renew

Thursday, September 24, 2009 (5:57 a.m.)

Mm, Most Loving and Faithful God,

Mm… Restorer of hope. Deliverer from evil. Mm… Thank You.

Thank You for dreams that had me thinking after awakening. Thank You for time numbers on the clock (3:37) that had me searching my mind to remember Scripture.

Knowing the clock to be set to run fast had me wondering what Jeremiah 33:3 had to say. Lord, thank You for the ease with which my thoughts so readily turned again to You. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Lord, thank You for the woman who so eagerly shared this verse with her recovery group many years ago. Bless her this day dear Lord, wherever she may be.

Renew, refresh, restore, revitalize, revive, rebuild, recover, return... Oh most blessed God, I read these words and the common thread linking them together is You and the hope that only comes from knowing and loving and trusting and believing in You.

Holy Father, looking in Jeremiah and then reading in his Lamentations, hope reigns supreme. Here we are given an example of one who was eager to serve You. Jeremiah, a man of prayer and deeply spiritual, was honest with You about how he felt. Although greatly saddened by the loss of his people, he never lost faith in Your power to ‘judge righteously, reward liberally, and restore Your broken and sinful people.’

Oh Lord, to have the freedom to trust Your love so much ‘to be real, to be angry with You, to be disappointed with life, and to despair about what tomorrow holds; to honestly tell you how we hurt, knowing that You will accept us as we are’. What joy is to be found in believing (knowing, trusting) we are loved that much! Thank You Lord.

Thank You for Your ability and willingness to “Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to You again! Give us back the joys we once had!” (Lamentations 5:21) Lord, You are so good. Thank You so much for Your love.

Thank You for placing in me the desire to accept Your great and generous love. “I long to obey Your commandments! Renew my life with Your goodness.” (Psalm 119:40)

Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(389 words ~ 8:15 a.m.)