availeth much

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 (7:19 a.m.)

♫Hum, hum, hum-hum-hum…♫

There’s a song Lord. And I’ve been looking for it for quite some time now. All to no avail. Ah, but You know what? After just getting started with You right now, I know I’d rather be doing this than that. Thank You Lord. Thank You for turning my focus once again back to You, where I want it to be. Where it so rightly belongs!

Why am I so amazed right now? Just as I completely gave up the search, turned myself over to You and started looking for the verse that mentions, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b) there were a couple of the words to the song my heart was singing. ♫On the street where you live♫

Leave it to You God! Yes Lord! Why is it that I don’t just leave things to You in the first place! I am such a slow study! Mm. Thank You God!

Thank You that in releasing a struggle to You, I received both a needed verse for the day and the answer to the question I hadn’t even asked You. What is this song? And how did it come into my subconscious? As I played several versions via the internet, the second answer came quickly. We had just watched a Sunday Morning piece on Vic Damone where he sang that he had ♫often walked down this street before But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before♫

What a delightful way to start the day Lord! First waking again to the strains of ♫Hosanna♫ followed by a melody that brought me here and helped me realize that things just go so much easier when I release them to You.

And then the ‘coupe de grace’ [which is literally French for ‘stroke of grace’! Thank You very much! J] is the joy of turning in Your Word and finding the title to this section of James, “Be Patient, Kind and Prayerful”.

Lord, You love us so much. You have so many wonderful things to share with us. Too often I cut You off thinking I must or I should handle the simple stuff on my own and just not bother You. Thank You Lord that it is my understanding that You want us to bother You. With everything!

Thank You that as I turn the page in our huge Contemporary English Version Learning Bible, the very first words on the page are “If you are having trouble, you should pray. And if you are feeling good, you should sing praises.” (James 5:13) Eugene Peterson put it even more simply in The Message, “Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing.”

So sing I shall! These words directly to You! ♫I have often walked down this street before; But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before. All at once am I Several stories high. Knowing I’m on the street where YOU live!♫ And now Lord, if You don’t mind, I think I just might go dance with my husband!

Thank You Lord. I love You. ♫…People stop and stare. They don’t bother me. For there’s no where else on earth that I would rather be. Let the time go by, I won’t care if I Can be here on the street where You live!♫

(560 words ~ 8:36 a.m.)