God knows

Sunday, April 11, 2021 (5:09 a.m.)

Holy God,

The smile is forced. The song [♪This Is the Day♪ Psalm 118:24] rehearsed. The sentiment? Pretend. The desire? Absolute!

(5:45 a.m.)

Yes Lord. I want my worship of You to be real. Genuine. Authentic. You deserve our best, not what’s left. Work in me this day Lord. You know my every need. Thank You.

Yes. Thank You. Praise You. I’m Yours. And ♪I Wanna Be Loved By You, just You and nobody else but You I wanna be loved by You alone♪

What would it be like if this were completely true? You know our hearts Lord. You know. Hmmm…

And now the smile is true. Natural. Pure. Praise You Father. There is actual joy bubbling up in my heart! Blessed Holy Father God, thank You for allowing me to amble around to true worship.

Recognizing that I am secure in You takes me to the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Written “To strengthen the believers in Ephesus in their relationship with God and with each other” (The Life Recovery Bible THE BOTTOM LINE).

Verses 13 and 14. “It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the Truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This down payment from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life” (The Message).

Yes please! “A praising and glorious life.”

The next thing I know I’m singing another song. What is it? Psalty the Singing Songbook’s ♪It’s Not by Might, nor by power, but by my Spirit… Sayeth the Lord♪ (Zechariah 4:6).

And that’s not the best of it. ♪We like to think, that we can handle problems on our own, We buckle down, apply the steam, work our hands down to the bone But when we’ve gone in circles, and there’s no place left to turn, the Lord reminds us quietly, there’s a lesson to be learned. We try and try in our own strength to make things come out right We think and plan, and organize; and try with all our might But when we’ve finally reached the bottom The end of all our rope The Lord reminds us once again “in Me you’ll find your hope.”♪

Absolutely that! It’s not in the self imposed rules and regulations. It’s in You. Our hope truly is in You. Thank You Father.

Do all You must in me this day Lord. By. Through. With. And for me. That I will truly come to live it to Your good and to Your glory. Glorifying and enjoying You. Not in my power. But Yours.

You know our needs.

And right here, just as I’m preparing to leave, You provide me with the perfect end to our time together. Complete with a smile, breaking into laughter.

Turning to Matthew 6:31-33 about You wanting [and able] to meet our needs. I’m in The Life Recovery Bible Serenity Prayer Devotional, thrilled by Your leading.

Past pencilled brackets and arrows draw my attention to reading again, “Living one day at a time is a discipline we all have to focus on when we’re in recovery… We need to ask ourself at every turn in life, Am I accepting this present moment, or am I pretending…” Isn’t this exactly where we started so much earlier?!

“Each day there is something to find joy in, and there is strength promised for the troubles of that day. The psalmist wrote, ‘This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24).” Again, right where we began upon awakening!

“We, too, can choose to find joy, strength, and sanity when we accept each day’s realities.” Yes please Father. I’m asking You to do all You must in making me able to joyfully receive all You want to provide.

You know our every need. Thank You. Praise You. I love You. I need You. I want You. Amen.

(680 words ~ 8:12 a.m.)