Tag Archives: prayer

Taste and See

Psalm 34.

Whenever this Psalm comes up in my prayer time, I am always left in awe. I remember my parents used to sing one song that was based on this Psalm, but I never memorized it. It wasn’t until thesis time, when I was freaking out at the dorm, when a friend sent me this Psalm to encourage me.

The basic message of this Psalm is God is good. Taste and see God’s goodness. He is a good God, and He will not leave me, and because of that, I will praise Him. It’s such a simple and beautiful Psalm that it always takes my breath away and my heart brims with thanks with the affirmation that this Psalm brings.

I may not be able to go online again until tomorrow to blog, chat and look at apidexin reviews because I’ll be spending the night in Ortigas for our 10k run tomorrow, so I’m leaving you with this Psalm. :)

Psalm 34 (The Message version)

1 I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise.

2 I live and breathe God;
if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy:

3 Join me in spreading the news;
together let’s get the word out.

4 God met me more than halfway,
he freed me from my anxious fears.

5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile.
Never hide your feelings from him.

6 When I was desperate, I called out,
and God got me out of a tight spot.

7 God’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.

8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

9 Worship God if you want the best;
worship opens doors to all his goodness.

10 Young lions on the prowl get hungry,
but God-seekers are full of God.

11 Come, children, listen closely;
I’ll give you a lesson in God worship.

12 Who out there has a lust for life?
Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?

13 Guard your tongue from profanity,
and no more lying through your teeth.

14 Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don’t let it get away!

15 God keeps an eye on his friends,
his ears pick up every moan and groan.

16 God won’t put up with rebels;
he’ll cull them from the pack.

17 Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you.

18 If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.

19 Disciples so often get into trouble;
still, God is there every time.

20 He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken.

21 The wicked commit slow suicide;
they waste their lives hating the good.

22 God pays for each slave’s freedom;
no one who runs to him loses out.

Have a great weekend everyone. Taste and see God’s goodness! :)

Prayer and desires

day fourteen.

I was listening to Lifeteen‘s the newest The Mix podcast, and though it didn’t bring me to tears like the last one, the reflection at the end hit straight home, as usual.

So I thought we’d start this week (favorite week?) with a reflection about prayer and desires, that was spoken at the end of the said podcast. This is an excerpt from St. Augustine’s Letter to Proba on Prayer, that outlines his interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 5:16: “Pray without ceasing.” Thanks to The Crossroads Initiative for the text. :) Empahsis (the words in underline) are mine, btw.

Why in our fear of not praying as we should, do we turn to so many things, to find what we should pray for? Why do we not say instead, in the words of the psalm: I have asked one thing from the Lord, this is what I will seek: to dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, to see the graciousness of the Lord, and to visit his temple? There, the days do not come and go in succession, and the beginning of one day does not mean the end of another; all days are one, simultaneously and without end, and the life lived out in these days has itself no end.

So that we might obtain this life of happiness, he who is true life itself taught us to pray, not in many words as though speaking longer could gain us a hearing. After all, we pray to one who, as the Lord himself tells us, knows what we need before we ask for it.

Why he should ask us to pray, when he knows what we need before we ask him, may perplex us if we do not realize that our Lord and God does not want to know what we want for he cannot fail to know it, but wants us rather to exercise our desire through our prayers, so that we may be able to receive what he is preparing to give us. His gift is very great indeed, but our capacity is too small and limited to receive it. That is why we are told: Enlarge your desires, do not bear the yoke with unbelievers.

The deeper our faith, the stronger our hope, the greater our desire, the larger will be our capacity to receive that gift, which is very great indeed. No eye has seen it; it has no color. No ear has heard it; it has no sound. It has not entered man’s heart; man’s heart must enter into it.

In this faith, hope and love we pray always with unwearied desire. However, at set times and seasons we also pray to God in words, so that by these signs we may instruct ourselves and mark the progress we have made in our desire, and spur ourselves on to deepen it. The more fervent the desire, the more worthy will be its fruit. When the Apostle tells us: Pray without ceasing (I Thes 5:16), he means this: Desire unceasingly that life of happiness which is nothing if not eternal, and ask it of him who alone is able to give it.

Have a great week ahead, everyone. :) Be blessed.

2010 Prayer

Hello Lord,

It’s the first day of 2010, and I know I should be writing this down in my journal in the privacy of my own room, not on my blog and in front of the TV. In fact, I should have been doing this earlier, and not now, but because I chose to play a game in my iPod touch and not do this.

