Teach me

Thursday, December 9, 2010 (5:38 a.m.)

Awesome God,

Make me teachable today.

(6:49 a.m.)

Yes Lord. Teach me. Teach me Your will and Your way. Teach me the things YOU would have me know [and do] today.

Lord, I’m having trouble staying focused here. My mind [as well as my being] keeps wandering. First I delighted in again seeing that bright morning star out in the crisp morning air.

(8:35 a.m.)

Rattled. Easily distracted. Unfocused. Undisciplined. These are words that seem to describe me this morning Lord. Help! Again I ask You to help me learn what it is You have for me today.

Bouncing all around Your Word this morning, I keep trying to read Psalm 119. How appropriate that the last verse (176) says so clearly, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not turned away from Your commandments.”

Mm. Lord. I confess 176 verses of one psalm seems to be too much for me to stay focused on this morning. Not only have I been jumping from book to book in Your Word this morning, I find myself all over the place in this one chapter alone. A genuine tilted (toppled, unsteady) pinball machine!

Oh but the truth of Your Word Dearest Lord. As I literally hop, skip and jump around this particular psalm this morning, my eyes are drawn to a Step 11 devotion regarding verses 1-11 entitled Powerful Secrets. Spelling out Step 11, “We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out” I ask exactly that Dearest Lord.

Through the years I’ve come to view the word ‘secrets’ in a very negative light. The phrase, “We are only as sick as our secrets” readily comes to mind whenever I hear the word. This particular devotion challenges that for me this morning. It starts out very familiar for me, “The secrets we hide away have enormous power in our life. How many of our addictive/compulsive behaviors have been hidden or covered up?”

It goes on to describe how addictive behaviors and secrets lose their power over us when they are exposed. This thought too I am familiar with. Oh but look! Something I’ve managed to miss all these years. “The power of hidden behaviors and secrets can work for us as well as against us.” Hmm. Now THERE’S a refreshing thought!

In verse 11, David speaks of thinking much about Your words and storing them in his heart. The word ‘stored’ can trace back to meaning ‘to hide by covering over’ or ‘to hoard secretly’.

The devotion goes on to say, “If we ‘hide’ God’s Word in our heart by memorizing and meditating on it, we will find new power to keep our mind and heart clean. The power of secrets will also work to our advantage in our prayer life.”

Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly, and your Father, who knows your secrets, will reward you.”

Hmm Lord, as I turn to You now – secretly – I ask You to indeed provide the power I need to do as You would have me do this day. I love You Lord. Thank You for once again teaching me! Amen.

(579 words ~ 9:14 a.m.)