For We Are Living Gateways

May 5

Opening Our Hearts

Give Me access to your heart. Just a little bit. That is all I need. It will be the beginning of healing. And I have healing for you, healing for your heart.

First, it is beautiful that you are here. Let us go down into the deeper places of our hearts. Let us be expectant–children with hands open to be held, hearts open to listen and feel and trust.

Find a place–outside or inside–and settle in. Tuck a blanket around your shoulders to keep cozy if you’d like. Slip on your headphones and listen to instrumental music if this helps you draw inward to hear Holy Spirit’s voice in your heart.

Take a deep breath. Inward, slowly for a count of four. Feel your abdomen rise. Then hold your breath for a count of four before slowly releasing it for a count of four. In - for four. Hold for four. Out - for four. Do this at least four times.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I give you my heart now. Help me be present with you here. (Pause here. Surrender.)

I give you my mind. Help me be present with you here. (Relax, take another deep breath. Trust that He is here with you.)

I give you my ideas, my thoughts, and my emotions. I want to feel your presence. I want to know you more. (He is right here. Pause. Close your eyes. Relax.)

So I consecrate myself to you–all of me–my heart, mind, and body. Fill this space now, Lord. Go all the way. (Stay here with Him for a few moments. Listen for His breath in your lungs.)

When you feel ready to move on, slowly and thoughtfully read the scripture below, Psalm 24, verses 7 through 10 (The Passion Translation). Read the verses silently once, then read them again aloud. Let your heart feel the words as you speak them.

So wake up, you living gateways!

Lift up your heads, you doorways of eternity!

Welcome the King of Glory,

for he is about to come through you.

You ask, “Who is this King of Glory?”

Yahweh, armed and ready for battle,

Yahweh, invincible in every way!

So wake up, you living gateways, and rejoice!

Fling wide, you eternal doors!

Here he comes; the King of Glory is ready to come in.

You ask, “Who is this King of Glory?”

He is Yahweh, armed and ready for battle,

the Mighty One, the invincible commander of heaven’s hosts!

Yes, he is the King of Glory!

In these verses, we are asked to wake up. We are “living gateways” and “doorways of eternity” through whom the King of Glory is “about to come.

Take a breath. Pause and consider these questions, asking God to speak to your heart:

Where, Father, are You moving in me this day?
Give me a picture of what this “living gateway” looks like.
Show me how–in what specific way or in what area of my life, you want me to wake up.
Where and how do You want to come in?

Consider writing down in your journal a few sentences about how you are feeling after contemplating these verses with God.

Now, if you feel like it, stand up and take a brief stretch. Reach your arms up over your head.

Stretch your legs a bit. Gently roll your shoulders, your wrists, your ankles, and your head. Take another deep breath. Then sit or lie down and get comfortable again.

With Holy Spirit guiding you, read the poem below by John O’ Donohue. Go slowly. Linger over it. You might even want to read the same set of lines repeatedly. Trust your heart. Let it find meaning for you. You might notice that certain words or lines speak to deeper places within you. Spend time there. Let yourself feel what the poem is saying.

You have traveled too fast over false ground;

Now your soul has come, to take you back.

Take refuge in your senses, open up

To all the small miracles you rushed through.

Become inclined to watch the way of rain

When it falls slow and free.

Imitate the habit of twilight,

Taking time to open the well of color

That fostered the brightness of day.

Draw alongside the silence of stone

Until its calmness can claim you.

Be excessively gentle with yourself.

by John O’Donohue

Now, put this sheet of paper away–don’t look at the poem anymore–and get out your journal. Without overthinking it, write a few lines of your poem to express what God is speaking to your heart. Trust the words that come to you and write them down. Let those first words be the beginning of a journey. Watch how each word you write will take you to the next words–the story in your heart that God is speaking to you. Write those down too.

Don’t worry about writing the perfect poem. Don’t worry about “getting it right.” Rather, write what is true. Let Him guide you. Let Him show you what He wants you to see. No matter what you write or don’t write, let God bless you with His love. It is beautiful to be with Him, just the two of you, now.