PRAYERS
FOR VACATION
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and carry with you, while you're away.
Day
1
Gracious God, it’s hard to shift from a life of busy work to a period
of quiet relaxation. Help me let go of my need to produce and of my worry
over what will happen at work while I am away. As I give myself to the
relaxation of mind and body, let the activities of my work life silently
recede into the background. Let me open my soul to you as if it were an
empty canvas waiting for the creative touch of the artist’s hand.
I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.
Day
2
Gracious God, may I see the wonders of creation this day. May the simple
gifts that are so often buried under the activities of my life be revealed
in glory. May my heart that is so often distracted be clear and still.
May my soul, hungry for peace, be fed by your grace. When I close my eyes
in sleep this night, may I be filled with gratitude for the blessing of
this leisurely day. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.
Day
3
Gracious God, it is a time to see and do new things now. The work that
claims my heart is done now, and my soul is ready for a time of Sabbath
rest. Help me be attentive and curious, open and aware, so that the images,
experiences and encounters of this time may be bouquets of refreshment
when work again is my soul’s delight. I ask this for the sake of
your love. Amen.
Day 4
Gracious God, give me a heart of playfulness while I am away from the
regular responsibilities of my life. Give me a spirit of adventure –
a spirit that is ready to try new things, taste new food, experience new
people. Give me courage to do the unexpected and untried. Give me a desire
to delight in what is new and different, knowing that I will return fuller
for having been bold enough to stretch myself out. I ask this for the
sake of your love. Amen.
Day
5
Gracious God, help me appreciate another rhythm of life that comes when
work ends for a time. In my movement from activity to quiet, from thinking
to being, from producing to relaxation, give me the softness of your Spirit
that will slow my heart and change its beat. I ask this for the sake of
your love. Amen.
Day
6
Gracious God, in the midst of the busy-ness of my life, I often forget
that you are near me, waiting patiently for my attention. I come to you
when I am troubled, but I am so easily consumed with the round of activity
that I don’t sit in stillness and feel your presence in the beat
of my heart. Help me now, while I am away from work, to enter the space
of quiet awe within my own soul, and find you there. Give me the silence
and solitude I need to hear my heart beat again. Let me be astonished
by the movement of your breath in me and startled by the closeness of
your Spirit, so that when I return to the demands of my life, I will know
again the importance of staying in your presence. I ask this for the sake
of your love. Amen.
Day
7
Gracious God, my time away is nearly over. Nourish in me excitement for
going back to my daily life with renewed anticipation, ready to dig into
the work and relationships that make my life meaningful and productive.
Let me feel the creative impulse moving through me again. Help me take
with me the tenderness that has nourished and refreshed me. May these
times of quiet and rest, adventure and play give me new ways to think
about my work and the demands of my life. May I always know that life
is a balance between giving and receiving, working and resting, doing
and being. May I do each with a heart filled with joy and gratitude. I
ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.
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