Listening (Contemplative) Prayers

Light

Comfort

Dear Lord,

As I take this deep breath in and slowly release it, I feel my scattered thoughts begin to settle. With each inhale and exhale, draw me closer to my center where You reside, where I can hear your still, small voice.

I come to you today as I am—my mind racing with worries and plans, my body carrying the weight of my labors, my spirit thirsting for your presence. All of me seeks You now.

I sit with this image, allowing it to speak to my soul. Let my heart grasp what you are speaking to me.

The words echo across the waters of my consciousness. I hold them gently, turning them over in my heart as the waves turn over shells upon the shore.

Lord, I sense You inviting me to see how my own brokenness has created openings for Your light to pour through, for Your grace to reach places once sealed off and dark.

As I prepare to return to my day, help me remember that what has broken me has not destroyed me but has instead created sacred spaces where Your healing light can enter and transform.

In gratitude for this moment of clarity and for Your constant presence in my wholeness and my brokenness,

Amen.

Dear Lord,

Center me in this moment, as I set aside all distractions to be fully present with You, breathing slowly in and out.

I come to You as I am today—my mind both seeking and scattered, my body carrying tensions known and unknown, my spirit yearning for Your quiet assurance. All of me is open before You now.

As I gaze upon the lavender bush, guide me to the wisdom you bring to my heart. Help me understand that the plant both stands firm yet moves with grace when touched by wind—steadfast yet yielding.

These words of the Psalm settle into my heart like seeds finding fertile soil. I let them take root as I continue to behold the lavender—how it thrives in its appointed place, neither striving nor anxious.

Lord, I sense You drawing my attention to how the lavender grows where it is planted, nurtured by sun and rain that it neither controls nor creates. You invite me to see how I, too, am being shepherded—provided for, guided to places of rest, and led beside refreshing waters not of my own making.

As I prepare to return to the rhythms of my day, help me surrender my need to control and instead follow where You lead, knowing that in Your presence, my soul finds its true rest. I notice how the plant both stands firm yet moves with grace when touched by wind—steadfast yet yielding.

In gratitude for Your gentle guidance and unfailing care,

Amen