Your words…

Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy.  Zephaniah 3:17

My words…

Praise to the God who shouts for joy!

To my shame, I have never thought of You as a joyful God. Your Spirit-inspired writers use a wide range of descriptors to capture Your character, from loving to wrathful, but not a whole lot about You as being filled with joy. I have read that “Jesus wept,” but I never read, “Jesus laughed.” Artists depict You as somber, serious, or in pain. I know that You must regard parts of Your creation and mourn. But viewing You only as a melancholy God hinders my appreciation of who You really are. Your creation makes you happy. You see the outlandish antics of the bird of paradise attempting to attract a mate and crack up! Me, too! (You see it live. I watch a documentary.) You giggle with the two-year-old who’s being licked in the face by her puppy. (You created puppies for that very thing.) The young man You protected from despair? He is thanking You, and You whoop it up. When I overcome a temptation, You shout for joy! (Perhaps a fist pump?) The heavens echo with Your cheers, and the angels join in the laughter. Gloom doesn’t gather around You. Sadness does not hover. You see the wonder of Your creation and the fullness of everything that inhabits it. How could You be anything else but saturated with joy?

I pray I will never again view You as a God whose brow remains furrowed and whose mouth is always turned down. You are the God who throws back His head and bursts into laughter. And because You indwell me, Your joy is contagious. You are the source of my joy. I hope, with my whole heart, that I have been a small source of Yours.

Your words…

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.  Romans 6:12-14

The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Romans 13:12

My words…

Praise

Sin. I don’t like to think of myself as committing a sin. I coat it with sugar and call it a weakness. There, now I feel better. Me? I would never participate in a deed of darkness! Okay – back to reality. I am a sinner. I sin. I do things, say things, and think things that I would never do, say, or think if Jesus were sitting next to me, drinking tea. You call a sin a sin. You do not sugar coat it because there is nothing sweet about it. I may live in a society that winces at the sound of the word, but You see the danger in that and warn me. Lying? I did it to make someone else feel better. (Satan smiles.) Gossiping? It’s harmless. (Satan grins.) Selfishly not sharing Your love with others?  Someone’s already “knocked on that door.” (Satan jumps for joy.) Deeds of darkness, indeed. But here’s the praiseworthy part: I am alive from the dead because of You. Sin does not reign in my life because of You. I live under GRACE!

Prayer for me

I am called to be a weapon. I need lessons. Teach me to set aside my comfortable, introverted personality, strap on the armor of light, and use all of the parts of myself as an effective weapon for righteousness. I pray You will gird my spirit to stand for what is right in Your sight.

Forgive me

 Forgive me my vapid outlook on sin. Shall I go on sinning so grace may abound? Certainly not! When I sin, You grieve. I am sorry for causing you so much grief.

Prayer for others

I pray for those who do not believe in sin. (Everything is permissible as long as you don’t get caught.) To them, sin is a silly word – old fashioned and uttered only by fanatics. They offer themselves as weapons of unrighteousness and revel. They need Your light to pierce their darkness. Send a light! Even if it’s me!

Thank You

Thank You for Your unrelenting forgiveness of my sins, especially the one when I give in to the temptation to keep my armor of light in the closet.

More praise

Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be. I could never repay that debt. Thankfully, You don’t ask me to.

Your words…

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

My words…

For years, perhaps decades, I have heard and read about the importance of having a personal relationship with You. To be honest, I’m not sure I can do that. It’s that word, relationship, that snags me. In my spirit, that word dissolves. It doesn’t hold up. And here’s why: I have had many relationships over the years ranging from acquaintance to heart-bound love, each between two imperfect people who could “relate” to each other as equals. Whether I acknowledged the relationship with a friendly nod or impassioned embrace, we stood on the same plain. Not so with You. You don’t think or act like I do. You are higher than I in every possible way. Because of Your earthly sojourn and suffering, You can relate to me. But I can’t relate to You. And therein lies my joy. My spirit sings with ecstasy that You exist beyond my comprehension. My heart swells with gratitude that You, my Maker, look upon me with eyes made of love. You and I: Are we not more than a flower depending on rain or a child sustained by milk? There isn’t an English word precious enough to describe “us together.” I pray there is a heavenly word for it spoken by angels. I long to hear it one day spoken by You.

