Top Prayer App
Click here to read more about The Lectio 365 Resource
Lectio 365 contains devotional content to help you pause and pray at the start and end of every day. Find out how to make the most of our morning and evening prayers through the app and take it with you during the day.
It comes highly recommended
Wendy’s May Prayer Thoughts
On Wednesday the 18th of May, Gary Fisher walked into the Repair Shop, a programme featured on BBC1, carrying the tattered Jewish prayer Book which had belonged to his grandparents Emmanuel and Gisela. They were unable to flee their home in Vienna, Austria, after it had been annexed to Germany in 1938. Eventually they were sent to a prison camp in Czechoslovakia. During those harrowing times they were able to keep their faith with the aid of their cherished Prayer Book. They survived the holocaust, when many other relations did not. On leaving the camp 50 others were asked to put their signatures in that historic book. Chris Shaw carefully restored it so that they were not destroyed. Daily Papers took up the story which had brought many viewers to tears. Gary also had been brought to tears when he looked at the now restored treasure.
That incident made me reflect on how human beings are gifted with the ability to cry 🥲, and shed emotional tears. Basal tears keep our eyes lubricated, healthy, and able to perceive light. They are produced by the lacrimal gland under the eyelid each time we blink. Some 1.4 ml of tears form every day, 1/2 a litre per annum, and more when we cry. They are mainly composed of water, sodium chloride, (salt), and potassium chloride.
Reflex tears are another type, similar to basal tears in chemical components, but with more protein. They wash out irritants from wind, smoke and dust, and help to protect the cornea from foreign chemical irritants and strong odours often found in household cleaning products. They are the involuntary tears which flow from peeling onions. The more common tears are the emotional ones – the crying tears. They are triggered in response to stress, fear, anger, physical pain and joy. Their basic make up is the same as the others with extra protein based hormones and natural pain killers. They are the most prolific and continuous. A happy cry may last for 2 minutes, a sad one for 7 minutes. It is a fact that we can cry as much as we want, for tears will never run dry. An average of 18-30 gallons are shed in a year. Women do cry more than men. Women cry 5.3 times a month, and men 1.
In 2015, Maurice Mikkers, a Dutch medical laboratory analyst on the crystallization of the pain killer Diclofenac, stubbed his toe on a table. He let a tear fall on a microscope hoping it might crystallize and show its beauty. He was able to photograph it. As he examined more tears, he found that each one had a unique pattern, just like snowflakes. Many can be viewed on the internet, including one from a person who felt helpless while her Dad was ill. Her tear shows a pattern of ferns with distinct crosses.
We should never be afraid or ashamed of tears running down our face while we pray. God understands our hearts, our sorrow, pain and fears. David often writes about his troubles and distress. In Psalm 42 he tells how he was hurting. He had been taunted and mocked by people asking “Where is your God?” He unburdened himself, tears flowing, as he called out to God in prayer. We must not hold back our tears from God when we are hurting, have been hurt, or find ourselves in hard times. God is hurt when we are hurt, because He is a loving and caring Father. He accepts the outpouring of our hearts. David assures us of this. “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not recorded in your record?” Psalm 56:8 ESV. The God who remembers our tears, remembers us too!
Tears of repentance which come from deep within the soul and heart can cleanse and heal. Think of the woman who gate crashed the meal in the house of Simon the Pharisee. He despised her as a sinner, but Jesus saw her as a broken woman, her heart broken with sorrow for her past life. She fell at His feet in quiet contrition, washing them with her tears and wiping them with her hair. They were also rears of devotion, for she poured out her soul in love and adoration as she anointed Him. Repentance is necessary whenever we confess our sins to Christ who is waiting to restore us and fill us with peace.
Our tears contain messages. When Jesus went to Bethany, having hears his friend Lazarus had died, he came face to face with the weeping and wailing of Mary and the other mourners. Feeling their grief, He was deeply saddened and wept. They must have been evident as He lifted His eyes to God in prayer. John11. He was aware of the Scripture promise. “The Lord is near to the broken hearted.” Psalm 34:13. The Message translation reads. “If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there.”
May we thank God for being a tender hearted Father ready to share our tears and comfort us
The Prayer Course
The prayer course which is presented by Pete Grieg of the 24/7 prayer movement. It is a great general guide to different types of prayer.
Ignatian Prayer
Ignatian prayer is a way of praying which sometimes involves imagining yourself in a Bible story and having an encounter with Jesus.
The take time website has some excellent meditations of different lengths which you may like to try. There is a charge on this website after an initial free trial.
United Christian Broadcasters (UCB)
UCB produce a great daily devotional which is recommend by our church. It is a helpful reflection on a very short daily Bible reading which helps readers to apply Biblical truths to their everyday lives. Click on the link below to read or listen to the UCB ‘Word for Today’ They are free to use.
https://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today
Pause/Pray
Pause/Pray is a free series of Bible reflections, available as a podcast or download. They include original music, guided prayers and themes related to daily life. A new one is available each fortnight. To stream or download the episodes or subscribe to the podcast go to iTunes or your regular podcast app.https://www.engageworship.org/pausepray
Three Minute Retreat
Do you feel that it’s hard to find time for prayer?
Even a short time spent in prayer can help you to refocus and to connect with God. Rev’d Sue and Reader Diane recommend this website which offers a guided 3 minute retreat. There’s a time to pause, a short reading, two questions to get you thinking and a little prayer. You can get it as an app for different types of mobile phone too.
https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/simple-rules-start-retreat
Our Diocesan Prayer.
Heavenly Father, we embrace Your call for us to make disciples, to be witnesses, to grow leaders and inspire children and young people. Give us eyes to see Your vision, ears to hear the prompting of Your Spirit and courage to follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
