I am a Child of God

This responsive prayer was inspired by and should be used in conjunction with the song No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music. Brian Johnson | Joel Case | Jonathan David Helser © 2014 Bethel Music Publishing

Friends, I want to invite you now into a time of prayer and meditation. Take a second to prepare your heart for an encounter with the Divine. To stop all those thoughts in your head that you came in here with, all the to- do lists and chatter, and give yourself permission to calm your mind. Center your spirit. Feel your heart. For when we do this, we might hear the Spirit whisper to us. So take a deep breath in, let it out, and make room for the Spirit to enter.

God of our soul, its so easy for us to feel like we aren’t enough. There is this little voice inside, fear, that tells us lies. That we won’t measure up. That we aren’t worthy of real love. That we’re alone. 

But you, you remind us who we are. Most importantly, You remind us WHOSE we are. We are your children. You look at us and see beauty. You look at us, beaming with the pride of a joyful parent, and call us good. 

So today we believe your words. As a prayer response, friends, I will say a phrase and end with “For I know:” and your response will be “I am a child of God.”

Fearless God, You say I am loved, when fear tells me I’m unlovable. For I know:

I am a child of God.

You say I am strong, when fear tells me I am weak. For I know:

I am a child of God.

You say I am held, when fear is tearing me down. For I know:

I am a child of God.

I’m no longer a slave to fear for I know:

I am a child of God.

And today I will stand and sing for I know:

I am a child of God.

We are children of God.

Amen.

Photo by Laura Watson Byrd at First United Methodist Church of Denton, TX