Your words…

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good. You are to fear Yahweh your God and worship Him. Remain faithful to Him.  Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 20

My words…

Praise

What do You ask of me, Lord? The same thing You asked of the Israelites of old: Walk with You. Love You. Obey You. Worship You. In other words, remain faithful. You don’t ask this out of an egotistical need to be idolized. You ask it because it is for my own good. Mine. All that You ask of me is for my benefit. Whatever wisdom I have gathered is from You as I have walked in Your ways. Whatever unconditional love I have shown was first shown to me by You. Whatever humility I have learned is from falling prostrate before Your throne in worship. When my will submits to Yours, I win! And that’s exactly how you planned it all along.

Forgive me

I have been on this faith walk with You for decades. For the most part, I have remained faithful, certainly not to my credit, but because of Your pursuit of me. But I have my days, don’t I? I look into the sky and say, “I think I’ve been duped. This is all too good to be true.” Then a hummingbird flits by and hovers over my butterfly bush, and I see Your power in the blur of its wings. In my spirit I know that it is all too good to be true. But it’s true nonetheless. Forgive my immature, faltering faith. After all of these decades, I am without excuse.

Prayer for others

I know so many former believers. At one time, their faith was alive and vibrant, but over time, it faded, like drapes hung too long in a sunny window. I have forgotten the names of some of them. They rarely cross my path anymore. We don’t hang out in the same places. But just because their faith is faded doesn’t mean it isn’t there at all. They may not have remained faithful to You, but You remain faithful to them. I may have forgotten their names, but You haven’t. I pray there will come a day when they look at a hummingbird’s wings and remember You.

Thank You

Thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Your love for me does not waver. You do not grow restless and impatient with me. You are the One True Constant.

More praise

Take my inadequate praise of You from my saturated heart and make it perfect on its journey to Your heavens, so that by the time it reaches You, it will be beautiful and worthy. As an expression of my love to You, I offer these two words: I remain.

Your words…

Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart – not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:6-8

My words…

Praise

Lord, I sometimes wonder why You created humans – why You didn’t stop after plants, fish, and animals. You knew we would cause You all sorts of grief, yet You gave us life, not because You had to, but because You wanted to. You are a cheerful giver of life, happy to call what You create good. And You didn’t stop after creation. Father, You didn’t have to give Your Son to die. Jesus, You didn’t have to leave the glory of heaven and live among Your creation. Spirit, You don’t have to indwell the hearts of believers. But You are the un-reluctant Giver. You actually want to give to me, to love me, to be with me. Me! Can any concept be more unfathomable yet true?

Prayer for me

As I tread the unseen, spiritual path with You as my Guide, I am acutely aware of my reluctance to give. I am miserly with my free time; I grasp it tightly and give very little away. It is easier for me to throw some money at a need than spend time serving. Why? Because it’s the way I want  it. Me, a cheerful giver? Hardly. So I open my heart to You and ask for a measure of Your generosity and cheerful willingness to give. Kindle my desire to sow generously.

Forgive me

Forgive me when I serve others because I feel obligated. It’s like apologizing when I’m really not sorry at all. My heart’s not in it. Forgive me when my acts of giving are like drops from a leaky faucet instead of a fire hose – like Yours.

Prayer for others

Lord, I pray for all of Your servants who give willingly, cheerfully, daily. They get dirty and sweaty. They get tired and hurt. They are ridiculed and exploited. Yet they happily get up the next day and do it all over again. They are more like You than anyone. Strengthen them and send them encouragement in a way only You can.

Thank You

Thank You for Your example of selfless, sincere, joyful giving. And thank You that I am the recipient of it.

More praise

Lord, You are filled with gladness when giving. Open-handed, not closed-fisted. Your grace overflows to me, and I am in need of nothing. I offer my meager praise with much love and, yes, cheerfulness!

Your words…

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” He said to them, Whenever you pray, say: Father,…”  Luke 11:1-2

A prayer of praise for my Father…

Lord, You know that since I have begun to write my prayers, I have taken the time to wrestle with ideas, simple and complex, relating to who You are and who I am in Your sight. I mull over words and meanings. I meditate on passages. But sometimes I miss the importance of something my eyes have passed over hundreds of times. When You answered Your apostles’ request with a sample prayer, You knew these words would be memorized and repeated over and over (and over and over) by untold thousands through the end of time. But it’s the first word of this prayer that gets slighted as I add phrase after phrase to the end. Father. Until I grasp the intent behind that salutation, nothing following matters.