I’m sorry. :(

It’s been a while since I last talked to You like this, and to be honest, I am not used to it yet. It feels kind of awkward, because it’s been ages since I last prayed a personal prayer, and when I am okay. I only found myself praying when I’m feeling troubled or if things aren’t as fine and dandy as I want things to be. I have a feeling that it could have been a better year if I have learned to keep on praying despite the things that happened, if I had prayed before I did anything. But I didn’t. And now I feel like I don’t have to right to approach You.

But I’ve got to try.

I’ve waited for 2009 to end for a long time, and now that it has and 2010 is here, I really, really want to make this year better. I really, really want to make this year different, to make this year count more than 2009 did. And I know I can’t do that without You.

Thank You for this new year, Lord. Thank You, for giving me another chance, giving me this new year to have a fresh start. Thank You, Lord for 2009, even if I kept on complaining about it before. Thank You for the year that was, because of it, it has made me stronger and I guess, wiser. Thank You for sticking with me even if I didn’t. Thank You for just loving me even if I do not deserve that love at all.

Father, please be with me in 2010. I know You know that I miss my life in college terribly, because it was the time I felt most connected with You. But it’s already gone and I don’t know if I will be able to get back to the same level anymore…but that doesn’t mean You’ve changed. If I should take in any comfort this year, it’s that You never change, and You’re always there.

Continue reading 2010 Prayer

Oratio Imperata for Deliverance from Calamities

Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to You in gratitude for the wonders of creation of which we are part, for Your providence in sustaining us in our needs, and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe.

We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation.

We have not been good stewards of Nature.

We have confused Your command to subdue the earth.

The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing, and now we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference.

Global warming is upon us. Typhoons, floods, volcanic eruption, and other natural calamities occur in increasing number and intensity.

We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our sins.

We ask that we, our loved ones and our hard earned possessions be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made.

We beseech You to inspire us all to grow into responsible stewards of Your creation, and generous neighbors to those in need.

Amen.

Source: inquirer.net

Confession

I realized a few days ago (while I’m all so down about my novel) that I hardly have posts in my blog that are in the In His Steps category. I can post book reviews, novel updates, but this category has been long quiet. It’s been a long time since I wrote something related to my faith, and I kind of miss it.

So how have I been?

It’s been…difficult. Not difficult that I can’t bear it type of difficult, but just difficult that I don’t really know what I’m doing. I don’t know where my spiritual life is going, I don’t know how I’m going to fix this. I’m not having a faith crisis, as far as I know…it’s just that everything feels like it’s in limbo.

You know how easy it is to fall back into the world and not remember who you are and whose you are? It’s kind of like that. I admit that I haven’t been exerting that much effort into my faith as much as I do before. I still go to mass, and I do my best to go to mass every first Wednesday and first Friday. I’ve had “God” moments too — moments that I feel enlightened, that I feel that He is talking to me. I try my best to revive my prayer time, to pray the way I used to back in college, where the first thing I hold when I woke up is my Bible. Right now…it’s just not the same.

Sometimes I’m scared that I’d get used to this thing, this limbo. I’m scared of not feeling scared of me losing this “battle”. I’m scared of the possibility of getting used to God not being near, to see Him as Someone I’ll run to when I need Him, not someone I need like the air I breathe. I don’t want that to happen. I can’t lose Him.

I still don’t know what I’m going to do, but I am taking baby steps again. It’s me being stripped of all my ideas about faith once again to start anew. Cliche as this may sound, this is a journey, and God values what happens in the journey. So…as a baby step, I finally did something about this limbo last weekend.

I went to confession. After one and a half years. :)

It’s a start, right? I’ve got a long way to go, and by God’s grace, I’ll get to where He wants me to be.

 God wants you to understand that it is a life off aith, not a life of emotional enjoyment of His blessings…Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God’s character must be proven as trustworthy in our own minds. (Oswald Chambers)

Morning Song

Your Love Will Never Change
Dave Barnes

They tell me there’s songs reserved for angels
Would you sing me one, a stranger
Just to prove your love?
They tell me you’ve given poor men kingdoms
And handed guilty freedom
And taken on their stains
And your love will never change

Your love will never change

They tell me that you dwell with good and evil
In alleys and cathedrals
Shadows and the light

They tell me that you hold the world together
Not from guilt, but pleasure
And you somehow know my name
And your love will never change
Your love will never change

So tell me there’s nothing that you can’t do
And you’ll love me though I’ve hurt you
And that you’ll take my blame

And your love will never change
Your love will never change

[audio:your-love-will-never-change.mp3]

Learning to Breathe

Hello good morning, how you do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new…
Learning to Breathe, Switchfoot

Ah yes, another Switchfoot reference. But don’t blame me for it, I really love this song even before I got to meet them in person, and besides that isn’t the point of this entry.

