A Line

Read Jeremiah 29:11, John 12:25-26, C.S. Lewis Miracles, Appendix B.

Life has been beautifully full lately.  Ever faithful, God has come alongside and walked us through it, giving us just enough peace and perspective to recognize our season of busyness as a blessing.

Tucked away in the book Miracles by C.S. Lewis, is a concept about a line. This line can be interpreted as a drawing God has crafted on a page which represents your life in relation to prayer. Images of this line have rocked my world!  I have been reflecting on God’s will in relation to a line like this.

God stroked my life into existence with his mighty pen, and I am living it. Not in a cheap, I am the main character in my own story way, but in a literal my life is the line on the page way, in a I am living the ink designs he crafted kind of way. Then comes the everyday question, how do I do God’s will? By staying close to those scribbles, those lines, he has crafted. What if those ink scribbles are his perfect will, and my own selfish desires take me off his perfect line? Instead of his masterpiece, lines appear in a different color (a longing for material possessions), or in a different direction on the page (a tendency towards a critical spirit), or perhaps I jump right off that page and into another drawing altogether (an ear or word of juicy gossip).

So my prayer is this: God give me the ability to give everything I have towards staying close to that line.

The other morning on our ride to school, my daughter asked me why God gave her eczema. Jeremiah 29:11 came to mind.  I asked her to open her bible and I encouraged her to reflect on that passage in relation to her eczema.

Her response was…Its gods plan to heal my eczema because he knows the plan for my life and has plans to prosper me, I wonder when that will happen. She says it in this excited way like she knows its going to happen and it could happen right now. Then I say… or maybe it’s not his will to heal it …and then the horror of what I just said sinks in and I say….. I am so sorry, did you just hear how mommy doubted God?  And she just smiled.

I long to look at the lines of my life and his prosperous plan just like my precious daughter did, with a excited chuckle and a hopeful look out the window, knowing that the story, the lines he has drawn for my life are beyond what I could ever imagine. All he asks me to do is cling to that line with a desperation that shows total dependence on him as my leader.

….Those who love their life lose it……. John 12:25 (NRSV)

Input

Read Exodus 25-31

I can get lost in a book for days. I read while cooking, and I read while running on the treadmill. I enjoy blogs, daily devotionals, magazines, and news. But I love books, especially thought provoking, motivating books that challenge my faith and encourage my maturity as a Christian. Several of my favorites are listed on this blog. As an avid reader, I have a tremendous amount of input per day. I have to guard myself against thinking that these books and various readings are enough for my spiritual reading. A really good Christian writing brings a sense of direction and new thought, and I am tempted to let that be enough. C.S. Lewis wrote, God is the only comfort. For me, true wisdom comes from God’s word directly, the bible.

Lately I have been consuming books, literally reading them with a furious hunger. I go through phases like this when all I want to do is read. In one book, I came across this: the devil is in the details. This stopped me right in my tracks. I am detail oriented, a planner, and a stickler for details. After reading this I immediately wondered if my affinity for details was wrong. Later in the week, as I was reading the above section of Exodus, I saw God was all about the details! God cares about the details  And not in a legalistic way driven by petty things, but in a heart way driven by our true desire to please God in all things. Through reflection on this passage, I was reassured that God has gifted me in this way, and he cares that I care about the smallest details.

On another note, I recently read in an extremely challenging book by Brennan Manning to pray this daily, “Abba, I belong to you.” This has radically changed my perspective. I have found it so much easier to accept the everyday with the knowledge that I am property of God.

 

For me, in sum…..I need time directly in God’s word with my journal (to force reflection) to help discern all the input in my everyday. I need him to be the filter by which I run this input through. Only he can help me identify the true wisdom!

…..and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability…….Exodus 31:3 (NRSV)

To praise

Read Romans 1:20 and Psalm 8:1

His eternal power and divine nature have been seen since the creation of the world! I see this divine nature so often in the beauty of nature. My husband says God woos us this way. I am often brought to tears by the flow of the river, the majesty of the mountain, the peace of the ocean or the regal stance in a large bird of rapture. The sunrise is so beautiful, I often declare to myself, God is so good!

