Have you prayed today?

Thought for the Day:
Jesus says in John 10:10-11: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."

Have you prayed today?

Are you searching
for answers
... perhaps in all the wrong places
or from people who really do not know
what you search for
let alone the answers.

Do you feel alone ...
lost and out of place

Does it seem no one understands
and no one helps

The darkness closes in**
you struggle to find release
from all your pain

Where to go
What step do I take
Where does my reaching hand extend?
Who is the one who grasps it
Who will answer

Have you prayed today?

Jesus hears your plea
sees your pain
grasps hold of you
answers your questions
heals you.

Have you prayed today?
Do you hear Him calling,
'Come, my Child.'

**The following poem was written in the early 1970s during my college years before I knew the Lord. It illustrates the darkness closing in.

I found them today
They weren't where I thought they would be
In the grass, behind a few shrubs
They glistened, wet with dew

It seemed I had looked forever for them.
And now at last, I had found them.
I knelt down, gently pushing the tiny branches aside
My eyes opened wide with surprise
A maze !! How lovely. And involving such intricate work too.
I picked up a stick and probed
A cry rang out
Ooh, I cringed, for I had hurt one of them.
And they were my friends.

I saw them coming
for me
My feet seemed rooted to the ground
I couldn't escape.
I saw them keep coming.
I saw them on me.
At first it tickled, then they began to bite.
I lost consciousness
And when I awoke, I was gone.
(c 1973)

Cathy Orrick Luders
7.24.2009