How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord of Hosts. I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:1-2
My words…
Praise
The Psalmists who wrote these words longed and yearned to be in the place where You are worshipped. So much so that their hearts and mouths cried out for You. When they woke, their first thought was to be in Your sacred courts, in a place where their hearts would be filled with Your presence. Where the Ark of the Covenant was a stone’s throw away. When they lay down at night, they longed for the morning when they could do it all over again. So much longing. So much yearning. It’s passages such as this that make me feel so very inadequate as Your child, Your disciple, Your “called out.” I don’t wake up thinking, “I can’t wait to go to church on Sunday.”
What is it I yearn for? Really yearn for? I long to dwell in a place where the weak and defenseless are safe and not exploited, where not one single person holds murder in his heart, a place where taking disappears in the place of giving, where disease is absent and wholeness abounds, where the only tears are the result of unrestrained elation, a place where everything my eye beholds is transcendent beauty, and the clamor of contention and malice is silenced.
In other words, I yearn for Heaven. But so do most people I know.
So, here’s the crux of the matter: I need to grow to be a better yearn-er. Can yearning be learned? I hope so. I want to know what it’s like to yearn to be where You are all the time, not just on Sunday mornings. To wake up excited to find where You are working and join in. To exhort fellow followers, to be energized in spirit daily, to seek Your kingdom first where I am. So, Spirit-Teacher, here I am again, a student, sitting at Your feet, ready for another lesson: Yearning 101.
Jesus prayed, “I have revealed Your name to the men You gave me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that all things You have given to me are from You because the words that You gave me I have given them. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. John 17:6-8
My words…
Praise
The Bible on my shelf contains around 800,000 words of which only around 2,000 were spoken from Your lips while you walked the roads and sailed the seas of Palestine. Although few in number, Your words have been the most quoted, studied, dissected, disputed, and revered of any words ever spoken. You knew this before the words left Your mouth. Incredible to ponder. For me, I not only reflect on the words I see on the page, but I wonder about the words that didn’t get recorded. What questions did you ask the teachers of the law in the temple when You were only twelve? Did you ever tire of the hundreds of questions Your disciples must have asked you over the course of three years? “What’s heaven like?” “What’s up with Satan?” “Are You the suffering servant Isaiah writes about?” “How much longer will we live under the boot of Rome?” “Hey, can you turn this stone into bread? I’m hungry.” Every word You spoke was a priceless gemstone. Your sentences were treasures, stored in the minds and hearts of those on whose ears they fell. They carried their treasure around with them like I carry my bible. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, understood the importance of sitting at Your feet so she would not let Your words fall to the ground unheard. I have no doubt Your words, “Feed my sheep,” and so many others emboldened and sustained Peter’s spirit until the day he was martyred. While in exile, John’s soul was nourished by the prayers to the Father You spoke in his presence. Did Your words comfort James as he awaited the strike of the executioner’s axe? Your words are more than just words. They’re life.
Prayer for me
I need to treasure Your words as the disciples did. I am, after all, a disciple. My eyes have moved over Your words on the page for decades, and therein lies my problem. I have read them so many times, I do not pause and allow them to illuminate the corners of my spirit. So, I pray that You will remind me to gather Your words like a treasure and carry them around with me. And help me not just regard them as sparkly and beautiful but take them out and use them, even give them away.
Forgive me
Your words were intended to be heard and obeyed. I hear them okay, but some I don’t feel like obeying, like loving my neighbor. I don’t wish my neighbor any ill will. Does that count for something? I would rather not interact with my neighbors because I prefer to keep myself to myself (as the English would say). But that is not what you say. Forgive me when I pick through the treasure chest and toss out a gemstone or two.
Prayer for others
I pray for those who have yet to read Your words on the page. (And some may live on my street!) I pray for the one You are leading to them to share the treasure even if that one is me.
Thank You
You realize actions speak louder than words. Thank You for becoming the created and changing my life by putting Your words into action. You could have shouted from heaven or sent Your words through carrier pigeon (okay, maybe not), but You chose to leave the side of the Father and show us all how to live an abundant life that leads to even more after death. So much more.
More praise
Jesus, each of Your words is praiseworthy from the ones spoken while smiling and laughing, to the ones uttered through gasps of torment. Your words are cherished by men and angels alike, and we worship the One who spoke them – the perfect creator of words, Jesus Christ, Son of God.
