Morning Prayer - Where Do You Dwell, Lord?

Lord Jesus,

This morning, John the Baptist points you out to me once more, saying, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

And I, like the disciples from the Gospel, hear these words and in the silence of my heart, I set out to follow you.

Then comes that pivotal moment. You turn and ask me, personally, with all your love:

“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?'” (John 1:38)

Oh, Lord, how often I do not know how to answer. I do not know who I am, or what I am truly seeking in the depths of my being.

And so, like those two disciples, I turn the question back to you: Where are you staying?

Let me stay with you today, that I may dwell in your presence and learn from you.

I allow you to shape me

To be able to let you shape me, I must first know who you are. John reveals this to me in fragments, like in the most beautiful, breathtaking movie scenes.

“This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” (John 1:30)

“Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.'” (John 1:32)

“I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (John 1:34)

You are the eternal one, you are the bearer of the Spirit, you are the Son of God. Yes, I want you to shape my identity.

When I remain with you, something wonderful happens. Like Andrew, I want to run to my brothers and sisters and tell them with excitement:

“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).” (John 1:41)

And then comes that moment when I am brought before you. You look into my eyes, you see all my fragility, and you give me a new name, a new mission, a new identity.

“And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).” (John 1:42)

You are the Lamb who destroys evil

Your name, Lamb of God, has such power. You are the apocalyptic Lamb who will destroy evil in the world and in me. You are the one who separates the good from the bad.

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)

Cleanse my threshing floor, Lord. Separate the wheat from the chaff in my heart. You are also the suffering Servant, who gave his life for me.

And you are the Paschal Lamb, who saves me from the slavery of sin and leads me into freedom.

Lord, today I stretch out my hand to you. I accept you, Lamb of God, and I allow you to shape me. Help me to live today from this new identity that you give me.

May today be a day where I live with a heart that awaits you and is ready to be transformed by you.

Amen.

STAY IN TOUCH