Take

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 (5:43 a.m.)

We’re still preparing God,

Yes. With smiles. And optimism. Thank You Father.

(6:38 a.m.)

As ♪O Holy Night♪ insists on accompanying my thoughts and reading, I ask You to harness my thinking this morning. Yes Lord. Keep taking my mistakes and leading me to where You would have me be.

I love You Lord. Oh God, yes, how I do love You!

(7:11 a.m.)

How profoundly You bless us Lord. You used one word in a song to take me in an entirely different direction than I had thought I was going. Thank You Father. Praise You!

Instead of singing ♪Change My Heart, O God♪ I mistakenly started with the word “Take”. Blessed God, thank You for using that one word to take me in so many directions, seemingly all at once.

Holy Father, I’m sitting here with such a feeling of peaceful contentment. While at the very same time feeling ready to explode with excitement. How I thank You Lord

Here’s a song I’d never heard before, saying it all to me right now. ♪Take my heart, O Lord, take my hopes and dreams. Take my mind with all its plans and schemes. Give me nothing more than Your love and grace. These alone, O God, are enough for me♪

Oh most dear and Blessed God, thank You for teaching me even more things that I had not yet known. This Truth filled song taken directly from the Suscipe prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

Suscipe being the Latin word for 'receive'. “Go(ing) back to monastic profession, in reciting Psalm 119.” And here again my mind seems close to exploding!

Just look at this. “Ignatius wrote that ‘spiritual exercises’ is the name given to every way of preparing and disposing one’s soul to rid oneself of all disordered attachments, so that once rid of them one might seek and find the divine will in regard to the disposition of one’s life” (Wikipedia Context).

And here, the English literal translation of the Ignatian Suscipe, “Receive, O Lord, all my liberty. Take my memory, understanding, and entire will. Whatever I have or possess You have given me; I restore it all to You, and surrender it wholly to be governed by Your will. Give me love for You alone with Your grace, and I am rich enough, and ask for nothing more.”

Stated even more simple, “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To You, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and grace, that is enough for me.”

Incredibly blessed God, wholeheartedly I pray this to You. ♪These Alone are Enough♪ Use me exactly as You know is best. Preparing me every single step of the way.

And just when I think we’re almost done here, it seems we’re only getting started. ♪Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee♪ Yes Lord. Take all I am, all I want, all I think and all I do, aligning it with Your will.

I love You Father. And I ask You to prepare me that I would go into this day. Yes Lord! “Prepare ye the way of the LORD;” (Isaiah 40:3). Yes! Prepare. 

The Life Recovery Bible comment for 40:1-5 tells us, “After the judgments of chapters 1-39, God’s message to His people is one of comfort and blessing. God never gives up on us, no matter how bad the things we have done. The punishments will end, and God will restore us to a loving relationship with Himself. To join Him in a relationship means to clear out the obstacles in our life: sin, pride, addiction, hypocrisy, greed. When those obstacles are dealt with, we are free to become the people God wants us to be.”

Oh Yes Dearest God! Yes.

Illustrated Bible Handbook says, “Chapter 40. Comfort! God speaks tenderly to Jerusalem. Her Sovereign Lord Is coming, eager to ‘gather the lambs in His arms’ and carry them close to His heart (1-11).”

Yes Lord! My Sovereign Lord is coming, eager to gather me in His arms and carry me close to His heart!

May I live this day in sweet surrender to all You have for me. I love You. I need You. I want You. I ask You. And I thank You. Oh how deeply I thank You. Use me. Amen.

(767 words ~ 8:28 a.m.)