Lord, You are...

Sunday, January 9, 2011 (7:20 a.m.)

♫Lord,

You are more precious than silver. Lord, You are more costly than gold. Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds, and nothing I desire compares with You♫ Blessed Lord, I love waking up thinking and singing about You! Thank You for this pleasure and this wonderful opportunity.

I don’t even know what it was that helped direct my first thoughts to all the things You are, but I am grateful Lord. And with that, I am going to take a stretch here. I thought I was going to come out here and start listing all the things You are. You know? Like wonderful, marvelous, holy, worthy…

But here I am at Proverbs 3:13-26 reading about wisdom and common sense and I consider for the first time I can remember that Lord, You are wisdom! Verses 14-15, “Wisdom is worth more than silver; it makes you much richer than gold. Wisdom is more valuable than precious jewels; nothing compares with her.” That describes You Lord!

The more I read on this, the more there is to follow. “See the note at 1.2 and ‘Foolishness and wisdom’.” Going there, I am directed to chapter 8, “Wisdom’s Invitation To Find Life”

Monday, January 10, 2011 (7:18 a.m.)

As I flipped over to chapter 8 I realized I was not the only one to ever wonder if You could be described as Wisdom. But as I spent so much time reading the various thoughts and ideas surrounding the concept it was time to get dressed and ready to go.

There were farewells to make yesterday. Over coffee here at home and out at brunch. Biggest mistake I made in all of it Lord was not asking for safe travels for our son as he flew out of Southern California. This morning, Lord, that is exactly what I am asking!

Thank You Lord for Your emergency care and feeding of him as his layover turned into a night over when weather conditions in the South cancelled his second flight. As he makes his way to airports and planes today Lord this mom is asking for safe travels not only for him but others as well.

Looking at the reports of snow and sleet and driving rains Lord, I ask Your presence overall. I understand that to be a pretty broad and open-ended request. It reminds me very much of my childhood bedtime prayer, “And God bless Mama and Daddy and all the people in the whole wide world” but the truth is Lord I still don’t want to leave anything out.

Lord, You are able “to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Lord, You ARE that power!

How I ask You Lord, as I did when leaving the airport yesterday and again in the late afternoon, keep knocking on the door of our son’s heart that he will trust You enough to invite You into being Lord of his life.

Lord, You are vital to each and every one of us. How I ask You to do exceedingly abundantly above all I ask or think. You are good. You are holy. You are righteous. And I love, worship and adore You. Help me live this day that others will see You in me. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(557 words ~ 8:03 a.m.)

wanting

Saturday, January 8, 2011 (7:11 a.m.)

Beloved God,

You challenged my thinking the other night. On our way to having dinner with our children You reminded me that instead of focusing on what I am wanting, You would have me want what I already have. Thank You Lord. You are such a good and holy God. I am blessed to be considered one of Your children.

Lord, thank You for always reminding me that Your plan is that we love one another. Looking up a scripture to go along with wanting what I have, I found Romans 13:8-10 in The Message. “Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code – don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other 'don’t' you can think of – finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add everything in the law code, the sum total is love.”

You have blessed me with love Lord. Your love. Love for and from others. Learning to love (and accept) myself exactly as I am. That’s a lot of love Lord! Continue Your work in and through me that I will use this precious gift of love for Your good.

I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Use me this day as an instrument of Your love and holiness. Use me as You will, for Your own ultimate good. Teach me to share and give and love and live as You originally designed me. I want what You want for me, ‘to love other people as well as I do myself.’ Help me with this. I need Your faithful example always. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(328 words ~ 8:29 a.m.)

addiction?

Friday, January 7, 2011 (10:26 a.m.)

Loving Lord,

We’ve talked about this many times before. I have a problem holding onto things. [Which is not to be confused with my dropping them J] No. I save too much. I don’t get rid of. Where always before I’ve been aware of the emotional attachments I have to things, now I am wondering if there is actually an addiction involved.