So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Daniel 9:3
You turn my lament into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. Psalm 30:11
My words…
Praise
At first glance, the ancient ritual of wearing sackcloth seems a little over the top. Sin, grief, guilt, or shame compelled the replacing of soft linen for course goat hair followed by a time among the dirt. The stiff, scratchy garment was only worn when someone messed up (really badly). Was all that really necessary? Did that practice wing their prayers before Your throne more swiftly? Maybe it did. Maybe that practice should not have fallen among the obsolete. Perhaps sackcloth should be sold today on racks beside blue jeans and sweat shirts. If so, I believe two things would happen: 1. Sackcloth wouldn’t sell because genuine, public contrition has grown out of style and 2. It would come in plaid, stripes, and paisley designs with a brushed flannel lining. The wearer of sackcloth, confessing her sin and seeking forgiveness, experienced the blessing of shedding the uncomfortable garment and standing in Your presence purified. She removed the garment, but You removed the grief and guilt.
Prayer for me
Lord, teach me not to take my sin lightly. When I confess and lay my sin before You, You remove it like sackcloth. And because I know You love to forgive me, I may not view my transgressions as seriously as I ought. Forgive me when I go on sinning so grace may abound.
Thank You
Thank You for removing my sackcloth and clothing me with gladness – a fine cloth, woven with strands of heavenly light. It does not chafe like sin. It is not weighty like guilt. It brings out the best in my spirit when I am reminded of the One who gave it.
More praise
When I turn to You, like the Psalmist, You never fail to give me Your full attention. I, who flounder between spiritual weakling and devoted disciple, have Your full attention. How can that be? It’s too marvelous to comprehend. But that’s You: Too Marvelous to Comprehend.
Jesus told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?” He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey Him!” Mark 4:35-41
My words…
I find it intriguing that the disciples were terrified both before and after You calmed the storm. Why didn’t their terror subside when the wind ceased and calm descended? Could it be they were terrified of You? Of Your power? It seems only natural that once they witnessed Your command over nature, they would feel as if they had been thrown into an alternate reality (without knowing what that meant). Some of them (fishermen) had already survived a healthy dose of Galilee Sea ruckus, knowing full well no one sleeps through it. Yet You slept…SOUNDLY! Wind and waves had not reacted to the human voice until they heard Yours. The Twelve had seen You heal humans, but “healing” a storm was too much for the disciples to take in, so they freaked. But I like to think of it as a holy terror. They weren’t afraid of You (well, maybe a little); they were slammed with the truth that You are more powerful than they had ever imagined. They could only exclaim, “Who is this guy?”
Prayer for me
I believe all Your followers have, at one time or another, posed the same question to You as the sea-soaked disciples: “Don’t You care? I’m in a bad way here.” It’s not a question of You caring. It’s a question of faith. And that’s my petition to You today. My faith is like an ivy vine, growing and winding through my every thought and action. But it’s a little droopy right now. Water it, Lord. Please.
Forgive me
I don’t see myself as a fearful person. But the few things that do frighten me are powerful. Forgive me when I allow fear to overpower my faith.
Prayer for others
Lord, today I pray You will calm the wind and sea for those who are caught in a storm. They’re frightened, and they don’t know where to turn. They don’t see You asleep in the boat. They don’t see you in the boat at all. Speak peace into their souls in a way that they will know it could only be You, the One whose voice the wind and sea obey.
More praise
Jesus, You had some really long days while You lived as a God-Man on earth. Weariness set in so deeply, You slept in a heaving boat while the waves crashed over the sides. That was the Man part. Although the disciples feared for their lives, You never felt a twinge of fear. That was the God part. Praise to You, the God who never feels fear but understands when I do.
God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31
For Yaweh is good and His love is eternal. Psalm 100:5
Do not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God. 3 John 1:11
My words…
Praise
I (and many others) have pondered on just the right adjectives to describe You, and we always come up short. Majestic? Too “House of Windsor.” Awesome? Too middle school. Indescribable? A cop-out. Your Holy Spirit has moved biblical writers to use the word “good.” It’s a word in which its foundational meaning has been beaten out through incorrect use. I’ve used the word to describe a better-than-average cheeseburger or the price of a pair of jeans. (“How was your day?” “Pretty good.”) So, if I use this word to describe You, I must embrace its intended meaning or miss out on an anointing of righteous understanding. When You called Your creation very good, You set the standard. Your creation is a reflection of You: perfect, complete, whole, lacking in nothing. Your goodness may best be described through the inverse: You are neither petty, vindictive, nor ambivalent. You do not lose focus or become distracted. You never stop working for my good. You are not wishy-washy or unpredictable. You are, in the truest sense of the word, good.
Prayer for me
I cannot partake in Your omniscience, omnipotence, or omnipresence, but I can partake in Your goodness by doing what is good. You’ve provided me that avenue. Now, I just need help walking it. Like Paul, I know what good to do, I just don’t always do it. You’re not surprised. Disappointed? No more than I. Infuse me with Your goodness, Lord, so I can imitate You.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I attempt to convince myself that I’m good. (“I write a prayer blog. Good for me!”) Pathetic. Your certain forgiveness is only another facet of Your goodness.