My husband and I talk about nature existing solely to offer back pure praise to God. We marvel at how the creatures and things of nature are doing exactly what God has designed them to do! The flowers are growing up to praise God. The tress are standing strong to praise God. The fish swim to praise God. All nature exists just the way God designed them. What would that look like for me? What was I designed to do? I recently read in a book by Brennan Manning that others will know we are Christians by our love. This is such a theme in my life: love for others. I have prayer aligned to this: Use me up Lord. Use my hands Lord, they are your hands. Help me love others with an authencity true to your life, Lord.

For me…… to exist to praise God the way he made me is not only loving his creation for its majesty……..but loving his people for their majesty!

….how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:1

Lean not

Read Proverbs 30:24-28 and Proverbs 3:5

Save. Survive during anything. Stay united. Be everywhere. I love the way this Proverb gives me direct explicit instruction. I am a special educator, and a huge proponent of direct instruction. The students I teach need this direct instruction and repeated practice in order to achieve mastery. God gives me direct instruction (only I can never reach mastery  ). I am too weak on my own and I need to unite with other believers. I am too small on my own, but with God I can have influence. How? I need to sellout. I read about this idea of selling out to Jesus in a book by David Platt. What if I sold out completely to Jesus? What would this look like in my everyday? My prayer is this: Lord, I long to remember I am small because I am. Lord, help me store up my wealth in you and always turn to you during the storm. God, unite me with other followers, and lead me wherever you want me to go.

 My  grandfather built a house at the beach. There is dock at this beach place. It looks and feels really sturdy. My husband recently took a picture of this dock from below the deck, and the pillars were leaning. I wondered, what part does the lean play in the sturdiness of this structure? For me, leaning on God plays the main role in the sturdiness of my structure, period. As soon as I stop leaning on God and start leaning on myself, me entire structure collapses!

…..lean not on your own understanding….Proverbs 3:5

Humbly with God

Read Micah 6:8 and Romans 8:5

What would it look like for me to act justly? It would be measured in how I relate to others. It would be measured in my love for others. What would it look like for me to walk humbly with God? It would look like an obedient life. Think about those words….with our God? We can walk with the creator of the universe, too cool!!

Lately, I have developed a clear God aligned vision for my life. OK, so you are thinking……..you’re in your thirties and just developing a clear God centered vision for your life? True, the learning curve is pretty steep here…but lucky for me God is faithful! This vision has helped to guide my prayer life. I was driven to this vision by this idea of walking humbly with God. I think these two ideals (acting justly and walking humbly) are put together beautifully; your walk with God cannot be separated from your actions towards others! I read this once in a book by Mux Lucado: do all the good you can,  by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can, for as long as you can. True to Romans 8:5, I long to strive to live in accordance with the Spirit. At least for today I am walking in the right direction!

…but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  Romans 8:5

Daily bread

Read Proverbs 30:8

I love the Proverbs because they provide super quick points of wisdom. I journal on how these wisdom’s can be applied to my life. This scripture points me right towards gratitude. After this verse, Agur goes on to give the whys for these directives. When I give my children a rule or direction, I usually follow it with a why. In my parents day, a simple because I said so would suffice. Not so today! Information is available via the Google bar in less than a second. Why would I think that a because I said so would suffice in a culture of I gotta know it now and I can know it now. God gives whys throughout his book. I love that he knows my childlike need for those whys….. because he placed that longing in me.

Agur suggests I pray for my daily bread and be on guard. If I have too much…I may reject God because all my needs are supplied. In contrast, if I have too little…..I may become desperate and not honor God in my decisions.

A friend of mine and I were talking of gratitude one afternoon. We were discussing what it means to truly take on a spirit of gratitude with what we have been given. For me, it means asking and thanking God for my daily bread, and acknowledging my sinful desire for more and more. God promises I can fight this desire with prayer and a spirit of thankfulness!

…..give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Proverbs 30:8

With scripture

Read Psalm 142 1-2

God inspired scripture. So you have the perfect word and then my human interpretation. Each day,  I pray for God to breathe life into scripture and for the Holy Spirit to bring alive the words on the page and radically change the course of my life…..to cut at my deepest need and speak His perfect truth into my heart.

