Doors to the Sea: Prayer: The Shema Contemplated

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Prayer: The Shema Contemplated

To love You with all my heart -- what would that feel like?

To love You with all my soul -- how would that change my perception of the world around me?

To love You with all my mind -- what new thoughts would be entertained?

To love You with all my strength -- what new projects would I choose to pick up?

To love my neighbor as myself -- how would my relationships change?

May I embrace these two greatest commands and change my corner of the world.

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Welcome to Doors to the Sea

The title, Doors to the Sea, comes from Job 38.8-11: Or Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb? -- when I made the clouds its garment and the thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped'? These verses record part of God's response to Job's questions regarding his confusing circumstances. God is much more grand than we imagine -- the bounding and pounding surf of the sea abruptly halts at the command of God! Living on the Oregon Coast it is a constant reminder that God is not unaware of our circumstance -- we are to simply come to the One who created the Doors to the Sea and lay out our requests and praises. We may not get an immediate answer; but we can be assured that God knows our situation and has established parameters on our circumstance: Thus far shall you come, and no farther! God is faithful and will see us through. Each day's prayer is based upon quiet time readings taken from three different Old Testament chapters and one New Testament chapter. Key verses are highlighted and then a prayer is crafted from the thoughts expressed in the verses. Amazingly, each day's prayer speaks directly to the author's circumstances. We pray you will be blessed as you share this journey of prayerful contemplation.