Jesus, when I claim Your Father as my Father, I am, as C. S. Lewis writes, “dressing up as Christ.” I am standing in the same place You stand. You – the perfect example of how to speak wisely, forgive compassionately, act lovingly, die submissively. You belong with the Father. But me? I speak foolishly, forgive grudgingly, act resentfully, and approach death dismissively. I don’t belong with the Father. I taint the sweet smell of heaven.

Then…the Spirit breathes, and I see You, Jesus, gazing into the faces of Your disciples as You share this prayer. They all had their own set of weaknesses and shortcomings, yet You invited them to call Your Father their Father. You invited them to stand where You stand. Then You look at me and offer that same invitation. I needn’t worry about my sullied presence. You made the introduction, after all. I only have to be the child, patterning my life after You, my Brother. And then, miraculously, I belong.

Your words…

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated – it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land.  Psalm 37:7-9

My words…

Praise

I am surrounded by hate. I live in a society where hate-filled words and actions stain the pages and airwaves of mass media. Malicious speech enters every ear like a sharpened spike while violent scenes scorch the eyes. Respect for one another has been tossed aside and replaced with scorn. Kindness and respect huddle alone on the garbage heap of my country. Yes, I am agitated. While citizens of the same nation draw lines across the concrete and shout insults at each other, Satan chuckles. As people of one race deride those of another, the Devil’s angels congratulate each other. I wonder: Where is the good? Then I am reminded that I see only one small glimpse of what You see and have seen. Up until the time of this Psalm, You had watched the weak and innocent suffer and haughty evil-doers claim victories.  You are witness to every offense, taunt, abuse, incivility, and indignity. You have set apart those who delight in evil, and You have determined their future. And today, I praise You as the God of justice, the God who will not allow evil to overpower good. By Your right arm, the wicked will be called to answer the questions of the holy One who has seen everything. Satan won’t be chuckling then.

Prayer for me

I was prompted by a friend to watch a praise video, one of a man and his guitar singing words of adoration to You and encouragement to me. In the corner of the screen, I noticed that over 2 million people had watched this same video – two million who chose to listen to praise over derision. These two million had figured out how to assuage agitation! As I watched and listened, silent before You, my hope was strengthened, and my turmoil relieved. Help me turn to You when my agitation is accelerated by the actions of the worldly. Remind me where true peace is found.

Forgive me

Forgive me when I lose hope, when I see evil as an uncontrollable fire, burning up society around me. And forgive my lack of faith. You control the fire. And You see the fire-starters.

Prayer for others

Lord, I pray for those who feel called to spread disrespectful, hate-filled messages in open forums – messages that tear down, not build up. I know there is a way for them to learn how destructive they can be. I leave it in Your loving hands to teach them.

More praise

Your powerful promises of justice are stone walls without cracks, protecting me from despair, hopelessness, and anger. Weapons of hate will not penetrate or weaken Your promises. The day will come when the searing burn of hateful rhetoric will be soothed by the balm of Your righteousness. Those inside the wall wait silently and expectantly for that day. I am humbled to be among them.

Your words…

Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the second month, in the month of Ziv. The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.  1 Kings 6:1, 2, 7

But the Lord is in His holy temple; let everyone on earth be silent in His presence.  Habakkuk 2:20

My words…

Praise

It amazes me to think that a coo of a dove could be heard throughout the construction site of the temple. A mother, walking by with her children, could whisper to them her anticipation of worshiping in such grandeur. The chiseling, hammering and yelling happened in the quarry. The fitting together of perfect stones happened in stillness. I believe Solomon ordered such a process out of reverence for You. He would not allow the common, noisy prefabrication work to interfere with the formation of Your holy dwelling.

We humans are a noisy bunch. We’re living in the quarry. We like the sound of our own voices. If we aren’t talking about something, we’re listening to someone else’s rhetoric. Talking, debating, preaching, arguing. Have You grown weary of it after all of these centuries? What if every human sat in silence at the same time and offered a thought of praise to You? What a comfort to Your ears. What a comfort for nature. It’s a very unrealistic idea…for now. But it will happen one day.

