Day 310 | Saturday, 23 January 2021

Day 310 - Audio Version

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Day 310 | Saturday, 23 January 2021

 As we have had a week of winter weather, here are some thoughts and prayers around winter.

  A Winter Beginning Thought
“Searching for our true home, we shall be led on the path.

 Longing for the warmth of the hearth, we shall find the fire of God's presence.

 Looking for a place to be ourselves, we shall find acceptance.

 Yearning to find someone who cares, we shall know God's love.

 Hoping for a joy stronger than gray, cold mornings and long, dark nights,

 We shall know the music of eternity and forever sing praise.”

 A Winter Prayer
Hibernating animals join people who need to slow down now, O God. The short days remind us of the need to sleep. They also beckon us to warm fires and rocking chairs and places of comfort. Let what we do in this season be a sign of warmth to the cold world.

Let us appreciate our sweaters and our boots and our jackets. Let us love the way you made the world, as a place that changes and is almost never repetitive, one day of the other. Let us love the big storms and the little storms, those in life and those in weather.  And keep the words of complaint far from our lips. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 A Winter Prayer from Our Daily Prayer
“Holy God we praise You for the seasonal change that so many of us witness first-hand each year. Even though we can predict an inevitable shift in weather, each time a new wave of beauty ushers onto the scene we are reminded of the amazing way You have created the earth. The beauty in each season reminds us of Your creativity and finite care for life, especially ours.

Winter brings its own set of characteristic landscapes, with blankets of snow and powdery tree branches. Though the winter storms batter us and chill us to the bone, the sun shines onto the sparkling snow, thereafter, reminding us that You make beauty out of all things.”

“Your creation is marvelous. It has the power to pull us out of the doldrums. Thank You for Your faithfulness to remind us today how powerful our remembrance of Your character is. Even in the darkest depressive state, buried under a snowfall that has turned shoveled sidewalks into tunnels, we know that worship can spin our hearts on a dime.”

“The winter is exciting at first, as is every new season.”

“Forgive us for allowing the cold, gray skies and short dark winter days to steal the joy of our hearts. Help us use extra downtime to restore our energy and slow our schedules. Soften our hearts to look beyond the inconvenience of the season. For we know that without the tiring leg of the current season, the next one wouldn’t be so welcome and exciting of a change.

Thank You for bringing us to another Winter, and another New Year. Resolutions can seem like impossible tasks to take on when it’s cold outside and the lack of daylight makes the days seem shorter. “You are the Architect of the seasons.” The Architect of our hearts. You have gone before us and know what lies ahead. You are a good God, and Your love for us is perfect. We can trust You to pull us through the winter.”

“Bless us with hearts more like Jesus, patient and perseverant. Watch over our cloud of despair that threatens to set in with the gray skies. Bring bright memories of sunshine and warmth to the top of our minds when we need to be reminded that just as sure as the winter came, it will go. Help us to enjoy every day You bless us with on this earth, seeking Your purpose first, and always, through every kind of weather.  In Jesus Name, Amen”
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 Today:  Those who plow, shovel and salt our roads to help keep winter driving safer.