The Prayer Porch

Tag: christianity

  • Understanding God’s True Nature: Love and Holiness

    Understanding God’s True Nature: Love and Holiness

    Pull up a chair for a moment. Let’s talk about something that quietly shapes the way we live: how we see God.

    In our world today, God is often spoken of in soft, comfortable terms. For some, He’s seen as a distant force. He is like an energy that exists “out there.” This energy doesn’t touch our daily lives. For others, He’s imagined as endlessly permissive – a God who never corrects, only affirms. And for many, He’s optional: one spiritual path among many, something we can adjust to fit our preferences.

    This view of God can feel safe, even convenient. But it often ends up shaping Him into our own image. We make Him smaller, gentler, and more manageable than He truly is.

    The God We Meet in Scripture:

    When we turn to the Bible, though, we meet God. This God is greater than we can imagine. He is also nearer than we can fathom.

    • Holy and Just: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” – Isaiah 6:3
      He is holy and just. He is pure and set apart. He is not simply a reflection of ourselves.
    • Loving and Merciful: “God shows his love for us. Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” – Romans 5:8
      His love doesn’t ignore our sin; it redeems it.
    • Personal and Near: “The Lord is close to everyone who calls on him.” – Psalm 145:18
      He is not a distant deity. He listens. He cares. He draws close.
    • Unchanging: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” -Hebrews 13:8
      Our culture shifts. Yet, He remains steady and true.
    • Lord and King: The Bible shows us a God before whom we bow, not a God who bends to us.

    This can feel like a tension – God is both infinitely loving and perfectly holy. He welcomes us with open arms, yet He calls us to be transformed.

    How we see God shapes how we live. If we see Him as only a gentle encourager, we might miss His call to holiness. If we see Him as only a strict judge, we might miss His tender love. But when we hold both together, His holiness and His mercy, we truly understand Him. When we hold His majesty and His nearness together, we truly understand Him. This is how we find the fullness of who He really is.

    And in that fullness, our hearts are changed.

  • Trusting God’s Timing

    Trusting God’s Timing

    “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

    Life so often feels like a waiting room. We pray, we hope, and yet the answer seems delayed or different from what we imagined. Trusting God’s timing can be one of the hardest lessons of faith.

    Even the saints wrestled with this. One of my favorite examples is St. Hildegard von Bingen. She was a 12th-century woman of great faith. She is now honored as a saint and Doctor of the Church. Early in her life, she received visions that left her uneasy. She wasn’t sure if the experiences were truly from God. The weight of that uncertainty filled her with fear. It also caused her hesitation.

    Instead of keeping her struggle to herself, Hildegard turned to someone she deeply respected: St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a holy monk known for his wisdom. They were separated by distance. Despite this, she reached out through a letter. She shared her anxieties. Should she stay silent or speak about what she had seen? Was this truly God’s call for her life?

    St. Bernard’s reply was simple but steadying. He reminded her that God’s grace was at work within her. His encouragement gave Hildegard the courage she needed to step forward in faith. In time, she embraced her calling and became a trusted counselor to popes, emperors, and countless others.

    Her story reminds us that even when our path feels uncertain, God provides what we need. Sometimes He provides through His Word. Other times, He provides through the quiet nudges of prayer. Often, it is through the wisdom of others He places in our lives. Just as Hildegard leaned on St. Bernard’s encouragement, we too can find strength in a mentor, a pastor, or a trusted friend. They remind us of God’s presence when we are unsure.

    Trusting God’s timing doesn’t mean we never feel anxious or restless. It means we bring those feelings to Him. We must stay open to the ways He uses others to guide and steady us along the way.

    For your reflection:

    Where in your life do you feel caught between waiting and moving forward?
    Who might God have placed around you to encourage you as you learn to trust His timing?

    Lord, help me to rest in the truth that Your timing is always good, even when I cannot see it. Give me patience to wait, courage to trust, and faith to step forward when You call. Amen.

  • Reflecting on the Assumption: Trust, Love, and Purpose

    Reflecting on the Assumption: Trust, Love, and Purpose

    We pause today. We contemplate a mystery filled with light and hope. Today is The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the close of her earthly life, Mary was taken body and soul into the glory of Heaven.

    For Catholics, this day is a reminder of God’s promise to bring His people into eternal joy. For anyone seeking hope, it is a moment to reflect. It reminds us that life on earth is not the end. Mary’s story invites us to consider: What am I living for? What is my heart set on?

    Mary’s Assumption offers a glimpse of our created purpose. We are made for life, love, and fullness beyond what we can see here and now. We may not share Mary’s specific faith tradition. However, we can all be encouraged by her example of saying “yes” to the good, the true, and the beautiful.

