Father,
Good morning. I just wanted to say that today I am really happy that You are who You are, and that You are how You are. You are the strong One today, so I get to exhale a little when I recognize that I really do not feel up to par right now. You are the perfectly wise One today, so there is no need for me to panic when I realize for the umpteenth consecutive day that I still do not have answers that I really wish I had. You, Father, are the gracious & patient One, and this reassures me that I am not going to be harshly graded when I am not quite sure that I am prepared for any pop quizzes coming my way today. You are the One who is perpetually at rest, so I am so deeply relieved to know that I am invited to take my own rest in You. Thanks for continually teaching me how to do that, Father. You have my heart.
Lord Jesus, I love how You are attracted to weakness. So many people out there seem predatory against others when they sniff out vulnerability in them. You never do that. Both Isaiah and Matthew wrote that you would not snap off the reed that was bent, or snuff out the wick that was losing its flame. You really are gentle and understanding. I just want to say how grateful I am for You coming down here and doing what You did for me. We both know that I don’t really “get it”. I’m unsure that any of us truly fathom what it meant for You to leave Heaven, become a baby, move through childhood, adolescence and young adulthood with zero worship from those who belonged to You. Your ongoing contentment recorded in my bible truly motivates me. I am amazed how patiently You awaited Your Father’s perfect timing to launch You into Your mission, and how you then moved out in determination to accomplish His plan to save me. The pain of Your rejection, the betrayal by Judas, the abandonment by Your friends, the cries from the crowd for Your death, and then the agonizing forsaking of You by the Father – I say again that I know that I don’t get it. But I have it. And I just want to say thank You for ensuring that Your salvation would find me. You have my heart.
Holy Spirit, You are amazing. Today I really want to hear You. You have heard me confess my deep regret that all those years passed with me taking You for granted. I knew you were there, but I did not really understand why You were there. It stuns me to note how different You are than I am. I ignored you, but You did not walk away. In my ignorance, I misrepresented You to others, but You did not punish me. When that season came wherein I knew that I needed You, I surrendered to You, and You then commenced to become my own personal tutor, fulfilling what Jesus promised, namely, that You would guide me into all truth. I feel like You and i are just getting started. While I have only increased in my awareness of how much I need You, I am also growing in awareness of how much I want You. You have removed that bad thinking in my mind that used to leave me with a take-Him-or-leave-Him flippancy about You. When I think of our history together, I feel like Hosea’s wayward wife, Gomer. You just kept pursuing me and bringing me back to Yourself when I was determined to run to other things – inferior things. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for being relentless and faithful with me. My commitment is to now keep chasing after You because You have convinced me that You love to be caught. you have my heart.
So today, Holy God, I confess that I belong to You. Help me to rest in Your ability and willingness to provide every ounce of daily bread that I will need in the next twenty-four hours. Flatten down the bumpy doubts in my soul with the weight of Your reassurances. Straighten out my crooked tendency to lean to my own understanding, and to prematurely act in my own limited wisdom. I am listening for You and watching for You today. Your friendship is the most important thing to me. I want Your voice to be the loudest, and Your works to be the most obvious. You have convinced me that You are going to do something undeniably great in my lifetime here. Because of this, I am weary with my highly explainable version of Christianity. I long for You today. I long for the unfathomable works of my great God and King. You will not disappoint. You have my heart.