Lord, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am. You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my lifespan as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor. Psalm 39:4-5
My words…
With You, Lord, I may approach You with any number of ramblings, questions, complaints, musings, revelations, doubts, and requests. It is not lost on me that this is astonishing to say the least. I, a simple, undeserving soul, have unlimited access to the Ancient of Days, the One who thunders in the heavens, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the only true God. I know this because David knew it. And David wrote it.
Like in this Psalm. He is not asking of you the date of his death as if he could mark it on his calendar. His heart was too much like yours to make such a foolish request. I think he was having one of those introspective days when he looked back on his life and considered what was to come. I’ve had those days myself. Memories of my childhood pop into my mind when I hear an old song. Images of my wedding day and the births of my children scroll across my eyes like a diorama. I hear peels of laughter as one jumps into a pool while another sings a silly song about Pop-Tarts. I reflect on the innumerable words I have heard from teachers and have read in books, humorous conversations with friends, embraces with those who were hurting, and alone time with You. Cleaning toilets, baking cookies, teaching grammar, making mistakes, sleeping in, watching baseball—a lifetime of doing, thinking, and resting. I’ve already lived a full life, and I’m not done. And yet, it’s all a vapor. Poof, I’m here. Poof, I’m gone. My wee life is just one of gazillions that have been and will be on this blue marble. But I don’t mind because it marks a place in Your infinity that is wholly me. A pin prick on the timeline of earth, but it’s my pin prick. You created me for that space so I may live and laugh and love. I am so grateful. I pray I have been and will continue to be a pleasing aroma to You and not a stinging smoke.
Mary took a pound of fragrant oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas Iscariot said, “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial.” John 12:3-7
Whoever gives a cup of water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple—I assure you: He will never lose his reward. Matthew 10:42
My words…
My Bible is filled with heart-wrenching, mind-bending, tear-duct-emptying words intended to lead me to know You better. (Thank You for that.) Some of my favorite words are the ones where You take an imperfect earthly perception and send it through a heavenly masher. Out pops a divinely perfect truth. A Holy Trinity perception. Amazing! Here’s an example: In the Kingdom of God, what is spent and what is wasted is determined by You in a perfect way, a higher way. So different from how we do things in the world. In Your kingdom, a missionary’s embrace of a person wet from baptism is as valuable as a million-dollar pledge to a church building project. A divinely inspired word of encouragement is as precious as a well-stocked food bank. A cup of cold water given in Your name is as expensive as Mary’s nard. Anything spent on You is an investment yielding an eternal reward.
Mary performed an act of pure worship that cost her a year’s wages. Perfume spent but not wasted. On his way to teach, the Apostle Paul endured a day and night on the open sea. Physical health spent but not wasted. I used up the better part of two days creating a Bible bingo game for my class of 4–6-year-olds. They were more interested in the plastic square markers than they were in learning the all-important Bible facts. Time spent but not wasted? Not sure about that one, I must say.
I love to read the story of Mary’s sacrifice of perfume and her expression of adoration while drying Your feet with her hair. That must have felt…heavenly. You are so worthy of such an act.
I praise You and thank You for allowing me the honor of worshipping You in any form and Your loving acceptance of it. You waste none of it.
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
My words…
In truth, I don’t like to think about blood. I instinctively recoil when I see blood oozing from my skin (or anyone else’s). I prefer my blood stay inside my veins, so I don’t have to see it; therefore, I don’t have to think about it. But blood is mentioned in my Bible a lot! And I think this means I need to pay attention to blood. Especially Your blood, Jesus. I need to think long and hard about it.
You created blood to be the life-source of my body. If too much of it leaks out, I die. When Your blood leaked out, You died, but it did something that no one else’s shed blood had ever done. It cleansed. Your blood is a cleansing agent—a detergent for my sins. So, when I stand before You, I am clothed in garments whiter than snow, as is every believer. That is wonder-working powerful blood.
I am glad I do not have to stand in Your presence wearing my sin. It’s slimy and putrid and gross and crimson, not befitting the radiant throne room of the Ancient of Days. And because I now live in the South, my sins aren’t white as snow. They’re white as cotton.
