T. Michael W. Halcomb

Worthy Are You, Worthy O Lord (Prayer 17)


(A Continual Prayer)

A heart rejoicing turning Your way
A mouth ready lifting an anthem of praise
A mind centered, being sanctified & made pure
Worthy are You, Worthy O Lord
T. Michael W. Halcomb

Hope Springs (Prayer 16, Part Of A 24-Hour Prayer Vigil)


Lord, we know that it pleases You
When brothers and sisters can come together
And live together in unity.
We pray, O God,
That You would shape Hope Springs
Into a community of people that
Lives together,
Creates peace together,
Stands against injustice together,
And unites together.
As we live out our baptisms, O God,
We recall the words of Paul,
Who preached the Good News, that,
In You, there is no division, that,
There is neither Jew nor Gentile,
Greek nor Barbarian,
Male or Female, but
That in You, we are all one.
May unity in the Spirit be our mindset,
May it be the banner that we fly,
May it be our driving force and
May it be what compels us to press on toward the goal
Of glorifying You.
Father, Son and Spirit,
Three-in-One, Triune God,
Just as You are The One And The Many,
May we be many who are one.
May You be praised and may Your body be edified
As we join together in prayer for these 24 hours
And as we join together in mission and ministry
As we daily live out the Gospel side-by-side.
So God, I offer this prayer as a prayer of unity
And as a prayer for the sake of community in and as Your body.
Lord, be present among us and rise up within us
Maybe even, O God, in a way that You have yet to do.
And Lord, just make our eyes and ears and hearts and minds
So attentive and so aware that we recognize
Your heavy presence and pure desires.
I pray these things
In the name of
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

Contemplating Your Presence (Prayer 15)


Father, the more I contemplate Your presence
The more that's all I want.
I don't want or expect anything else from You God.
Others want this or that,
They want things.
Others want wealth and health from You
But I just want Your presence.
Even some of Your people feel entitled
To things from You.
People have deceived themselves
Into believing that because they are Yours,
Or because they are "saved"
That they should be exempt from
The trials of life that have become ordinary
In a fallen world
And that You owe them something.
I don't expect any of that God,
No, Your presence is enough for me.
And so, I ask that Your presence
Would just envelop me and fall fresh on me.
I seek Your presence and Your smile
And long for Your face to shine upon me
As I bask in Your glorious midst.
Come Holy Spirt, Come.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

Exegete My Heart (Prayer 14)


O God, how I have come to love prayer lately.
For so long,
I have shyed away from the prayer event
But now,
I have come to love it.
Exegete my heart my Lord
And may You find
What is written there
As an offering to You.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

A Baptism Of Presence (Prayer 13)


Lord, every time I feel Your love,
I feel like I'm being baptized.
Lately, these continual
Re-baptisms of Your presence have
Made me yearn after You,
My Beloved.
O God, 3 and 1
Never before have I experienced
Your presence as I have lately.
Did this start with a study?
Did thinking lead to all this?
Did desire bring this about?
Father, how can I be an extension
Of Your paradoxical, heavy and light presence?
How, O God? How?
I rest in Your midst seeking Your counsel.
Send Your mighty waves of baptism.
Send Your rushing waters of sacrament.
Immerse us, submserse us, drown us
So that we will truly find Breath,
That is,
You.
Come O Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Come.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

With A Heavy Heart, I Wonder (Prayer 12)


God, in Your presence, I wonder again today
I wonder how I made it to where I am?
Statistically speaking, things don't line up.
I read of friends heading off to prison
And mistreating their children,
The children of others',
Their spouses,
I see newsflashes of them robbing banks
And leading police on high-speed chases
And having drug labs found in their homes
And I think back to grade school,
To the times when we played kickball together,
To the times when we stood in the lunch line together,
And my heart sinks.
And I wonder how I made it to where I am?
And why that's not me too?
I don't accept the easy answer that some give,
Answers like predestination or that it is simply Your will.
I dont' believe that!
But I can't help but think that You can be found in the mix somewhere.
Is it because I chased You while they chased other things?
Is it because I set my sights on something different than they did?
Lord, today, with a heavy heart, I wonder.
Why not me?
This, I may always wonder.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

Yielding My Heart (Prayer 11)