Prayer for others
I know, personally, many who do not believe You are good at all. To them You are a bad-tempered, prejudiced, out-of-touch god-wannabe. They have become blinded to Your goodness. How would their lives change if they truly believed in one sentence: God is good? May they find out.
Thank You
The leaves are turning golden red, carpeting my front lawn. A flock of blackbirds are complaining (or rejoicing?) in the treetops so loudly, it makes me laugh. The children across the road are playing as their dog darts around and through them. I am surrounded by Your goodness, and I thank You for sharing it with me.
More praise
You alone are deserving of all my praise because You are the only truly good person I know.
One of the scribes approached Jesus and asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?” “This is the most important,” Jesus answered. “Listen Israel! The Lord our God. The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.” Mark 12:28-29
We love because He first loved us. For if anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. 1 John 4:19-20
My words…
In An Attempt To Understand
It’s an interesting thought: being commanded to love. What’s even more interesting is that I’m being commanded to love the One who is commanding me to love. And not just any love but one that permeates every facet of what makes me who I am – the unseen parts: heart, soul, mind, strength. I need a weightier dose of Your teaching Spirit to help me understand. Committing all my heart, soul, mind and strength to You is not something to be taken lightly. And so I’ve been sitting in Your classroom, asking for deeper understanding. We both know You don’t need my love, then why command it of me? Here is what I have learned: If I didn’t love You, I wouldn’t know how to love others. And it is very important to You that I love others. When I lay claim to the inestimable treasure of Your love for me, my unseen parts are attuned to loving everyone You love. If it means commanding me to love You, then so be it. The two greatest commands are inextricably forged. If I am struggling to show love to those around me, then I must accept my love for You has floundered. Loving You with all my unseen parts is the gradual cutting away of the dead me so the living You is free to take over. You showed me how to love by loving me first. And You did so without being commanded by anyone because You are, of course…LOVE. This is my attempt to understand. How did I do?
Jesus said, “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will givehim a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him? Matthew 7:7-11
My words…
Praise
I read today about a famous Hollywood actress who is asking publicly for prayers for her seriously ill relative. So, I prayed (as You know). There are many others, I’m sure, who did the same as I. But I also know there are many who prayed to a god who did not hear them. I am confident You heard me because You hear everything. My prayers do not bounce off images of wood or stone or gold. They penetrate the holy aura of heaven, winding their way among the harmony of angels and the clash of archangels’ swords. My prayers transcend time and enter the realm of eternity where they are held in the hands of Your perfect will. My prayers leave my lips as sloppy, halting, inadequate words and pass through the discerning intercession of Your Spirit, translated into a prayer worthy of Your attention.
Prayer for me
I often wonder about the time You spent with Your disciples. I imagine they asked You a lot of questions. (I would have.) And I imagine You answered every single one of them, in Your own way (by asking a question in return!). I’ve asked You a lot of questions myself. Some remain unanswered, but I have Your permission to keep asking. You apparently aren’t bothered by persistence. And repetition. (Thank You.) Lead me toward a place where I am not bothered by persistence. And repetition.
Prayer for others
Today I pray for those who have stopped asking. They prayed but felt ignored. Discouragement crept across their spirits, and they abandoned the pathway of prayer. They witnessed others’ answered prayers and convinced themselves they aren’t worthy of Your attention. I pray something will move them to keep asking, for it’s in the asking that we grow.
Thank You
You never toss aside my prayers. They are precious to You. I have forgotten most of my prayers, but You have not. You could recite each one back to me. Thank You for our many conversations, but most of all, thank You for allowing me to ask away.
More praise
One of my kids called me the other day asking, “Do you have time to talk? I have a question.” My answer? Always. What’s your question? Talking to my kids is like opening a Christmas gift. I come away with another priceless memory. When I come to You asking, “Do you have time to talk? I have a question.” You say, “How much more….”
Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. Ephesians 6:11-17
My words…
Praise
Here I am again, Lord, praying over Ephesians 6! I remain heartened by the image of Your armor, protecting me against the Devi’s tactics. You do not call me to strangle with the belt, beat with the shield, or strike with the sword. In fact, what you call me to do is not offensive but defensive. You equip me to stand.
