Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:16‭-‬17 NRSV

https://bible.com/bible/2016/isa.1.16-17.NRSV

We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.
2 Thessalonians 1:3‭-‬4 NRSV

https://bible.com/bible/2016/2th.1.3-4.NRSV

Luke 19: 1-10 (2022)

So where did we land with these scriptures. We spoke a lot about the nature of prayer and how in prayer we enter the heavenly courts, encounter God and articulate, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Or not.

We live in a complex world and our prayers serve to centre us in God, our eyes are opened and we know what to do, Wash yourselves… learn to do good…

There is some effort though and some of us have had our performance anxiety played upon by past experiences so that to pray is to fail. But there is a way back.

Some of us pray through the psalms opening us up to prayers that allow the full spectrum of human emotions to be prayed, encouraging and sometimes unsettling.

Some pray, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, and, when they find peace in the repetition of this, substitute a name and allow God to open up their imaginations for those they name. And from this they pray for loved ones and, encouraged, move wider to neighbours, towns and nations. Or often not.

Others calm themselves by praying the words from psalm 46, saying slowly, finding God in the silence and solitude,

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

A teaching of James Finley. For more visit https://youtu.be/LRUgLFToysg

Whatever we do we are walking into an inheritance of grace; Jesus has done the work.