Reflect
Do you sometimes feel trapped by your own habits and customs, ways of doing things? Even our prayer and worship can become so repetitive and familiar that it seems like we’re on autopilot. Always asking for the same grace, always repeating the same words, the same fears, the same sins, the same praise. When this happens, prayer may begin to feel dry, rote, even meaningless. Instead of giving up or becoming disheartened, what we may need is to take a cue from Psalm 149:1, 3: “Sing to the Lord a new song. . . . Let them praise his name in dance.”
Pray
Lord,
I give you my heart, my hopes, my fears, and my desires.
Everything I have has come from you,
and all I am is a gift made in your image.
Let my every word, my every silence, my every step,
and my every stillness sing your praise today.
Amen.
Act
Take a moment today to sing to the Lord. Whatever comes into your heart, sing a hymn, a folk song, a love song, or even a lullaby. It can be something you learned as a child or something you just made up. Offer it to God. Don’t be afraid. God gave you your voice, and God delights when you give it back to him. As you sing, feel yourself giving way to the song. Let the song, whatever it is, become your praise. And—if so moved—you might even let the dancing begin.
