{"id":16522,"date":"2025-08-04T18:38:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T16:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/?p=16522"},"modified":"2025-08-04T18:38:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T16:38:25","slug":"strange-territory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2025\/08\/04\/strange-territory\/","title":{"rendered":"Strange territory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Prayer<\/h3>\n

inspired by the Beatitudes<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

God of life and of truth,
\nYour Son invites us to see the world through your eyes and we find ourselves disoriented:<\/p>\n

You bless the poor
\nYou bless the meek
\nYou bless the pure in heart.
\nYou turn our world and its values upside down.<\/p>\n

We have signed on to follow your Son
\nbut this is strange territory.
\nIt doesn\u2019t look anything like
\nthe life we have been taught to yearn for,
\nto work for,
\nto believe will bring us happiness.<\/p>\n

Yet, You know the despair that besets
\nso many of our young people
\nwho fear that their future has been mortgaged
\nby our greed and carelessness.
\nYou hear the cries of those who
\nhave traded their souls for power and money
\nand now have emptiness as a friend.
\nYou see those who are caught in lives that
\nlead only to weariness and anxiety.<\/p>\n

Set us at Jesus\u2019 feet
\nso we can learn to judge our lives differently.
\nAwaken in us that hunger and thirst for you
\nwhich will lead us to your will
\nand your peace.<\/p>\n

Open our eyes to see your unexpected blessings.
\nOpen our hearts to welcome you
\nwhen you come to us in strange ways.<\/p>\n

Then make us into a community of blessedness
\nthat beckons this neighbourhood
\ninto your joy.<\/p>\n

We ask these things in the name of Jesus
\nwho blesses us with your living presence
\nand fills our lives with your life-changing truth.
\nAmen.<\/p>\n

 
\n~ written by Christine Jerrett<\/strong>, posted on her website<\/a><\/p>\n\n

From the blog<\/strong>
\nSummer-friendly spiritual practices<\/a>
\nSt Patrick\u2019s Breastplate embodied<\/a>
\nIn all seasons \u2013 grow<\/a>
\n  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prayer inspired by the Beatitudes God of life and of truth, Your Son invites us to see the world through your eyes and we find ourselves disoriented: You bless the poor You bless the meek You bless the pure in heart. You turn our world and its values upside down. We have signed on to … Continue reading “Strange territory”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,3],"tags":[269],"class_list":["post-16522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-prayer","tag-strange"],"yoast_head":"\nStrange territory - Prayer matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A prayer by Christine Jerrett reflecting on the strange territory that Jesus invites us into in the Beatitutes (Matthew 5:3-12).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2025\/08\/04\/strange-territory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Strange territory - 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strong hands, capable hands, practical hands, determined hands, artistic hands, loving hands, Christ-like hands. \u00a0 This is the first post in our new series,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/memorial_service_800x600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/memorial_service_800x600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/memorial_service_800x600.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/memorial_service_800x600.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15640,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2024\/09\/16\/go-deep\/","url_meta":{"origin":16522,"position":1},"title":"Go deep","author":"Irene Bom","date":"September 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Franciscan blessing May God bless you with discomfort... at easy answers, hard hearts, half-truths, and superficial relationships. 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We actually progress by means of trial. We do not know ourselves except through trial, or receive a crown except after victory.' by Augustine of Hippo \u00a0 from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/snail_suspended.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/snail_suspended.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/snail_suspended.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/snail_suspended.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15802,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2024\/11\/25\/a-taste-of-autumn\/","url_meta":{"origin":16522,"position":4},"title":"A taste of autumn","author":"Irene Bom","date":"November 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 A generous harvest inspired by 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 God, source of all life, the northern autumn is all around us now, beautiful in scarlet and gold. We have heard the Spirit of God in the rustling leaves and the rush of water, and we are so grateful for a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/autumn_mushrooms_log.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/autumn_mushrooms_log.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/autumn_mushrooms_log.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/autumn_mushrooms_log.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12620,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2022\/02\/18\/evening-prayer-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":16522,"position":5},"title":"Evening prayer #4","author":"Irene Bom","date":"February 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 A prayer to accompany you as day changes into night. \u00a0 O God our Creator, by whose mercy and might the world turns safely into darkness and returns again to light: we give into your hands our unfinished tasks, our unsolved problems and our unfulfilled hopes, knowing that only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pink_evening_sky.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pink_evening_sky.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pink_evening_sky.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pink_evening_sky.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Irene Bom","author_link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/author\/irenebom-com\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/\" rel=\"category tag\">bible<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/\" rel=\"category tag\">prayer<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Prayer inspired by the Beatitudes God of life and of truth, Your Son invites us to see the world through your eyes and we find ourselves disoriented: You bless the poor You bless the meek You bless the pure in heart. You turn our world and its values upside down. We have signed on to…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}