O God who is yielding my heart to Your presence,
I love You.
O God who is softening my heart to Your movements,
I love You.
O God who is molding my heart to Yours,
I love You.
O God who is purifying my heart with Your holiness,
I love You.
O God who is rekindling my heart with Your refining fire,
I love You.
O God who is turning my heart to Your ways,
I love You.
O God who is tuning my heart to Your melodies,
I love You.
O God, whose heart is full and pure,
May Your face shine upon me.
I love You.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

Wrestling With Saints (Prayer 10)


God, I know that
First and foremost
Prayer is about
Attending to Your presence in us and around us.
I also know that my first aim in prayer
Is to seek out
Your wants and desires.
I'm trying to do this, Lord.
I also know that prayer
Is about interaction
It is a meeting, a dialogue
A two-way street, a give-and-take event.
But so many times, O God
When I come to pray
I feel like these things get pushed aside
And instead, I have to fight against
Your saints.
I hear them saying things
About "control" and "submission"
About "power" and "will"
And God, when they speak of these things
Ever so confidently, I just shake my head
Because I don't buy it.
Lord, I feel like all of their language
Defeats the purpose,
Like it is a spiritual affront or cover-up,
Even if they don't mean it or know they're doing it.
So, Lord, I pray in humility that
If I am wrong, You'd show me.
But I also pray in my own confidence that
If the experiences I've had lately
And the thoughts I've been dwelling on for years
Are right
That Your presence would just intensify in my life.
I don't want a sign, God, just Your presence.
Lord, help us to let go of the things we need to
To experience You more deeply
And to allow You
To experience us more deeply.
Even if those things we are clinging to
Are faulty theologies
And wrestling matches with saints.
May it be.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

Canon God (Prayer 9)


God, there are so many
Creeds
Catechisms
Confessions
Counsels
Councils
Doctrines
Theologies
Solas
Orders and
Expectations
That have been canonized
And many times
The categories
Get in the way of You.
Triune God,
Aren't You "THE" Canon?
Because if so,
That's a Canon
I can hold to, no
Cling to.
And if so,
I will
Cling
To You
Canon God.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

faith Speaking to Faith (Prayer 8)


Hey God, what if
I were
"faith"
and You were
"Faith"
?
And God, what if
I were
conversing
and You were
conversing
?
O God,
would this be
faith speaking to Faith
and
Faith speaking to faith
?
And God,
if this was
faith speaking to Faith
and
Faith speaking to faith
what would the result be?
Would it be
FAITH
in one another?
T. Michael W. Halcomb

God: Like A Parable (Prayer 7)



God, You are like a parable
And You are like a riddle.
You are like a mystery,
And a punch line.
You are known & unknown,
On display, yet hidden.
You encompass and envelope me
All the while embedding Yourself in me.
You give me freedom to rest in You
And the joys of being hidden in You.
Paradoxically, You hide in me
And offer me right standing & breath.
You are distant & near,
Far off & present.
You are transcendent & immanent,
Waiting & Drawing near.
God, You are like a parable
And I'm trying to understand You.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

To Love You With My Mind (Prayer 6)

O Spirit of God,
Wisdom of the Ages,
O Most Knowing Being in existence,
You alone are exalted.
I long for Your heart and
I greatly desire Your mind,
The depth of Your knowledge moves me to wonder and
The opportunity to love You
With heart, soul and strength
As well as mind,
Is the gift of all gifts.
I want to walk by Your side,
Dwell in Your encompassing presence,
Think as You think,
Know as You know,
Be wise as You are wise,
And devote myself to attending to Your wants and desires.
Will You discipline and shape me,
Will You give me some of Your strength
So that as I venture through a rigorous academic program,
I will attain the skills and know-how
To not only teach others
But also
To know You more?
O Ancient of Days
And Most Present of All
May this be a semester filled with You,
A semester devoted to You
And a semester where
I find You at every turn.
May it be O Lord, may it be.
T. Michael W. Halcomb

Life's Speed (Prayer 5)

Lord, I've read & I've been told and
I've heard for so long, that
It takes:
Slowing down,
Quietness and
Stillness,
To catch Your presence.
I don't really think I believe this.
Surely it's not impossible to encounter Your presence
In the rapidity of life, surely not, Lord.
So, as I seek & reach, ask & knock
With the hopes of finding Your wants & desires,
I do so as the world around me unrelentingly presses forward.
May we meet in the middle of life's speed today.
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