prayer Archives - Keith Shields

Agency and Prayer

We know that we can act and that our actions produce results. Everyone who believes in God must therefore admit (quite apart from the question of prayer) that God has not chosen to write the whole of history with His own hand. Most of the events that go on in the universe are indeed…

Broken

I am damaged on the inside My soul don’t quite work true There are foul spots on my right side And my wrong side’s looking cruel I am broken on the upside Spirit’s broken down There’s downsides to this arrangement But I’m hanging in for now Broken, damaged, injured, Wounded, cracked, beat-up Somehow we are…

We Were Soldiers

The Mel Gibson movie, We Were Soldiers, is one of my favourite movies of all-time, with strong themes of leadership and courage. An example is Colonel Hal Moore’s stunning speech just before the young soldiers ship out under his command? I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I…

Praying Portions of Psalm 139

Oh God, You see me. I can’t impress You For You have seen me in all of my circumstances. Even if I wanted to, I could not get away from You. You saw me in my mother’s womb. You already see me in my tomb. You know the days and seconds of my life. So…

A Prayer for Today

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, My one desire is to live a thankful life. You have rescued me, blessed me, healed me, redeemed me. Selah I desire to live this life in gratitude to you. I desire to find my place in Your will. I desire to fulfill the role to which you are calling…

Two Prayers

Two prayers caught my attention today. One is a contemporary prayer from Scot McKnight who prays: Grant us, O Lord,To trust in you with all our hearts.For as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy.Through Jesus Christ our Lord,…

Thinking and Doing

(Click on the thumbnail image for a larger picture.) A recent article published in the journal Science found that “participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think.”1 Humans are capable of day-dreaming, fantasizing, meditating, and praying but when given time and space…

It’s Only Words

Five-hundred is a nice round, satisfying number. As I write my five-hundredth blog I pause to think of the significance of the words written in this space. Although there are many empty words in our world, words can, and do, make a difference. I pray that some of the words in this blog have made…

The Intensity of Prayer

The true work of a contemplative nun is praying. I had never appreciated the power and intensity of prayer until I prayed with nuns. On the surface, praying seems easy. Knit your eyebrows in concentrations, mutter a few words, and then get on with your day. It’s not like that in a convent. Think of…

Follow-Up to Much Afraid

The Much Afraid album contains a song called “Crazy Times.” Jars of Clay band members have said in interviews that this song is about how prayer is often “the last place we go.” I understand what they mean. We go about life without a thought about God and think that we are fine – for…