Prayer for me
All of heaven knows I’m not much of a fighter. I have never physically assaulted anyone. (Childhood interactions with younger sisters don’t count…right?) My primary reason for being such a pacifist is the certainty of my own injury as a result of the altercation. I’m not a big fan of pain. When I learn about Your invitation to put on an invisible armor to defend against an invisible enemy, I still recoil because I have an inkling of this enemy’s ultimate goal: my spiritual destruction. Pain on many levels. So, I’m thrilled to have Your armor of protection. But there are times when I feel like David wearing Saul’s armor. The armor is perfect. The wearer is unfit, too weak. Forgive me when I use my sandaled feet to bolt from the battle. I haven’t learned the full effectiveness of my sword. My belt slips. I pray earnestly for Your Spirit to open my eyes to the battle around me. Now is not the time to dawdle in the mess tent. I must stand! In the fray! With my feet planted like a tree by the stream. Teach me how to uphold my weapons like the archangel Michael. Strengthen me against the rancid smell of battle, the taunts by the Enemy’s minions, and my own weariness. And when I am called to not only stand but to take a stand, keep my feet from slipping.
Prayer for others
You see my friend, Lord, armored yet barely standing. She has languished by her husband’s hospital bed for four months, witnessing his decline day by day. She is surrounded by helplessness and hopelessness. She prays to You. You hear her. I am attaching my prayer to hers. I have no idea what Your will is in her situation. Has her faith grown stronger? Probably. Has her heart been broken? Definitely. I pray You will prop up her armor. Tighten that belt. Sharpen that sword. She is in the thick of the fray, and she needs to know she does not stand there alone. Hold on to her by Your mighty right arm. Thank You.
More praise
I praise You that when I stand, I stand with the Army of God, heavenly hosts on my right and left. My uniform is stained with Jesus’ blood, not my own. I bear the insignia of a Child of the King. My battle cry is Hallelujah! There is no greater honor than to stand in Your armor.
Saul replied, “You can’t go fight Goliath. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young. ” David answered Saul: “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:34-37 selected
My words…
Praise
It would have been so easy for young David to take credit for slaying a lion and a bear, to drape his body with their skins or tack them to posts outside his tent. Wouldn’t everyone have been impressed? But David knew it was only by Your power that his lambs were not torn to shreds. You rescued the lambs. You rescued David. You still rescue. It doesn’t matter if my precarious state is a result of my action or the actions of others: You will rescue me according to Your will for my good because You are the God Who Rescues.
Prayer for me
Although I’ve never experienced life-or-death situations like David (Lions and bears live in zoos, right?), I have stumbled into danger unaware and strode into danger for the thrill. The Enemy had me dangling from a string at times, and I never knew. But You rescued me, nonetheless. Forgive me when I claimed my escape to be an act of luck (whew!) or worse, my own clever actions. Looking back, I see Your hand of protection so clearly.
Prayer for others
Lord, I know of so many close to me in need of rescue. Their loved ones are languishing in hospitals or nursing homes. Parents despair because their children are caught in the snare of addiction and abuse. The Enemy has snatched hope from their eyes and has filled their ears with messages like, “It is what it is.” Throw out the lifeline, Lord! Show them the way to the safe shore where You wait to welcome them.
Thank You
I read accounts of people who have been trapped in mines, or stranded in blizzards, or adrift at sea. They struggle to maintain a sliver of hope. At the sight of their rescuer, they crumble in tears of gratitude. I have not experienced these physical rescues, but my spirit has. Without a sliver of hope, I was rescued through Your broken body on a bloody cross. You know my heart. You see it flowing over with gratitude.
More praise
I lift You up as the God who does not hold my sins against me. You do not say, “You got yourself into this mess. Get yourself out.” The Father of Lies is a prowling lion, but You are eager to rescue us from his paws. And for that, I give you all glory.
I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. But, if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:14-15
My words…
Praise
God, You didn’t create us to live insulated from each other. We dwell in community within society. We share culture with each other: our heritage, our past. So, it’s only natural for Your people to exist as a group and not as individuals. We hold a place within Your household, the church of the living God whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ. Your church, THE church, upholds Your truth as precious. We acknowledge our salvation is only because of a perfect life nailed to a bloody cross. You are The living God, and we are Your living, breathing, moving church, supporting your precepts and displaying Your glory to the world. And, I, for one, am humbled and grateful to be a part.
A Prayer for Your Church
Since its creation, Your church has stood as one big target. The pillar is scratched and nicked from both internal and external forces. Satan and his angels have been hard at work for centuries, inciting damage in an effort to ebb the flow of hope, the natural outcome of genuine worship. But, some of the marring is the aftermath of people not acting as they ought in Your household. They proclaim You as the only true and living God, but they are, in truth, an active cancer in Your body. Your church pays the price for the indiscretions of her leaders; her reputation suffers. She is lambasted publicly for the actions of a few, and my heart breaks. So, I pray for Your church, Lord; she is a strong pillar, I know. But she endures such devastation, most of it unjustly. Strengthen the spirits who come together and call themselves Your church. Fill the cracks. Patch the holes. Satan isn’t going anywhere, but neither are we.
