Episode #260 A Simple Prayer Practice for Overwhelmed Days – Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Hey friends. What if I told you that there's a prayer practice so simple that you could do it while cooking dinner, sitting at a stoplight, or in the 30 seconds before your next zoom call begins? Well, I'm telling you that very thing and I'm excited to share this simple prayer practice with you. I think of it as Palms Down, Palms Up. And it's something that I've actually practiced. I probably observed it somewhere some years ago, and then I was reminded of it and learned a little bit more about it as I've been rereading the book Celebration of Discipline.

But before we get there, I just wanna acknowledge that it can be hard to pray on overwhelming days. Sometimes there are just so many things going back to back or so many interruptions that we can feel frazzled and fragmented and that complicates our ability to slow down, be mindful of God, and to bring our needs to him and receive what he offers us. But that's exactly what this practice helps us do.

As Richard Foster talks about, he says, “It is a time to become still, to enter into the recreating silence, to allow the fragmentation of our minds to become centered.”

By engaging in this practice, we model in our bodies what we're trying to do and what we long for in our spirits, and that's to bring our needs and to center our focus on God. To find our stability in him. And I love this visual of feeling fragmented because I can feel that way as I'm running from this thing to that and I'm responding to this message and I'm answering my kids' question and I remember something that I previously forgot. I can feel fragmented. With my focus diverted into all these different directions, but this practice slows us down.

So we begin by taking our hands before the Lord. Most of us might be familiar with this, if you're watching the podcast here on video with this posture with hands open to receive from him, which is good. We're gonna come to that in a minute, but first we're gonna take our hands and we're actually gonna flip them over and we place our palms down as a symbolic way to release our cares before him to take the worries and the stresses and the needs that we have and release them to the Lord.

And you take this quick moment to pray. This could be out loud or in your head. I release this anxiety about this meeting to you, Lord. God, I bring my concern about that relationship and I put it at your feet. God, I surrender to you my anger and frustration towards this person.

Whatever is weighing on your mind and your heart, move your palms down and release it. You may even feel a sense of release as you drop that imagined burden out of your hands.

So after some moments of surrender, we then turn our hands upward to receive again. This is symbolically placing ourselves before the Lord to receive what he would offer us instead.

God, I receive your divine love for this person and your patient kindness towards them.

God, I receive your joy.

God, I receive whatever you have for me that I might not even be aware of.

Whatever your need is, as you say it, palms up and you move your body in agreement with what you need and ask him to fill you.

And here's the biggest part.

It could be quick, it could be seconds, it could be a few minutes remaining mindful of God. Allow God to be present with you. And if you sense things from him, that's great, and if you don't, that's great too. This is simply a moment to slow down and to recognize his love and to let him love you.

It reminds me of a well loved passage from Matthew chapter 11:28-30. And Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

He's talking about what we can receive from him, how he fills our hands.

And so I hope this Palms Down, Palms Up activity is something that sticks with you. That you use it today, but also in future days as you engage with God in these quick moments. And here's a question that you can take to him as you practice this activation now:

God with my palms turned down, what do you invite me to surrender to you? And God, with my palms turned up, what do you invite me to receive instead?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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