A couple of months ago, I posted something about me struggling with my prayer time. It’s been almost two months since I posted that, and I feel like a “status report” is just right this time…right? I know none of you are asking, but let me write about it for a while. :)

To be really honest, I thought after writing that entry, I would be on my way to perfect prayer-dom, as in back to how I used to pray in college and before I got my new job. Of course it wasn’t like that, at all. I continued to struggle, and I continued to miss my prayertime. Sometimes I didn’t even get to pray at all. Sometimes because I was busy, sometimes because I chose to be busy instead of setting aside time. I’m not proud of it, but that’s what’s happening. And sometimes I feel like I could never go back to where I was.

I figured that one reason why I don’t pray as much was because I didn’t wake up early…but waking up early is such a chore for me now because I am not really pressured to go to work early. I only go to work early because of my brother, and when I get there, I get occupied by work that I don’t have time to pray anymore. Then I figured, maybe I need a Bible at work. I’ve been meaning to get one and that should really motivate me to pray, right? So I got one. And I admit, this new Bible improved my dismal prayertime, and I actually found time to pray when I got to work. That’s good, right?

Continue reading Learning to Breathe

Spirit, fall fresh on me

I found all that I want, all that I longed for in You
I found all that I want, all that I longed for in You
Wasted time, is when I’m far from Your truth
I’ve found all that I want, all that I long for in You.
– Spirit, Switchfoot

Hi Lord. It’s me, Tina.

It’s been a long time since I wrote to You, and the last time I actually took the time to write on my journal was…too long ago. I remember the days where the first thing I do when I open my eyes was grab my Bible and read Your word. How long has it been? I can’t remember. Now that’s bad. I’m sorry.

Anyway, today is the day I promised myself that I would finally let go of the entire Switchfoot experience. I know no one’s stopping me from revelling in the entire thing, and I could just reminisce and talk about the entire thing all day but I want to. That doesn’t mean I’m not thankful for it — You know I am. I really, really am, and I could never ever thank You enough for blessing me with this experience: to meet a really amazing and humble group of guys who inspire me and live Your word through their music. It’s okay if I have no “proper” picture with the other band members; the experience itself is enough. I know You know that’s one of my dreams, and I thank You for bringing it to reality.

But really, I have to stop gushing about it already. Because I feel like if I keep on doing it, I’m going to lose focus on the One that matters…and it’s You. I mean, their songs wouldn’t mean much if I lose focus on the One they’re singing to, right?

Continue reading Spirit, fall fresh on me

Patron Saint of Lost Objects

Yesterday, I experienced another first.

I lost a cellphone.

I’ve never lost a cellphone in my entire cellphone-bearing life (that’s approximately 8 years). I’ve never misplaced it, or got it stolen (thank God). Most of my phones just get broken. But today was different.

Seeing as I work in a telecommunications company, mobile phones are normal in our environment. I borrowed a Nokia 6111 for testing purposes since November last year, and since I borrowed it from the office, the phone was under my name. My name = my accountability.

The other day, the said phone was not charged and since I still don’t have any extra outlet in my cubicle, I had it plugged in my officemate’s extension which is what I usually do. I had a series of meetings in the morning and when I went back, my officemate was out and the phone was exposed, so I hid it in between his pedestal cabinet and his desk. It was our usual doing, really, so I had no qualms about hiding it there.

Unfortunately, that charging phone slipped out of my mind until yesterday morning, and when I looked at my officemate’s desk, the charger wasn’t there anymore. I assumed he must have kept it in his drawer to keep it safe. When he got there, I asked him about it and he said he didn’t remember it. Maybe he just forgot it, but it wasn’t in his cabinet.

Uh-oh.

Continue reading Patron Saint of Lost Objects

Virginia Tech Massacre

Back when I was serving in YFC High School Based, our program head, Kuya Noli, told us the story of why YFC HS Based is very important. Kuya Noli often related to us the story of the Columbine High School Shooting, where after the event, a dad of one of the victims was present at some sort of conference about it discussing why it happened, and he spoke up: Because God has been taken out of the schools.

Hearing about the Virginia Tech Massacre reminded me of Columbine, and reading about what happened, seeing news about it brings tears to my eyes. There are many possible reasons why this happened; people could debate over the killer’s background, his attitudes and whatnot, but I think — and I know some of you might not agree with me — that the reason this happened is a God thing. Or lack of it. Not that God wasn’t there or He let this happen because He wasn’t looking or because He wants to punish people because no one is noticing Him, so He took the side of the killer in this event…rather, it was the lack of actually living out God’s love.

Continue reading Virginia Tech Massacre