St. Nicolai Notes

Prayer for January 17-23, 2021
Sermon Text: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 

That our anxious, wandering hearts may be stilled and held close in your love

We rejoice in You, our God! We rejoice that we live and move and have our being in You. We are astonished by those times when your presence seems to hover particularly close, when we seem to be enfolded and enrapt in your love, like that of a young lover. We are amazed, comforted, and sometimes nervous, that You know us thoroughly enough to know even our thoughts, like two friends or lovers who have walked together for many years.

You complete our lives. You reveal yourself, your world, and even our selves to us in ways that we could not begin to discover by our own will and intellect. Yet mystery remains! And we rejoice in the continued unfolding of mystery in your presence and action that creates both awe and delight.

You have kept us close to your love even when we have been inclined to wander. You have stilled our hearts, even when we have been anxious and fearful. We rejoice in You, our God!  Amen.