Play-Doh

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.  (Isaiah 64:8, NASB)

“Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18:6)

Many of us have not played with clay or play dough since we were small children.  This can be an interesting and liberating experience as we allow our prayers to physically take shape as we talk with and listen to God.  Choose a color of Play-Doh and try ONE of the exercises below.

1) Simply mold the clay in your hand as you talk to God.

2) Mold the clay into something that represents you.  As you mold, ask God to mold you in the same way that you are molding the clay.

3) Take lumps of clay and mold them into shapes of different parts of creation for which you would like to thank God.

4) “Soften our hearts”--Psalm 51:10 says “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  Spend a few moments thinking about the relationships in your life—family, friends, work colleagues….are any of these relationships struggling as a result of conflict, whether expressed openly or not? Lift these to God, asking for God’s guidance to help you with them, for the Holy Spirit to re-create your heart and renew a right spirit towards those involved.  Make a heart shape out of the clay, and as you do, pray that God will keep your heart soft towards the divine mystery, towards those around you, and towards those caught in conflict around the world.  Carry your heart with you for the rest of the day. [credit: www.thesanctuarycentre.org/whereworldandworshipmeet, 2013]

The Inner Artist

Take time to pray and reflect with markers, colored pencils & crayons as you relax into the presence of God.  There are no rules & this is not an art contest!  Just draw, doodle & pray.  If you would like you may use the prompts below, but you do not have to.

*Draw yourself—or how you are feeling right now or how you would like to feel—and then pray to Jesus asking God to help you.

*Draw God’s love.  What does it look like? Where do you find it? How does it feel? (What words, images, metaphors, or colors come to mind?)  Tell God where you most need to receive love in your life. Thank God for the love God has already given you.

*Draw, Draw, Draw!  Anything you want….lose yourself in the drawing and the prayer

*Doodle the names of people for whom you’d like to pray or create images to represent your prayers for others, the church, and the world. 

*Write a single name or word in the middle which represents a prayer on your heart and mind.  Begin to color and doodle, filling in the blank spaces and creating designs around that word or name.  Draw each different prayer concern using a different color.