God makes himself known to us through Creation and all our senses . . . .
I attended some of the sessions Glimpses of God during Lent and was asked to lead devotions for the third session. After much soul-searching, surfing the 'net, and supplication, I wrote the prayer below. It is about asking Jesus to help us use all our senses to come to know God better in this season of Spring.
Alison Russell
Lord Jesus, Our Teacher,
In this season of Spring, new life, and new beginnings, help us to be alert with all our senses to God’s Creation. May we smell the clean, crisp air; the early spring flowers; the wet earth after a rain shower; and all the scents of nature. As we inhale the Christ candle, we pray for all to remember your love and acceptance. Smell is a powerful tool for bringing-up emotions, memories and specific states of mind. Whenever we pray or meditate, help us to practise smelling the fragrance of the flowers that bloom in the earthly paradise that awaits humankind.
Lent prompts us here, conscious of our comfortable lives, to forego our luxuries and give money to those not known to us who are starving and do not even have clean water to drink.
Help us to taste the Word of God which feeds the hearts of hungry people. Prompt us to keep favourite passages from the Bible with us, so that the words of God are always on hand to stave off our spiritual hunger May we feel the touch of your guiding hand on our shoulder in all our decisions and actions, not only throughout Lent, but also along the entirety of our Christian journey.
We ask to feel your presence, Lord. We often feel alone as we wander about, doing our daily tasks. Help us to concentrate on the fact that God our Father is with us at all times, and to focus on this during prayer or meditation. Then we will actually be able to feel the Father’s comforting presence all around us.
Jesus, Light of the World, help us to look at places and the people therein through Your eyes. Help us also to take your light beyond our church and into our community. Fill us with the light of your goodness so that we can cast out the shadows of any hurting, despair and darkness we find there.
Open our spiritual eyes. Just as the prophets were able to see the workings of God in visions, help us to use our spiritual sight to connect to God’s heavenly plan.
Lord, help us to make time in our Church and personal lives to listen to your knock at the doors of our hearts. For you have promised that if we hear your voice speaking to us and open the door and invite you in, you will come into our hearts.