Thomas Merton’s Prayer in Uncertainty

Lots of people may have lost the track of the path and do not know to temper their fear for what might be coming in this coronacrisis.
We only can hope more people shall find some more time to meditate and to pray to the One Who governs everything.

Words on the Word

I’ve loved this prayer of Thomas Merton’s since I visited Abbey of Gethsemani as a teenager:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the…

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Christian Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Sometimes people have to be confronted by something terribly bad. At regular intervals, certain people come to struggle terribly and have to learn by a hard lesson, being pulled down by an accident or serious disease.

Several people at a certain moment in their life got struck. Suddenly they become confronted by a longer period that they can not do the things they normally do. During that time of not doing anything, they are given time to think about the past but also the future. Then they can take time to meditate and to really start to reevaluate the value of things.

Before they got sick or bounded to the bed by their sickness or paralysation, they can have the film of their life repeated over and over again for days. At that time they have hours and days to think about all those things that kept them busy. Then they also realize that they had and still have so many dreams that they’ve had over the years and projects that they wanted to do.

From people who previously had serious accidents and diseases, we do know several people came in confrontation with the matter of a godhead, and started examining the Scriptures, coming to one conclusion, that there is Only One True Divine God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, Who is a loving God and not a cruel Being that would have His children being tortured or being burned forever.
It is then for them the time to recognise how so many churches or denomination lied to their flock and used fear to master them.

The devil, being spoken of in the Bible, is any or every adversary who walks on this planet. For sure there are many adversaries of God too, who would love people not to believe in the Divine Creator or have them keeping to the many false teachings, human traditions and heathen festivals.

But it are the real lovers of God who in such difficult times should show how they know for sure Who is behind everything and Who can be the helping hand in times of problems but also be a Guide in times when everything seems alright.

These days when there is a virus making many victims, those real followers of the son of God, should show the world how God has given the world a saviour and mediator, who paid the ransom for all the faults we as human beings have done.

Now is the time that all real lovers of God can show the world Who That real God is and how we as united lovers of God are not afraid of what comes upon this world but are willing to unite in prayer to protect all those around us, believers and unbelievers.

In the article of Janisha Jacobs, affectionately known as “Keela“,, the greatest hope is expressed that during this crisis more people will be drawn closer to Christ, the son of God. We only can hope and pray that more people shall come to see that in this time of fear there will be no other choice but for our faith to increase and to join hands spiritually. That in this time of not knowing what tomorrow holds we will learn to let God worry about tomorrow and focus on getting through today, with the knowledge that there shall come even worse days and even a more severe battle, with the third World War or Armageddon. Therefore we can look at this pandemic as a rehearsal for what still has to come and to make us stronger to be prepared for what is still to come.
Let us, therefore, pray not to false gods, like some many have taken themselves false gods, but learn also others to pray to the God Jesus also prayed too, namely his heavenly Father (and not himself) the One and Only True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.

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To remember

• facing global Pandemic of Covid-19 virus #CoronaVirus.
• enough news surrounding panic > All across the world right now persons are facing panic, trauma & a lot of uncertainty because of the effects of Covid-19.
• Persons afraid, lost loved ones, +  wondering if they will be next.
• China, Italy, America, UK, etc. > unimaginable crisis.
• biggest question right now =  “when will it end?”
• for the church = also the question of “how do we react?”
• to get us to close down churches > building =/= church
• people = church
• via Zoom = enjoyable + more intimate than “pulpit and pew”
• try + prevent spreading virus => stay home
• response/reaction to world crisis & pandemic = faith, wisdom, compassion, forward thinking, leadership + most importantly prayer.

Keela's Chronicles

As most of you know, we have all been facing the global Pandemic of the Covid-19 virus #CoronaVirus. Initially I had no intentions of blogging about it, figuring that there is enough news surrounding the panic and I didn’t want to be one more person adding fuel on an already blazing fire. But, if you read my latest post you know by now that I decided to change my mind

All across the world right now persons are facing panic, trauma and a lot of uncertainty because of the effects of Covid-19. Persons are afraid, many have lost loved ones, some may not even know if their loved ones are still alive in places like Italy, some persons are sick and many others are wondering if they will be next. And all of these emotions and feelings are completely understandable but so very heartbreaking.

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A huge world with giant trees in danger by the fault of man

You will search in vain for a mention of mammoth trees in the Bible, but because they belong to the group of the tallest trees in the world, we must not overlook them. By the way, that would be very difficult; because their tops are almost invisible from the ground!

Mammoth trees can reach a height of 90 meters and the trunk can have a diameter of 7 meters. They are native to California, but are often planted as a street or park tree in Europe.

The egg-shaped cone the huge trees throw on the earth, consist of thirty scales, that offer complete protection to the very tiny seeds until the time of reproduction. Incredible what a great strong tree can grow out such a small seed and can stand there for ages which surpasses many human generations.

Is this not one of the most remarkable wonders of creation?

The Giant Sequoia it’s massive size, resilience, longevity and beauty brings us in awe. It also can bring us to think about the creation. We can be amazed that this magnificent tree starts from a seed smaller than a grain of oat.

Thinking about the organization of the universe, the configuration of our solar system, the construction of our earth, the composition of all matter, all the DNA sequences that make up all things living, not to mention the human brain which is able to contemplate all this – it’s unfathomable.

Today we also might find that even those giants are threatened by the carelessness of human beings with dealing with nature. We cannot longer ignore the global warming and all the pollution our industry and our way of life creates. The input of our lifestyle to fauna and flora is horrible and unacceptable. Man has to change its way of life soon.

