JANUARY 1 -- MORNING PRAYER

Dear Lord
Descend to us as we open a new year
May we resolve to follow love
So we can bring blessings to one another
And serve you fully
Amen


RESOLUTIONS

As the new year comes, one of the traditions is to resolve to do things differently. A church along I-81 on my way to visit my parents had this counsel posted on their sign, though--
Daily devotions are better than yearly resolutions

They may have a point.

Once a year commitments are just that--once a year. They easily get set aside as we move into the regular business of our normal lives. The same things that took our time last year will take our time this year. Our resolve gets worn away by simply trying to keep up with all the things we always keep up with.

Daily devotions are also just that--daily. I read that for a new practice to become simply part of our daily order, it needs to be kept for six months. After that, it will be part of who and what we are. This year, such a practice of prayer and sitting still with God through Bible, devotional reading, and just listening for God could add a grounding for what could be a strenuous year with an election that promises to be as divisive as ever, social media's continued arena for screeching, and uncertainty about where we are headed. But we will need to be at it daily.

It really does not add to our schedule--pause at bedtime or on waking to sit by the bed and pray. If that doesn't come easy, pray the two prayers Jesus actually taught in the Gospels--the Lord's Prayer and "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner." Read a psalm or two. Just pick something simple to do that you know you can repeat as often as needed.

So doing, we can be present in life with the presence of God. May we resolve to do so.