Today is the national day of prayer in the United States. While I have some deep concerns about our country and the direction we are heading, I am glad that there is still some semblance of our dependence upon God. It is certainly not as robust as it once was but I will take any encouragement I can find on the fabric of our national landscape and a day of prayer is better than no day of prayer. Here’s what I am asking on this day – it’s nothing super-spiritual, it’s just where my heart is today and maybe it will resonate with some of you who read it.
God, You are not like I am…
You are infinitely more pure than I
You are ridiculously more patient than I
You are immeasurably more wise than I
You are boundlessly more loving than I
You are everlastingly more faithful than I
You are perpetually more enduring than I
I confess that I often wonder when Your goodness will be tapped out by my constant need but…
There is no wearying of Your commitment to Your children
There is no exhausting of Your grace for Your children
There is no recanting of Your promise to Your children
There is no diminishing of Your compassion for Your children
There is no failure of Your plan for Your children
There is no end of Your mercy to Your children
I long to be strong and capable and reliable and exemplary yet I must candidly confess that I’m rarely any of those things…
But Christ is my justification and I am learning to rest in that
But Christ is my strength and I am learning to operate in that
But Christ is my hope and I am learning to wait in that
But Christ is my Lord and I am learning to walk in that
But Christ is my security and I am learning to hide in that
But Christ is my peace and I am learning to breathe in that
God, please don’t stop teaching us. Don’t stop breaking me from ourselves. Please do not draw back in purifying us, clarifying Your ways to us, removing all that is unprofitable from us, giving what You deem best to us, enlightening us, maturing us, utilizing us and humbling us. So much of the battle is clearly within our own hearts and we can no longer place blame on the devil, other people or our circumstances. God, I am convinced that I need most of Your intentional work inside of who I am if there will ever be glory for You. If I had one wish for today it is that we would be so aware of You and Your activity in our lives that we would become less aware of ourselves and all that is lacking with that person staring back at us in the mirror. Therefore, my prayer is that we would have the anchor of grace and the mainsail of hope from You, our great King, today.
Wish I could use words, as you do, to honor our Lord.
Remaining Desperate On Purpose! Amen.
Amen.