Adoration of You doesn’t have to involve speaking. It doesn’t have to involve music. Perhaps the most appropriate form of worship happens in complete silence. It makes perfect sense, for how could I, a sinful, selfish child, have anything worthy to say to the One who assigned the dawn its place, who knows the source of the east wind, who can loosen the belt of Orion, who has the wisdom to number the clouds, and who can tilt the water jars of heaven? So I offer You a gift of silence wrapped in awe and tied with my love.

Your words…

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing.  2 Timothy 4:6-8

My words…

All Praise to the Crown-Giver

After Paul’s blinding encounter with You as he traveled to Damascus, he spent three years preparing for his new mission. I imagine You and he shared a lot of time together during those three years. Was it during this time that he learned about the crown You have reserved for him? Either way, Paul would have fought the fight and finished the race even if there were no crown at the finish line. It’s so like You – the Divine Giver – to have a gift prepared for that day. And a crown, no less! But here’s the exciting part for me – I get one, too! I’ve never worn a crown before. I hear they are heavy and cause headaches. But I don’t have to worry about that when I receive the crown You have reserved for me. It is not a crown of laurel, roses, gold, silver, or gems. It will not fade, wilt, or die. It cannot be burned, crushed, or melted down. It is incorruptible. For, I believe, this crown is made of a heavenly substance  called righteousness. It is light. It is expensive. It was paid for by the One who wore a different crown – a crown of thorns.

It’s hard to rid my mind of an image of an earthly crown. So I try to imagine one sculpted from the precious metal mined in heaven sprinkled with stardust. But deep in my spirit, I know it’s so much better than that. Perhaps my crown is comprised of words – Your righteous words of love for me which I will wear for eternity. Or maybe my crown is Your gentle hand forever touching my head. It may be a crown of righteous knowledge, so there will be no need for questions. Even better, a crown of praise sung in perfect harmony! May I request that one, please?

Although I praise You for reserving a crown for me, It is not the gift that will bring me to my knees, but the perfect Crown-Giver.

Your words…

So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.  Genesis 1:27

My words…

Praise

God, in Your wisdom, You created humans with bodies. You could have created me as a gas or a liquid, but You chose to give me a bodily form – a form to touch, see, hear, feel, and smell. A form to grow, and a form to die. I never really thought about  the reason You created me with a body until I read something Dallas Willard wrote: “The human body is the primary field of independent power and freedom given by God to the people. Put simply – no body, no power. People have a body for one reason – that we might have at our disposal the resources that would allow us to be persons in fellowship and cooperation with a personal God.” You have blessed me with so much freedom and independence by creating me with a body. It is a vessel used to carry joy, sorrow, pain, and knowledge. And it is a temple where I offer You my worship and adoration.

Prayer for me

I fear that I spend too much time considering my body: the integrity of my bones, the soundness of my heart, the sharpness of my brain, the length of my fingernails, the measurement of my waist. It saddens me to think of how much more wise I would be if I spent as much time tending to my spirit as I have to my body.

Forgive me

Lord, forgive me for the many times I did not use my body in a way that would draw me closer in fellowship with you. Forgive my unequal attention to my physical body compared to my spirit.

Prayer for others

So much suicide. I praise You that I have never contemplated taking my own life. I pray for those who choose to stop their hearts from beating, their lungs from breathing, their eyes from seeing. They don’t want to live in their bodies anymore. Such grief, I can’t imagine. I pray they will see, with the eyes of their spirits, a reason to keep living, and breathing, and seeing. Send Your Spirit to guide them toward You – the real Hope.

Thank You

Thank You for the body You have given me. But even more – thank You for preparing a place where I won’t have to be confined in my skin. As much as I love my imperfect, blemished, slightly overweight body, I am ready to trade it in for a new one someday!

More praise

Lord, I am not completely sure what it means to be created in Your image. I have my own ideas from what Your Spirit has taught me over the years, but I don’t have the full picture. It’s enough for me to know that I am made in the image of the One who created me – made in the image of my God. My body is somehow a reflection of You in the way it works, in the way it regenerates, in the way it shows love, in the way it dies and lives again. And therein lies the greatest lesson my body teaches me about You. When it wears out, it’s just the beginning!