There are also so many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. John 21:25
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. Isaiah 55:8
My words…
There are times when I read Your words, and I can’t help but act like a four-year-old with a parent, asking the question all four-year-olds ask: “Why?” (“Why do I have to eat my peas?” “Why can’t I fly like Superman?” “Why does snot come out of my nose?”)
Here is a recent short list for You, Lord: Why did You create women physically weaker than men? Why are there so many insects? Why didn’t John write more about You, Jesus?
My questions originate from an overly curious mind. Curiosity—that quality You created within me. I know You know the answers, and I know they are good answers, most of which I will never know this side of heaven. But that’s okay because my curiosity about You fuels further meditation and wonderment. The more I ask, “why?” the closer my spirit aligns with Yours as I contemplate what You must have been (or are) thinking. And when the created contemplates the thoughts of the Creator, good stuff happens. Even when I walk away with more whys, I am elevated to a higher level of curiosity about You. Yay!
I praise You for Your patience with me as I plow You with whys. You didn’t seem to mind when King David did it. Your thoughts are not mine. Mine are not Yours. Even so, You allow me to throw my inquiries, notions, objections, and harebrained opinions against the wall to see what sticks. Most of it slithers to the floor. But, hey, that leads to more whys. And after years (decades) of this erratic rhythm, I can honestly attest that the why path has led me to trust You more and more with each question, whether or not You share the answer. I can’t explain why that works. You know why.
A lion, which is mightiest among beasts, doesn’t retreat before anything. Proverbs 30:30
“Your God rescues and delivers; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:27
Be serious! Be Alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1 Peter 5:8
And I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop Crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has been victorious so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:4-5
My words…
The lion, a symbol of strength and victory—revered and feared. Beauty with might. Supremacy with terror. That’s You, Jesus—the Lion of Judah.
I have watched enough nature television programming to witness a mature lion in action: bounding, mauling, ripping. It is terrifying to view even from my couch. I often turn my face away. To know You as a lion contradicts You as the Lamb of God, Prince of Peace, Light of the World. But when evil lurks, with an intent to devour, the Lamb, the Prince, and the Light rears and roars like a lion. Muscles taught, eyes blazing, teeth and claws bared. Satan may prowl (stalk) and roar (intimidate), but You rescue (save) and deliver (win). You don’t retreat before anything.
You were there, unseen, when Daniel was forced into a den of starving lions. After decades of worship and steadfast prayer to his God, Daniel feared only an uncomfortable night’s sleep. The Lion of Judah shut the mouths of the lions of Babylon.
Some may recoil at the image of You as a lion, but I do not. In fact, the thought buoys my spirit! If I had the eyes of heaven to watch You, Lion of Judah, I would never turn my face away. You are revered through worship, feared by demons.
You, Lord, will guide us. You will protect us from this generation forever. The wicked wander everywhere, and what is worthless is exulted by the human race. Psalm 12:7-8
“My Father is still working, and I am working also.” John 5:17
My words…
Sometimes I think this whole world is shopping for a handbasket in which to descend to hell, as if it’s their only alternative. Wow. What a way to begin a prayer. You know what I mean better than anyone. David knew also, so I’m in good company. Then, just when I think the handbasket store will sell out, You show up.
I have been uplifted to learn of pockets of spiritual revival across the world, the likes of which I have not witnessed in my lifetime. Thousands of Your disciples are marching peacefully along crowded urban streets and gathering on college campuses, witnessing and praying with any who don’t know You. And it’s working. Actually, You’re working. Throngs of those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness (even when they don’t realize it) are shown where the true Bread of Life and Living Fountain reside. Jesus, Your light is chasing the darkness away. It’s as if You have taken me by the shoulders, given me a good shake, and cried, “Snap out of it! I’ve got this!”
I allow Satan’s triumphs to obscure Your work in the land of the living. Please forgive me. Not one soul is outside the boundary of Your love. Each one, even those who curse You or ignore You, is pursued by their Creator. It’s what loving Fathers do. So, it shouldn’t surprise me when evidence of Your victories erupts around me.
