{"product_id":"the-prayer-wheel-isbn-9781524760311","title":"The Prayer Wheel","description":"\u003cb\u003eAward-winning religion journalists describe a recently rediscovered medieval prayer tool that provides fresh inspiration and daily prayers for contemporary Christians.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll people of faith struggle at times to sustain a flourishing prayer life--a loss felt all the more keenly in times like ours of confusion, political turbulence, and global calamity. \u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel\u003c\/i\u003e introduces an ancient prayer practice that offers a timeless solution for the modern faithful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel \u003c\/i\u003eis a modern interpretation of the Liesborn Prayer Wheel, a beautiful, almost wholly forgotten, scripture-based mode of prayer that was developed in a medieval times. The Liesborn Prayer Wheel resurfaced in 2015 in a small private gallery near New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. It faithfully and beautifully presents seven prayer paths for personal or group use. Each path invites contemplation on the \"big ideas\" of the Christian faith--the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and key words from the life of Christ.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the tradition of \u003ci\u003electio divina\u003c\/i\u003e and walking a labyrinth, \u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel\u003c\/i\u003e simply and directly takes readers into a daily, wholly unique encounter with God. As the prayers in this book unfold, readers will find an appealing guide for contemplation, a way of seeing God in new ways, and an essential new tool for Christian formation.\"A brilliant rediscovery. \u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how important prayer has been in all of history, and how many levels of understanding it always offers. This is an excellent example of the endless fruitfulness of healthy religion.\" \u003cb\u003e—Richard Rohr, author of \u003ci\u003eFalling Upward\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This bold recovery of a long-forgotten path to prayer, expertly situated in its historical context and made accessible for modern-day believers, makes for absolutely fascinating reading--for the devout and doubtful alike.\" \u003cb\u003e—James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These days, few books cause me to sit up and take notice. But \u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel\u003c\/i\u003e hooked me from the first page. In it, three of my favorite religion journalists unearth a nearly 1000-year-old spiritual practice and make it applicable to our own day. This book is a mystical journey with the power to revitalize your prayer life. Don’t miss it!” \u003cb\u003e—Jonathan Merritt, author of \u003ci\u003eLearning to Speak God from Scratch\u003c\/i\u003e; contributing writer for \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Reading this book for the first time, I felt the way I felt when someone first told me about labyrinths—I was encountering something that could carry me both back into the depths of an ancient practice, and forward to God.\" \u003cb\u003e—Lauren F. Winner, author of \u003ci\u003eGirl Meets God \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eStill\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I am always looking for ways to engage in prayer more deeply. Beautifully written and biblically grounded, this book offers readers a fresh yet ancient way of drawing close to God. Because of its simplicity and depth, I am sure I will enjoy using it for years to come.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Ann Spangler, author of \u003ci\u003ePraying the Names of God\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This remarkable book isn't just a guide to a long-lost medieval prayer wheel, but an introduction to a deeper, more fulfilling way of communicating with God.\" \u003cb\u003e—Ian Morgan Cron, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Like Benedict in his own day, we are searching for new ways to connect ancient wisdom with daily life in a rapidly changing world. In this midst of this transition, Dodd, Riess, and Van Biema offer a contemporary introduction to an ancient way of prayer. This prayer wheel may be just the tool to unlock the door to the home you always knew you needed.\" \u003cb\u003e—Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, coauthor of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCommon Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"If Indiana Jones were interested in Medieval Christian spirituality, he'd have loved \u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel\u003c\/i\u003e! Dodd, Riess, and Van Biema unlock the mystery of an ancient Christian path to prayer, then help modern readers apply it for a meaningful spiritual journey.\" \u003cb\u003e—Adam Hamilton, author of \u003ci\u003eUnafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCreed: What Christians Believe and Why\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"It's rare these days to be truly surprised by something, especially something old. Yet that was my experience of reading and engaging with \u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel\u003c\/i\u003e. For those of us who long to connect to our forebears in faith and who find too much of the modern world annoying and shallow, this book is a beautiful, reflective prayer aid.\" \u003cb\u003e—Tony Jones, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel \u003c\/i\u003eopens a door into the prayer life of Christians who lived nearly a thousand years ago. Through meditation on brief but rich phrases of Scripture, we deepen and strengthen our faith.\" \u003cb\u003e—Frederica Mathewes-Green, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Jesus Prayer\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eFacing East\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"How is it possible in our high-tech age that one of the most interesting new developments I've come across is a piece of technology that dates back to the Middle Ages? Whether you're a prayer veteran or a novice spiritual seeker, \u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a way to approach our conversations wih God that is both ancient and new.\" \u003cb\u003e—Bill McGarvey, former editor in chief of Busted Halo\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Our medieval Christian ancestors may not have understood growth economics, but they knew the value of praying in circles...with a prayer wheel, with a rosary, with the weekly and yearly cycles of the Divine Office. Here is all we have forgotten of the past, and all we might hope for the future, inscribed in a simple diagram—a cure for the linear, dead-end way of thinking that has brought our world to a precipice.\" \u003cb\u003e—Clark Strand, author of \u003ci\u003eWaking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Wheel\u003c\/i\u003e brings everything to a stop, giving us a chance to enter into deep silence and active reflection on the mysteries of the faith. This book could hardly come at a better time. I'm grateful for this bracing reminder of the creative wisdom of the past.” \u003cb\u003e—Kirsten Powers, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e columnist and CNN political analyst \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“As a prayer prompt, the wheel is divine.