This prayer erupted from within me on a random afternoon. After I wrote it, I recognized it as a prayer that could have been written by many people, saying much the same thing as I have said here. So many of us experience this uncomfortable pulling. Whether it is happening within us or outside of us, the pressure of being pulled in so many directions can make us feel like we are on the verge of falling apart. But something happens when we focus on that “one thing” of the Gospels (Luke 10:42)—the presence, the person of Christ. There is peace in that one thing, enough peace for today.

A Prayer When I Feel Pulled in a Thousand Directions

Lord Jesus,

I feel pulled in a thousand directions today.
I feel it in my mind, making endless decisions.
I feel it in my heart, seeing conflict around me.
I feel it in my hands that don’t know what to do next.
I feel it in my feet, tired of running from place to place.

Jesus, I need peace.
Peace in my mind, heart, hands, and feet.
Peace in my family and world.
Peace in my days, hours, and minutes.
Peace in all the places and people in my life.

I do not need answers.
I do not need an end to the work that awaits me,
the people that need me, or the future you desire for me.
I only need one thing—you.
You and your peace.

Amen.

A peaceful scene on Pentecost morning in central Minnesota. Photograph by Hans Christoffersen.