to make some notes.  And then one of the songs I was listening to turned my mind to our worship and I wanted to go and make a note of an idea!  All the while the words of Psalm 46:10 were being pushed to the back of my mind:  Be still and know that I am God.

At one point, I looked over at Chara, who was lying in her usual spot on our deck box, soaking up the sunshine.  She was just quietly taking in all the things around her and didn’t seem to have a care in the world.  A grasshopper caught her attention for the moment and then a blowing leaf—she was totally focused on what was happening in the present.  I don’t think her mind was racing ahead, wondering about what’s for dinner or if a walk was in the afternoon plans.  As I watched her she seemed to be ‘in the moment’, just happy to sitting outside with her master. She was content to come and sit by my feet and so very happy to have me recognize her presence with a gentle scratch behind her ears.

As I thought about that experience, I realized how God longs for us to simply be in His presence; to present with Him in those moments and to allow Him to build up and encourage and comfort and strengthen us as we learn to abide with Him. 

The Bible says:  The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.  (Zephaniah 3:17). 

What would it be like to enter the presence of our Father; to bask in the truth that he delights in me; to let Him affirm his love for me and to hear my God rejoicing over me with singing?

Lord, take me to that place.  I still have so much to learn; teach me what it is to be present with You in the moments of my day.  Let me hear your voice and know the joy of You rejoicing over me in song.