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eDAVID VAN BIEMA was head religion writer at \u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e from 1999 to 2009, where he wrote 25 cover stories for the magazine, as well as covers for \u003ci\u003eLife \u003c\/i\u003emagazine, \u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e. His recent work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, TheAtlantic.com, and the Religion News Service. He is the author of the book \u003ci\u003eMother Teresa: The Life and Works of a Modern Saint\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003eJANA RIESS is an editor and writer who holds degrees in religion from Wellesley College, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Columbia University. She is a senior columnist for Religion News Service and speaks often to the media about issues pertaining to religion in America. \u003cbr\u003ePATTON DODD is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, TheAtlantic.com, CNN.com, \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNewsweek\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Shambhala Sun\u003c\/i\u003e, and more. He has also appeared on a range of television and radio shows, including \u003ci\u003eHannity\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Laura Ingraham Show\u003c\/i\u003e, ESPN Radio, and NPR.Week 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHoly Is Your Name\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStepping into the Path\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eO my God, in you I trust.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePsalm 25:1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe wheel’s first path blends together foundational ideas of the faith: who God is, how he relates to us, how we relate to him, and what Christ’s followers are called to do and be in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Lord’s Prayer opens with “Our Father in heaven, hallowed [or holy] be your name.” When Jesus taught his disciples to begin prayer this way, he named two truths about God’s identity: God is as near and dear as a loving father, and he is also as holy and powerful as an almighty king. He’s both the creator-ruler of all things and a gentle dad—indeed, the term Jesus uses for “Father” here is more like “Daddy.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe order of the diagram written here teaches the return home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy father in heaven,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom you I come and to you one day I will return.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs I pray this week’s path, help me to find my home in you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur father in heaven, holy is your name.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs I reflect on the incarnation of Jesus, I ask for your gift of wisdom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlessed are the peacemakers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor they will be called children of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou, O God, are my true home. Amen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHoly Is Your Name\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRomans 8:16\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEarly Christians saw Holy is your name as a kind of petition—a request for God to take action. When we pray this line from Jesus’ prayer, we’re worshipping God in his utter perfection, while at the same time asking God to make the world into the kind of place where divine goodness is manifest to one and all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur father in heaven, holy is your name.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are “father.” And you are “holy.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelp us to live more deeply into this dual reality—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethat you are as near and trustworthy as a loving daddy;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand that your very nature is flawless beyond imagining.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are, O Lord, the essence of perfection:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo one is higher or better.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNothing is more sacred.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are the source and essence of all life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou hold the universe together by your word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven your name is pure and flawless,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand you hold us, who are not those things, in your sway.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYet you are a loving parent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou give us life and teach us your ways.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are tender, protective, generous, and kind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen we stray, your whole desire is only for our good.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShow us, your children, how to embrace both your fatherliness and your holiness today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 3\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWisdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames 1:5\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the Bible, wisdom is the spiritual gift that underlies all other spiritual gifts, the starting point and requirement for living the truly good life. “The wisdom that comes from heaven,” wrote the apostle James, “is first pure; then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (3:17).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHoly Spirit,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou have promised to give us wisdom if we ask, and without holding our need against us. You don’t fault us for asking, then asking again. I need this gift today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrant me deeper understanding in the common things, the things I do out of habit and without a second thought. May every part of my life be infused with your life—like light, like streams of waters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelp me to rightly examine all things, to discern right from wrong, to see clearly what I should do. I need wisdom in\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e~my work\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e~my relationships\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e~how I speak to others\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e~how I spend and save money\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e~how I eat\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e~what I give my attention to throughout this day\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd it’s not just for me. In the push and shove of competing opinions, our whole community needs wisdom. Grant us insight in our thoughts and desires, so that our minds can be open, uncluttered, and vibrant. Give us your wisdom, that we may be more like you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you for this gift.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 4\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIncarnation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd the Word became flesh and lived among us . . . \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohn 1:14\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe incarnation is one of Christianity’s wildest and deepest claims: that the creator of the universe became human in the person of Jesus Christ. God used to live around here, and we knew him, John is saying. At the beginning of a letter that bears his name, John writes that he and his friends had “seen . . . looked at . . . and touched with our hands” the presence of God on the earth (1 John 1:1).