centered

Wednesday, January 15, 2014 (8:41 a.m.)

Blessed Father,

Dearest God. So many thoughts.

(9:59 a.m.)

So much on my heart. In my mind.

Father, how I ask You to center my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark12:30) on You. Distractions come and go. Memories fly in and out. It is on YOU I want my focus.

You, Dearest Father. You have provided us so much joy. So very many blessings. The love, thanksgiving and praise I have for You, because of You, is thrilling. Words don't come readily. They form in my heart. In my soul. But when it comes to expressing them it's almost like the ppp found in musical scores. A decrescendo which lessens to the point of practically disappearing into the “softest possible” playing.

My heart, my soul build to the loudest point possible only to have reality take hold and quiet my thoughts back to near silence.

Father God, I enjoy time spent with You. As random and erratic as it has been lately, I still get that overwhelming feeling of joy when I connect with You! Thank You Father. Thank You for being our Center! Thank You for Bible verses that remind me that You are indeed truly here amongst us.

Reading part of Solomon's prayer of dedication for Your Temple (1Kings 8:56-58) I am reminded that he began by praising You. Next he requested Your presence. He asked for Your help in doing Your will and in obeying Your commandments.

The Message presents it thusly, “Blessed be God, who has given peace to His people Israel just as He said He'd do. Not one of all those good and wonderful words that He spoke through Moses has misfired. May God, our very own God, continue to be with us just as He was with our ancestors – may He never give up and walk out on us. May He keep us centered and devoted to Him, following the life path He has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms He laid down for our ancestors.”

Blessed Father, I'm not going to try to explain my heart to You. I'm asking that You will take its desires and make them into all You would have them be!

The prophet Micah got 'to warn Your people of the destructive consequences of disobedience and to offer a life of peace to those willing to obey Your revealed will' (The Life Recovery Bible). He foretold (5:2-4 commentary) that “Out of a place that the world considered insignificant, God would bring greatness. God made the tiny town of Bethlehem an internationally famous place when he chose it as the birthplace of His Messiah. God is famous for using 'insignificant' people and places to achieve great things. He can take our broken and useless life and turn it into a blessing to others if we turn it over to Him.”

So often Dearest Father, I feel insignificant. I don't see how I could possibly matter in the grand scheme of things. This is where I turn again to You. Asking. Seeking. Knocking (Matthew 7:7) for the hope to be found in every seemingly hopeless situation. You ARE the God of hope! You can rebuild a world of peace out of every bit of chaos and confusion we create.

Thank You Father. Thank You for being our Center. Thank You for Your Word that points us to You every single time we look for You. Do all that You would in and through, with and for me this day. I long to serve and celebrate You. For it IS in You that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) and I am grateful.

Thank You Father for centering me once again. I love You. Amen.

(633 words ~ 10:58 a.m.)