// Shelby Hawks //

Recently, the Lord has led me to rediscover the beauty of simple litany prayers.  I have been in a time of transition for a few months now, and it has been a test of faith, of patience, and of insurmountable trust in the Heart of God.  During this time, I have clung to the litany of Trust (if you haven’t read it, check it out here!) and to the litany of Humility (check this one out here!).

These litanies have proven to be a powerful remedy against the ceaseless lies and negative thoughts that barrage my mind when I struggle to see the Father’s hand and the Son’s Heart and the Spirit’s movement in all of this.  The beautiful thing about them is this: I do not have to pretend anything when I pray them.  I can pray, “Jesus, I trust in you” even when I don’t fully mean it because by praying these words, the very repetition allows this truth to move from my head to my heart.  I have seen my heart change from grasping to complete trust in Him.  And I know that it is because I have allowed what occupies my head-space to travel down and become part of my heart-space.  

Litanies are powerful, sisters. They are powerful weapons for overcoming the mind’s lies and falsehoods.  They pierce through the dark and allow truth and light to reign.  As truth reigns in the mind, it travels to the heart.  They are a path to deepening the spiritual life as they call us to acknowledge and remove the insecurities and fears that impede the gentle touch of Jesus.  These prayers bring to life St. Paul’s call for the Christian: “Be transformed by the renewal of you mind.” (Romans 12:2)

With all this said, dear sisters, I want to share with you a litany I wrote in prayer recently.  As I’m sure you can relate, sometimes it is difficult to believe in the Father’s perfect care for us, yeah?  Sometimes we believe the serpent’s whispers from the garden and we distrust the Father’s love and goodness.  I feel that in this time of uncertainty for all of the people of the world, we must renew our faith in the Father’s care and love.  This litany is called a Litany of Faith in the Father’s Care for Me.  Pray it now, pray it before you go to bed, pray it when you wake up or when you are bored in the middle of the day, and let the words transform your mind, renew truth, and travel to the part of your heart that fails to believe.  And one more note—litanies can be written for any circumstance.  So if you haven’t done it, write your own litany! Be it of peace, of gratitude, of hope, of love, of trust, of faith, of healing—let the Lord reveal to you areas of weakness and distrust and intimately transform those parts.

May this litany bless you!!  

Litany of Faith in the Father’s Care for Me

O God, who is faithful to the end, hear me.

From that fear that you will not come through…Deliver me, Father.

From the fear that you are holding out on me…

From the fear that you do not hear my cry…

From the fear that you are not good…

From the fear of being forgotten by you…

From the fear that you are not enough…

From the seeds of distrust sown by the enemy…

From the wounds of human infidelity…

From the blindness that keeps me from seeing your hand in all things…

From insecurities that tell me I am unworthy of your love…

Into the hands of your Father…Deliver me, Jesus.

That you are who you say you are…Father, give me faith.

That you sent Jesus to reconcile us to your heart…

That I am washed in the blood of Calvary…

That you are the same God who brought Israel from the desert into the promised land…

That you see my desires and, in your goodness, have plans to fulfill them…

That you satisfy to overflowing…

That you are always pouring out abundance…

That your gaze is ever upon me…

That you are Provider and Protector…

That you freely give yourself each moment…

That you will deliver me from the grasp of the enemy…

That I need not worry because I am held in the palm of your Hand…

That you will lead me home to the Sacred Heart…

That I will receive the glorious inheritance of the children of God…

That my life is a witness to salvation….

That you love me without end…

That your care extends beyond my failure to accept it…

That you are Good…

That you have created me Good…

That I am your child and you are my Father…

Amen.