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLord Jesus,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou were both God and man, together in one being.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou know what it’s like to walk down a road. You know what it’s like to be hungry. To want things you can’t have. To injure yourself, feel pain, and have to wait for healing. To miss someone. To suffer great loss, with nothing but time and prayer to heal the ache.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou know what it’s like to see the world as a child, as a teenager, as an adult.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelp me to remember this. There’s nothing I’m going through that you don’t understand. I don’t have any fears or hopes or pains that you can’t imagine. You’ve been there, because you’ve been here, with us, on this earth, in all its beauty and all its brokenness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you, Lord Christ, for dwelling among us then, and living with us still.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 5\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlessed Are the Peacemakers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames 3:18\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis Beatitude appears near last in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, yet it appears in the Prayer Wheel’s first path. Perhaps it was placed here because it brings “children of God” into the same prayer path as “Father.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTomorrow’s prayer connects “children of God” to peacemaking. For today, we speak a blessing over people whose actions bring restoration, healing, and reconciliation in our world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLord,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou said, Blessed are the peacemakers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelp us to become peacemakers. Show us how.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere can we show up?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere can we be present where there is no peace?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat conflict do we need to go toward, not run from?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere do we need to speak up for reconciliation?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo whom do we need to listen?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere is our opportunity to make peace?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you for those who defend the poor and powerless all over the world today. Thank you for those who devote their lives to the cause of nonviolence, restoration, and healing. May they know the blessing of your comfort and refreshment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelp us all to notice in our own lives where we can invite and create peace—and nudge us to act.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 6\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor They Will Be Called\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChildren of God\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMatthew 18:3\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen suffering continues unabated for individuals and communities, we can become jaded. Today, we pray to become like children—at least in certain important ways. We remember that, in the incarnation, God chose to enter the world as a child—innocent, trusting, humble, and dependent. Jesus’ call to childlikeness is an invitation for us to do the same.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHeavenly Father,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTeach me a child’s way of living in my heart and mind today:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eplayful\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eopen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ecurious\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eunguarded\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003einnocent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003equick to giggle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003edelighted in the moment\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eeasily contented\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eready to hope—and hope big—all over again\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eforgetful of yesterday\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ereaching for Mommy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ereaching for Daddy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ereaching often, God—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003esecure in your presence\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebelieving in your goodness\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003etrusting in your strength\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI want to change and become little in my spirit. Teach me what that looks like.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelp me to let go of the grown-up stuff I’m so prideful about, like what I think I know, especially about you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRemake me like a child in all the right ways, that I may walk in your kingdom today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 7\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraying the Whole Path\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eO Lord, you are our Father;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewe are the clay, and you are our potter;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewe are all the work of your hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIsaiah 64:8\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach week, as you prepare to pray the whole path at once on Day 7, we’ll invite you to reflect on the preceding days. This week, consider how your experience relates to the wheel’s invocation about returning home to God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow has your prayer journey this week brought you home?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow were you reminded of who you are, who God is, and where you belong?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGod,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are holy. May your sacred presence in all people and all living things be known and revered throughout the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are our Father. You care for us as the most loving mothers and fathers care for their children. May we rest today in your care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou grant wisdom to all who ask. May your wisdom guide us and shape us in all we do. We are all the work of your hand—help us to flourish in insight, common sense, and discretion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou, Lord Jesus, are the Prince of Peace. Wherever there is strife in the world today—in relationships, in communities, between races and religions, between nations—may peace, not violence, prevail. And may your children be the first to love peace and pursue it, so that we can bring some heaven to earth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you that none of these requests—nothing we could ever ask or imagine or need—is alien to you, because you know what it is like to be human. Thank you, God, for dwelling among us, and for showing us the way home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConnecting This Path with the Next\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs you pray the paths in sequence, you’ll often find one path preparing you for the next. At the end of each week, we’ll point to some of those connections.