Praying with scripture. I once read that the best way to defeat the enemy is through prayer and by reassuring God’s promises.. Praying with scripture is new for me, but it quickly reassures God’s promises to me, and I derive great strength from it. An example of a scripture inspired prayer is as follows:

I cry out to you Lord for mercy, I pour myself onto you. I tell you my troubles. When I am afraid Lord, you know the way out. I beg to you Lord, listen to my cry! I follow this line of prayer with specific promises revealed to me in scripture such as,  I am capable to fulfill your calling on my life Lord, or I have no insecurities because I see myself the way you see me, Father. 

This prompts my total dependence. I often cut scriptures out that speak to me about my own struggles (with fear, worry, or insecurity) and I tape them to my bathroom mirror, put them in my car, my desk or on the refrigerator. As I dry my hair, do my make up or go through my day, I am able to read them.  

One afternoon, while I was with my children, a sense of insecurity came over me. Most women know the feeling, the one where we doubt our worth….. I recited the truths I had memorized and I overcame the insecurity right in that moment!

 …..He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…….

……He will lead them to the springs of water that give life…..

(Revelation 7:17)

*above picture taken at the Billy Graham Library

Confession

Read Psalm 141, Rev. 3:19-21

Confession is always an act of obedience for me. Honestly, I never look forward to it and I consider it a tough discipline. Sometimes, I don’t even  know what to confess or where to begin! I build it into my morning prayer, typically after I give thanks. 

A quick side note about thanks. God has blessed my life. I have so much to thank God for; thanks often monopolizes my prayer. I spend an enormous amount of time blown away by how undeserving I am of God’s perfect love! I find that the more thanks I give in prayer, the easier it is to live with a spirit of thankfulness.

I precede my confession with a time of reflection, in which I think over the last day and ask God to reveal any areas of need.  For me, confession often drives my prayer. Through confession I begin intentionally seeking God by humbly asking for help in my everyday. During confession, I become very familiar with my own weaknesses. This is important for me as I strive to avoid future sin patterns. I can relate to David’s pleas in Psalm 141….. control my tongue, protect my heart, direct my eyes towards you Lord. Take away my worldy desires. These are often the very prayers I whisper in the early morning becausae I struggle with these things daily! The more aware I become of my own personal weakness, the more I teachable I become. The more humble I stay before God, the more  connected I can stay to his purpose for my life. I find much safety in my desperate dependence on God!

…..so be earnest and repent. Rev. 3: 19

Impact

Read Daniel 6

When I read about Daniel, I think about impact. The humble life of a servant making an enormous impact. In Daniel 6:5, his jealous coworkers were looking for a reason to accuse him.  “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless is has something to do with the law of his God”. Can you imagine saying that about someone? Can you imagine living the type of life people could find no fault with? What if someone said that about you? One thing is certain, no one could say that about me.  If a “team of people”, were looking for things to accuse me of, it would take about one quick second to name several. But not Daniel! He is a mentor to learn from. I once read a great book that encouraged me to view each character in the bible as a life mentor,  and to treat each devotion as a session with these mentors. 

They will never find a reason to accuse Daniel (6:5). That is the kind of life I want to strive for!  Later in 6:25,  a decree is issued that everyone must fear and respect the God of Daniel. Can you imagine living such a life, making such an impact for God, that others are swayed by your life to come to God? This is too cool to think about! 

This is my prayer for today, for God to lead me and change my life into one that will better influence others for Him! 

….a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverance the God of Daniel (Daniel 6:26).

Did not come to call the righteous

Read Luke 5 :31-32, 2 Peter 1: 4-11

Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Well, thank goodness for that! Our pastor once read a poem about “staying close to the door”. The poem encouraged me to remember where I was when I came to Christ. It prompted me to make an effort to stay close to that door in terms of humility and maintaining that overpowering feeling of not deserving God’s amazing grace.  It is easy to get busy in the everyday and forget to treat others with the same amazing grace God has shown me. In 2 Peter, Peter encourages me to add goodness, knowledge, self-control, patiencce, service, kindness and love to both my life and my faith. Early the other morning  I wrote this scripture down, and immediately reflected on what this could mean for my everyday interactions. What if every interaction with others came from this place Peter describes? For me, it will have to be intentional, because I do not naturally think outside of  my family. Peter encourages me to be intentional in sharing God’s nature with people, even outside my comfort zone. 

Thank you Lord for this lesson and lead me as I continue to pray for you to change my life into exactly what you want it to be !

…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge self-control……2 Peter 1: 5