A friend who went to Florida for a few months, shared with me a little prayer that his priest shares with his congregation. The priest got the prayer from an elderly woman in his congregation. It is just too wonderful not to share! Here goes, “Jesus, you gave me all that I have. Jesus, you give me all that I need. Jesus, my life is in your hands.” I have been praying with this for several days now and it is making a wonderful difference in my life.
How? First of all, when I am saying or thinking this prayer, I am not thinking about all the negative things that are going on in our national and world politics, the division in our people over race, gender, and various lifestyles. Rather, I am affirmed in the unconditional, forgiving, overwhelming, and eternal love that God has for us. I am reminded that ultimately, all good things come from God and that he is victorious over the world and our mess. As the song says, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.”
I like this prayer too, because it is short and simple. It is easy to memorize, to write on a small card, and use any time of the day or night. When I start getting stressed over small stuff or even big things, I can calm myself by praying, “Jesus, you gave me all that I have. Jesus, you give me all that I need. Jesus, my life is in your hands.”
I like this prayer too, because it came from an ordinary elderly woman. Just a regular Christian like me who does not hold an office in the Church, not ordained, not a Saint, not a theologian. We are simply lay people who love God, experience his love, and want to share that love with everyone. Wouldn’t it be wonderful is all of us could have an experience of the eternal, unconditional, forgiving, and overwhelming love of God?
I like this prayer too, because it enables me to practice the presence of God every minute of my life, or at least in those moments when I am not distracted by other concerns. We all have those moments when we are transitioning from one activity to another, where we can say small prayers. It is at those times when I can pray, “Jesus, you gave me all that I have. Jesus, you give me all that I need. Jesus, my life is in your hands.” I think that if you practice this “little prayer” that it will greatly benefit you, too.
I want to remind everyone to continue the washing of your hands during this pandemic. Nothing stops the spread of germs better than washing.
“May the Lord bless and keep you. May He let His face shine upon you and give you His peace.”
