The Welcoming Prayer

Home     Bio     Music  Welcoming Prayer   Music Store  Sermons   Links  Contact

The Welcoming Prayer is a wonderful process of working through prayer to transform your interior state into one of peace when you have found it otherwise.  The Welcoming Prayer is a good companion to Centering Prayer, giving you a good alternative for thoughts when your mind isn’t serving you well.  It has four movements, and they are:

1)      When you become aware that your interior state is not at peace, or you are embroiled in internal commentary about some situation,

2)      Locate and identify, as soon as you are able to, what your feelings are.  Label them as honestly as you are able, and take the time to gently locate where they are registering in your body.

3)      Say the prayer - "Welcome, welcome, welcome. 

I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment, knowing that it comes to me at this time for my healing.  I welcome all thoughts, feelings, persons, emotions, situations, and conditions. 

I release my desire for security from this situation, person, etc 

I release my desire for approval from this situation… 

I release my desire for control over this situation… 

I release my desire to change anything about this situation… including myself.

I open to the love and presence of God and God’s healing action and grace within."

4)      Allow God’s presence to minister to you before returning to your other activities. 

You may find that you need to practice this prayer a number of times, or it may be helpful to go through the process as a written journal entry.