Friday, December 11, 2009

Prayer of Placement

Oh God, as you formed me in your image,
I ask that you reform me in your image.

I ask not that I can use scripture to search your heart,
But that I can allow you to use scripture to search mine.
I ask not that I can use prayer to love you,
But that I can allow you to use prayer to love me.

Lord Jesus, I place my heart in your Heart.
I place my mind in your Mind.
I place my hands in your Hand.

I place my joys in your Joy and my sorrows in your Sorrow.
I place my pain in your Pain.

I place my hurts in your Hurt and my peace in your Peace.
I place my light in your Light and my dark night in your Dark night.
I place my death in your Death and my life in your Life.
I place my relationships in your Relationship and my brokenness in your Brokenness.
I place my mercy in your Mercy and my justice in your Justice.

I place my strength in your Strength and my weakness in your Weakness.
I place my doing in your Doing, my being in your Being,
My words in your Word, and my silence in your Silence.

I am so tired of taking out of your hands what you have created with them.

And so, Lord God,
In my wetness and dryness, in my deadness and aliveness, in my fullness and my emptiness,
All of who I am I place in All of Who You Are.

Amen.

By Stephen P. West
March 2003