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis week, we prayed for wisdom, and next week we’ll ask for understanding. Are those two versions of the same thing? Not really.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAccording to Christian tradition, wisdom helps us to desire rightly, while understanding helps us to decide rightly. Wisdom forms our hearts to want the things of God. Understanding forms our minds to grasp the things of God. (See Part 4 for more on the subtle yet important distinctions between the biblical gifts of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and counsel.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeek 2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour Kingdom Come\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStepping into the Path\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMake me to know your ways, O Lord;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eteach me your paths.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePsalm 25:4\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe second path invites new beginnings. This week, we encounter Jesus’ baptism, a scene of renewal. We pray for clean hearts, that we may better see God. And we are grounded in the prayer your kingdom come, a kingdom that already exists all around us if only we have eyes to see.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe order of the diagram written here teaches the return home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy father in heaven,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom you I come and to you one day I will return.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs I pray this week’s path, help me to find my home in you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour kingdom come.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs I meditate on the baptism of Jesus, I ask for the gift of understanding.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlessed are the clean of heart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor they will see God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou, O God, are my true home. Amen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour Kingdom Come\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOnce Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLuke 17:20–21\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJesus’ entire ministry—what he taught and how he lived—was a revelation of God’s kingdom. Many of his parables were framed as descriptions of it—“The kingdom of God is like,” he would begin, then tell a story of the search for a treasured item or a farmer planting seed. In some of his stories, the points seemed clear; at other times, he left his listeners to puzzle through their meanings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConsistently, though, Jesus taught that the kingdom reality he spoke of exists not only as God’s perfected order in the future but also in the here and now, whenever people awaken to God’s presence and intentions for the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLord God,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour kingdom seems far away today. We see death and disaster in the news, and everywhere, people are arguing, always arguing. And yet Jesus said that your domain—the only true and enduring reality—is also among us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMay your kingdom come in the middle of our despair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven in my own heart, I hold grudges, nurse anxieties, withhold compassion, and put myself first. Too often, my heart is not a hospitable place for your Spirit. I resist your rightful rule there, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMay your kingdom come first in my heart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmpower your people to see where your way of life is already showing up. Help us to become passionate agents in this continuing unfolding of your will for all things.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 3\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnderstanding\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you indeed cry out for insight,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand raise your voice for understanding;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eif you seek it like silver,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand search for it as for hidden treasures—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethen you will understand the fear of the Lord\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand find the knowledge of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProverbs 2:3–5\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo pray for understanding is to ask for a calm and welcoming receptivity so that we may penetrate the surface of things and get to the depths. The first step of understanding is recognizing how much we don’t know, and how limited our perspective can be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s a good posture anytime we come before God: receptive to his thoughts above our own, wanting his perspective to seep into and overtake ours. The gift of understanding allows us to glimpse God’s point of view.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHoly Spirit,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou’ve promised the gift of understanding. Yet I am so often blind to your presence, your will, and your ways.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTeach me to see you and live. I cry out today for help to see beyond my limitations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTeach me to seek for understanding as if it were a buried treasure that’s waiting and available to me if I keep digging, keep asking.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShow me your presence, your will, and your ways—in the scriptures, in my ordinary day, in the starfish fingers of a newborn, in the beauty of faith.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHear my cry for insight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDay 4\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBaptism\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMark 1:9–11\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo one who sensed Jesus’ divinity would’ve expected him to show up for the repentance ritual of baptism. John the Baptizer exclaimed in amazement, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But John relented, and as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens cracked open and God spoke.Foreword by James Martin, SJ, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage","brand":"Convergent Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301320184037,"sku":"NP9781524760311","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781524760311.jpg?v=1767741050","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-prayer-wheel-isbn-9781524760311","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}