    We honor her in this feast. We are invited to lift our gaze above the distractions of this world. We remember what truly lasts. Like her, we can choose trust over fear. We can choose love over self-protection. We can also choose hope over despair, knowing that every faithful step shapes the story of our lives.

    Mary, assumed into Heaven, draw my heart closer to your Son. Teach me to live with faith, humility, and hope, until the day I share in the joy of His Kingdom.

    For your reflection:

    • What distractions keep me from fixing my eyes on what truly matters?
    • In what small way can I say “yes” and choose trust and love today?
    • How does the hope of something beyond this life shape the way I live now?

    Mary’s story invites us to lift our gaze beyond this world and live each day with trust, love, and hope.

  • Quiet Acts of Ministry: Serving at Home

    Quiet Acts of Ministry: Serving at Home

    This morning, over steaming mugs of delicious lattes, my friend shared her excitement for an upcoming ministry trip. As we talked, I couldn’t help but think about what her days will hold. They will include long hours and deep conversations with people she has never met. She will pour herself out for others. I reflected on how ministry can happen in many places. Sometimes, it begins right where we are.

    It’s easy to think of ministry as something that happens in far-off places. We often consider it on mission trips, in church programs, or through big events. Often, ministry is as close as the person sitting across from us at the kitchen table or coffee shop.

    We can care for someone’s needs in so many ways. We can make a meal, mow a lawn, watch someone’s children, or tidy a space while they’re away. In doing so, we offer the love Jesus modeled. It will never make headlines, but it matters deeply to the heart of God.

    “Serve one another humbly in love.” – Galatians 5:13

    Service done quietly is still noticed by the One who sees all things. In fact, Jesus often served in ways that were simple and hands-on—washing dusty feet, breaking bread, and sharing meals. These moments weren’t grand gestures; they were grounded in presence and care.

    Maybe you can’t board a plane for a mission trip right now and maybe you never will. Each of us has a different calling. Your calendar or the season of life might be keeping you close to home. That doesn’t mean God can’t use you in powerful ways. Your living room can become a place of ministry and so can your front porch.

    The next time a friend heads off to serve far away, consider how you might serve right where you are. It could be as simple as a prayer whispered on their behalf. Perhaps a home-cooked meal could be waiting for their return. You might also consider doing a small project in secret to lighten their load.

    “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” – Hebrews 13:16

    One saint who beautifully lived this truth was Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, known as The Little Flower. She never traveled on great missions or preached to crowds. Instead, she chose to serve God through the “little way”, doing small acts of love with great devotion. Whether it was a kind word or a hidden sacrifice, she believed nothing was too small to offer to God. A task done in silence was also significant to her. Her life reminds us that every simple act of service, when done in love, becomes holy. Ministry doesn’t always need a suitcase – sometimes it simply requires a willing heart.

    Who in your life can use a quiet act of kindness this week?
    How you can be the hands and feet of Jesus to someone right where you are?

  • Finding Peace in Silence: The Art of Listening

    Finding Peace in Silence: The Art of Listening

    There’s something about August that invites stillness. The hurried pace of early summer begins to slow. The gardens start to rest. The porch feels like a place to breathe again. It’s in this quiet, in-between space that we’re reminded of the gentle power of listening.

    Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen. Be slow to speak and slow to get angry.
    James 1:19

    In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because Christians are talking when they should be listening.” Those words have lingered with me. Because if we’re honest, listening, truly listening isn’t always easy. It asks us to quiet our own thoughts, resist the urge to fix, and offer the holy gift of presence.

    James 1:19 gives us a rhythm to live by: be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

    What would our homes, relationships, and communities look like if we truly lived that way?

    Listening isn’t passive. It’s a practice of humility. It’s a way of saying, “You matter. Your story matters. I’m here.” When we slow down and open our ears, we create room for healing. We open our hearts for truth. Sometimes even God speaks through the silence.

    So as summer winds down, let’s lean into this quiet gift. Let’s sit beside one another with compassion and curiosity. Let’s listen more than we speak. And let’s trust that even in the stillness, God is at work.

    Lord, help me be quick to listen and slow to speak.
    Let me be a safe place for others to share, and give me the grace to hear with love.

    Sometimes, quiet moments offer the best space to reflect and be still. I created a simple coloring page for you. A gentle way to slow down and to help meditate on the beauty of listening.

    👉 James 1:19 Coloring Page

    Print it out. Grab your favorite crayons or pencils. Let your heart settle as you color. Let it be a soft pause in your day – a sacred little Sabbath moment.
    In what areas of my life is God inviting me to listen more deeply? Where can I use fewer words and have a more open heart?