Daily Worship

Both hands out

James Cathcart July 05, 2025 2 3
hand_palm_open_unsplash
Image credit: Unsplash
Listen to this daily worship

Philippians 4: 8-9 (NIVUK)

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

For today, here’s a reflective prayer activity I encourage you to try:

Put both hands out in front of you, palm facing upwards. Keep one of the hands closer to your body and stretch the other hand further out and lift it a little higher. 

Now look at your closer hand and imagine it’s carrying all the heavy things that you’re taking to God in prayer. The things that you’re worried about, that are weighing on you; the anxiety, stress and noise of the world. 

Then look at your further away hand and imagine it’s carrying the things that are lighter on your heart that you are taking to God. The things you cherish, hope for, are excited about, the things you are grateful for. The things that are right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy!

Then turn your eyes back to the closer hand, and then try and let your eyes focus on both hands — the closer lower one and the further higher one — at the same time. 

You’ll find, even at that short distance that your eyes have to keep adjusting — you can’t hold both in focus at the same time. Whatever you do one hand will slip out of focus, slip into the periphery.

So let the closer hand and all you’re carrying in that hand come out of focus. It’s still there, it’s still important, it’s still being brought to God. We’re not turning away from it or ignoring it, but we also lift our gaze and our posture to look forwards and upwards at the things we love and cherish.

 

Prayer:

 

Dear God,

Amid news cycle that are often full of the inauthentic and the dubious, the insincere and the fraudulent, 

help us not to look away but instead to look past 

allowing the inauthentic to diminish and shrink in the context of 

the just, the pure, the loving, the commendable and the excellent!

 

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.