Aren’t You just the Perfect One to ask all things about myself! No sooner am I searching scripture to find a listing of addiction and Galatians 5:19 pops up to help me take a good, hard look at myself.

Lord, I confess I saw myself in the hopeless resignation of a hoarder shown on TV the other night. I related with the pain he exhibited as others encouraged him to part with everything he considered to be of potential use someday. Lord, I long to be free of the hold things have on me.

My heartstrings tug at the mere thought of parting with most of the things that others have given me through the years. I experience varying degrees of being afraid of hurting someone else’s feelings by getting rid of a gift OR of missing something desperately once it is gone.

Lord, I am looking to You with this. I have witnessed Your work in me. I absolutely know that You are able to do in and for me that which I cannot do for myself. I am laying myself at Your feet. I trust You Lord. I believe You not only can but WILL work with me in this area.

As I admit my powerlessness to You in this area (Step One of the Twelve Steps) I absolutely believe that You, “a Power greater” than myself can restore me to sanity (Step Two). And I am making the decision to turn my will and life over to Your care (Step Three).

Blessed Lord God, as You accompany me on this journey of making “a searching and fearless moral inventory” of myself (Step Four) how I ask Your presence with every single step I take. Don’t let me wander off on my own. I can be so easily overwhelmed without You. Hold my hand here Lord. Making me honest, open and willing to the changes that MUST take place within me to overcome this dependence I have of holding on to stuff.

I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Thank You for Your love, Your patience, Your mercy and Your grace with me all these years. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(430 words ~ 12:40 p.m.)

Day of Epiphany

Thursday, January 6, 2011 (8:22 a.m.)

Loving Lord,

Blessed Lord, Sweetest Lord.

(9:41 a.m.)

I practically got lost while looking for information about today being the Day of Epiphany and what all that really means.

(10:12 a.m.)

There is way too much to look at. Far too many traditions, thoughts and ideas. Lord, guide me in the direction that You would have me take this day. Keep my focus on You. Let me love and share You in the way You most want to be loved and shared.

Provide for me exactly what it is You know I need. And let me share it all with others ~ honestly, openly, willingly. I love You Lord. Thank You that I am so loved by You (John 3:16).

Help me use the blessings You so freely give to me equally as freely. Help me give Lord. Mm. Just as the Wise Men came to worship and adore You with gifts Lord, let my life be a gift to You. Freely given to and for You. I love You Lord. Use me this day as an instrument of Your love. Thank You. Amen.

(190 words ~ 10:28 a.m.)

restless

Wednesday, January 5, 2011 (8:07 a.m.)

Sweetest Lord,

Thank You for a fairly restless night’s sleep. There were many starts and stops to it. One dream that I remember involved my mom and another had me insisting that a little girl who had drank too much alcohol with her grandmother at lunch drink water. Strange, but they help me know that I did sleep. Thank You Lord.

This is such a different approach for me Dearest Lord. Usually I whine and complain over the fact that the sleep was interrupted. This morning is different. I have found three verses in the Contemporary English Version of Your Word that all say the same thing. Psalm 42:5, 11, 43:5 all begin, “Why am I discouraged? Why am I restless? I trust You! And I will praise You again because You help me”. The last two verses add, “and You are my God.”

Lord, thank You. Thank You that the truth is that as much as You love me, there are still going to be times [like yesterday] when things all don’t go well and I become discouraged and restless. What a wonderful encouragement to be reminded here in these verses that not only will I trust You, but I will praise You again. Why? “Because You help me, and You are my God.”

You kept me calm in the middle of an upset yesterday. You gave me words to sing and things I could do. You even spoke to my heart when I was playing around with stubbornness. Thank You Lord.

I can do none of this life in You on my own. How blessed and fortunate I am that never will You leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). Looking at this quote just a little bit more, I trace its origin to Joshua 1:5. Reading some of the verses that follow again I am reminded to “be strong and brave” (v. 6) “be strong and courageous and to obey (7). And then the big finish of verse nine.

“Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Even in a restless night’s sleep. Thank You Lord. Thank You that I can always count on You. I can always turn to You. Thank You Lord that ALWAYS “You are my God”! Thank You. How I love You. Amen.

(399 words ~ 9:03 a.m.)

Ask God

Tuesday, January 4, 2011 (8:29 a.m.)

Awesome Savior, Knowing God,

Good morning. Thank You. I love You. Upon awakening I was aware that not only was I not singing anything, I didn’t seem to be thinking of You either. That is, until I asked.

That’s when I remembered that we are to ask and seek and knock (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). I chose to forcibly shift my thinking from nothing to You. Wow! What a reality.

Lord, I have been on this walk with You for most of my life. I don’t know if we count all the trips to Sunday School as a toddler and elementary school child. Or the very rare occasions in high school. Or if we have to wait until that one particular day 29 years ago when I said straight out loud that what was missing from my life was You. All I do know for sure is that my dependence on You has grown. I have to spend time with You every single day in order for me to function properly. And not just any kind of time will do. No. It has to be You centered. Not You on the fringe. Not You as something to check off my list of things to do. No! You - as my Very Best Friend. You, as the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Mm, Lord. How very much I thank You. Thank You for leading me to this particular passage of scripture just now. Reading again of the “huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands” (v.1) I am reminded of the love You have for each and everyone of us. I ask You Dearest Lord to make me worthy of such a love as this. This love of which there is none greater that You laid down Your life for us (John 15:13).

Thank You Lord that I am so loved (John 3:16) by You. I ask You Lord to enable me to use this love for Your good. Let me shine Your light to the world letting us realize that You are indeed all that is holy and good and deserving of all our thanks and praise. Thank You Lord for the love that You so freely give. I ask that You would teach me to open my hands to fully receive and give all that You have to offer.

I love You so much Dearest Lord. Help me love others and myself as You would have me do. I ask ALL this in Your most holy name. Thank You. Amen.

(433 words ~ 11:23 a.m.)

first

Monday, January 3, 2011 (7:38 a.m.)

Awesome God,

Thank You. The first conscious thoughts I had this morning, even before opening my eyes, were of You. There was an element of You in the dream that I no longer remember. And the song I was first aware of, although not quite correct, thereto concerned You.

I sang the song most on my mind and heart upon awakening this day without realizing I had changed one key word. ♫On a stormy night, we sing His praises, Sing His praises loud and strong♫ That’s when I remembered this was a camping song, for ♫sitting ‘round the campfire as it blazes♫ on a starry night!

Getting up and looking at the rest of the words, I saw that with just a little bit of tweaking the remainder of the song could fit rather nicely to the rain we had throughout the night.

Changing the word ‘crickets’ to ‘raindrops’ and we have ♫Listen to the raindrops sing His praises, Sing His praises all night long. Squeakin’ out a tune with lilting phrases, We’ll join in their happy song♫ I haven’t paid this close of attention to the words before Lord.

♫My Father made the universe And everything it holds; And every day before my eyes His handiwork unfolds♫ What a wonderful, glorious truth!

Thank You Lord that while I can change words to songs to fit my own personal circumstances I am to “not add to or subtract from” Your commandments (Deuteronomy 12:32).

(10:13 a.m.)

Lord, I’ve been here with You all this time. Looking here and checking there to find the verses that say that we are to neither add to nor subtract from Your Word. Deuteronomy 4:2 and the one mentioned above are the closest I can find for now. How I ask You Lord to keep me in tune with You.

Many things are going to change. Words to songs, thoughts, feelings. But not You. You are “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Thank You Lord. Thank You that You are good. You are holy. You are “gentle and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). Lord, these are the things I want to focus upon this year. Being more and more like You.

Gentle, here described as ‘strength under control’ and humble of heart ‘having a lowly estimate of one’s own importance’. Yes Lord. More than anything else, I want to become more and more like You. First and foremost, I want to be like You.

Thank You Lord. Thank You for this very extended time with You. I love You. Work in and through me I pray. Thank You. Amen.

(440 words ~ 10:32 a.m.)