This time of year I get down to the beach as often as possible. Not because I am a sun worshiper, although the feel of the sun of your skin is glorious, but rather because I love to get in the sea. There is nothing more invigorating and calming at the same time than plunging into the cool (freezing cold!) sea and swimming or diving through the waves.
The other day the sea was so still and for a while I just floated, I let the sea fully support me, my body needed to do nothing, it was held by this awesome expansive ocean. In that moment of letting go and simply floating I was reminded of God’s support for us, I felt intensely the truth that God holds us, and God is on our side, allowing us to let go and feel supported and float!
Let us pray;
Holy Creator we thank you for this wonderful world, this beautiful planet we call home. We give you thanks and praise for trees and streams, for meadows and tundra, for sandy beaches and endless deserts. We thank you for the ground we stand on, the air we breathe, the sun that warms us and the rain that provides all that we need.
We thank you Heavenly Parent that you have given us so much to contemplate and wonder, that you have given us landscapes that thrill our senses. More so, we thank you that by taking time in nature we can find endless ways to connect with You. You have provided opportunities beyond our imagination to spend time in your world and interact with your beautiful creation and in doing so we can each find a way to experience you in a formthat makes sense to us.
We are reminded today that you love us, you hold us, you fully support us. You want only the very best for us and you have provided a world where you want us to flourish. May we each experience that feeling of being held by you, Almighty God. May we each find ways today to simply let go, to relax and give in to the moment. May we each find ways to float and know that you hold us so fully that we need to do nothing.
When life gets hard, when struggles seem to be our shadow, when hurdles seem too high, breathe new life in to us Holy Spirt. Flicker the flame of faith in our hearts and remind us that no matter how bad a situation may seem, you are with us, you hold us, you empower us and you love us. Call us back to your presence so we may be held and bathed in grace and mercy.
Amen.
The Unexpected Prayer 