Those who love God should also love and respect His creation. They should defend those who have no voice and should take care to protect them from ‘eternal’ destruction. In the last few years we have seen far too many animal species and plant species disappear. We should take on our responsibility.
Those who believe in God must make their voices heard among the unbelievers and encourage world leaders to protect God’s creation.

 

 

The whole world is in our hands
– plants and animals, oceans and ice caps, rain forests, atmosphere and ecosystem. 

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Jehovah, God, we know we got this earth in loan from you,
touch our hearts, O God, make us worthy of this trust 

Help us care for life on this beautiful earth. 

 

Shabbat shalom

The Most Almighty  Elohim asked us not to repeat endlessly words or prayer actions. He has given several examples of how we can pray and worship Him. For sure, He does not like it that we would pray to more than one person or god. He requires the full attention and honour, Him being the Bore, the Giver of life and Sustainer of everything. He appreciates it more when we are willing to come to Him with our own words and out of free will, loving to accept Him as the Only One True God.

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Additional reading

1. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God
2. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #2 Purity
3. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #3 Callers upon God
4. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #13 Prayer #11 Name to be set apart
5. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #14 Prayer #12 The other name
6. Eight days of sprinkling lights

Matters of Interpretation

Rabbi Shimon said “When you pray, let not your prayer become routine, but let it be a sincere supplication for God’s mercy, as it says: ‘For He is gracious and merciful, endlessly patient, overflowing in love, and eager to forgive.’ And never condemn yourself as totally wicked.”From “Chapters of the Fathers” in Gates of Prayer, Chaim Stern, ed. (New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1975), 20.

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Józef Świder, Jan Kochanowski – What do you want from us, Lord

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Józef Świder, Jan Kochanowski – Wat wilt u van ons, Heer: “Czego chcesz od nas Panie”
Agata Galik – harfa/harp
Henryk Wojnarowski – dyrygent/conductor
Chór Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie
Warsaw Philharmonic Choir
koncert zarejestrowano 1 kwietnia 2016 w sali koncertowej Filharmonii Narodowej
recorded at Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, April 01, 2016
Realizacja Telewizja Polska S.A.

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What do you want from us, Lord, for your generous gifts?
What are the benefits that you have not measured?
The Church will not embrace you, everywhere you are full,
And in the abyss and in the sea, on earth, in the sky.

I also don’t want gold, because it’s all yours,
Whatever is changing in this world.
Lord with grateful heart, we confess
Because we don’t have a more handsome victim.

You are the Lord of all the world, You have built the sky
And he embroidered beautifully with golden stars;
You founded the unearthed ground
And you covered her nakedness with various herbs.

At your command the sea stands in the shores
And the intended borders jump over afraid;
Rivers of uncounted waters have great generosity.
White day and dark night know their times.

You will see many flowers Spring gives birth,
You are in a wreath of flowers Summer is here.
Autumn wine and various apples,
Then lazy Winter gets up.

By your grace, the night dew on bland herbs will fall,
And the die-hard grain rain comes alive;
At your hands every animal looks at its food,
And you feed everyone on your generosity.

Be praised forever, immortal Lord!
Your grace, Your goodness will never cease.
Hide us while you deign in this low land;
Let me be one under Your wings!

[Jan Kochanowski, XXV Song from the Second Books, published in 1562. A masterpiece of Polish poetry.]

Jan Kochanowski, (born 1530, Sycyna, Poland—died August 22, 1584, Lublin), humanist poet who dominated the culture of Renaissance Poland.

Born into the country nobility, Kochanowski studied at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and later, between 1552 and 1559, at the University of Padua in Italy. On his return to Poland in 1559, he served as a secretary at the royal court in Kraków. He married about 1575 and retired to his family estate at Czarnolas, in central Poland.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Józef Świder, Jan Kochanowski – Wat wilt u van ons, Heer

There are more unchurched people and more non-believing people in our world than ever before.

There are more unchurched people in our world than ever before.
There are also more non-believing people in our world than ever before.

Dear God
Give us enough opportunities and power
to go out in this world
to preach the Good News of your coming Kingdom

 

Altitude begins with an attitude of gratitude

Altitude begins with an attitude of gratitude.

‘…with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’
Philippians 4:6-7

Dear God, I direct my eyes on You and trust You with all my heart.
I wouldn’t be without You.
Without your help I would not have moved much further in this wicked world.
Let me help You to make Yourself known to others
and let me enjoy Your benefits and share them with others in all simplicity.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Hoogte begint met een houding van dankbaarheid.

Extending the soul to the hungry and satisfying the afflicted

Happy is the heart who offers the lonely a friend.

 

 

‘…If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul,
then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
and your darkness shall be as the noonday.’
~ Isaiah 58:10

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Dear God, let me help those in need
and let me bring them some sparkle of hope.

 

 

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > De ziel uitbreiden tot de hongerigen en de ellendigen tevreden stellen

Open up to God’s Voice in the morning

– Every day when we get up we have to look at it again.
Every morning we can be thankful to God
that we may go on living in this life. – 

* “30  I have chosen the way of faithfulness:
Thine ordinances have I set before me.
31 I cleave unto thy testimonies:
O Jehovah, put me not to shame.”
(Ps 119:30-31 ASV) *


> Dear Heavenly Father,
thank You for this morning
when your powerful voice can knock on the door of my mind
to free me from negative thought patterns.
Come, Father,
and give me the courage
to do something wonderful with my life today.
Amen. <

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: In de ochtend zich openstellen voor Gods Stem

Real successful dreams begin in the mind of God

Real successful dreams begin in the mind of God. .

 

‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.’
James 1:17

Dear God,
Respecting that everything that is good and perfect comes to you through You,
I dare to ask you
to give me sufficient insight to do the right things according to Your wishes.

 

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Echte, succesvolle dromen beginnen in de geest van God