I pray this surge of revival will spread like wildfire. Guard this new generation of believers. Their faith is fragile, and the Evil One is on the prowl. And I pray the handbasket store will have a going-out-of-business sale.
After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves because the wind was against them. Around three in the morning, He came to them, walking on the sea. Matt. 14:23-25
My words…
There is nothing that I take more seriously than my salvation in You, Lord. Your death and resurrection were the culmination of God’s plan of love for me, and I am grateful every day of my life. Having written that, I have been thinking lately about having fun. Not my fun. Your fun.
Jesus, I know You must have experienced bouts of fun, even hilarity, while wearing human skin. But I don’t read much about that in scripture. I get it. You came to seek and save the lost—serious business indeed. But there are times, reading between the lines, when You must have cracked up!
Creation must have been amusing for You. How could You have created the giraffe, peacock, and proboscis monkey without busting out laughing?
I bet James and John shared some funny fishing jokes. One or more of Your disciples could throw out a witty impersonation, certainly. And the children who flocked around You must have provided lively entertainment.
You performed miracles to reflect the glory of God and pour Your love and compassion on the hurting, but they had to be fun as well. After healing a lame man, You must have chuckled as he jumped, danced, and attempted a cartwheel. Walking on water in the middle of the night— the epitome of fun!
You were so abominably treated while on earth, I hope You found time to belly laugh with Your friends. I don’t like to think of You as intensely stoic as You are sometimes portrayed. You created humor. Some people are so good at making others laugh. It wouldn’t surprise me if You were one.
Why do My people claim, “We will go where we want; we will no longer come to You?” Can a young woman forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for countless days.” Jeremiah 2:31b-32
My words…
Some things are not meant to be forgotten. I’ve never seen a bride walk down the aisle in her bath robe because she forgot to bring her dress. A lioness does not forget to feed her young. The rain does not forget to fall. Migration does not slip the mind of the hummingbird.
You, Lord, are not meant to be forgotten.
You, who rides on the clouds and works wonders, whose sanctuary is filled with strength and beauty, who will bring every hidden thing to judgment. You, who rises up to show compassion, who calls the starry host by name, who stirs up the sea so its waves roar. You, who established the world by His wisdom and spread out the heavens by His understanding, who holds my life breath in His hand, who makes the dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth.
Yahweh is Your name. Never to be forgotten.
And yet…
You were forgotten in an age long ago by Your chosen people. You are forgotten now in this age. Just because You’re God doesn’t mean You’ve grown accustomed to it. That’s what I think, anyway.
I consider how it feels to be forgotten: broken-hearted, worthless, hollow.
“How could anyone forget You?” I say. “How could anyone make You feel that way?” Oh, I see. It’s done when someone wants to go where they want and do what they want without regard to You or Your instructions.
Hmmm. This sounds vaguely familiar. How many times have I gone my own way without regard to You or what Your will is for me? The truth is, I put You out of my mind. I forgot You. And like the Israelites, I did it for countless days. Then, repentance and forgiveness followed: a precious reminder why You should never be forgotten.
Lord, I pray for those who have forgotten You. Your love for them is not affected by their forgetfulness because You can’t help Yourself. You are love. Send them reminders, Lord, so the countless days will come to an end.
It bothers me when I think of You as forgotten. As surely as the earth spins on its axis, so should the created be constantly mindful of its Creator. Well, that’s the way it should be, anyway.
Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man—by what means he was healed—let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing here before you healthy. This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.” When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:8-13
My words…
Jesus, You must be so proud of Peter! He may have stumbled during Your trial, denying he even knew You, but once the Spirit took hold, he was off and running. The gumption he exhibited during his short walk with You on the waters of Galilee resurfaced in the face of Israel’s leaders. He did not own the caliber of resumé they would have expected for one who preached heart-piercing sermons and miraculously healed the afflicted. His professional credentials would have read something like this:
Decades of experience navigating the waters of the Sea of Galilee in a family-owned business, fishing expert, proficient in net mending, team leader and mentor.
Without a Master in Divinity or a PhD in Biblical Studies, Peter stood toe-to-toe with the literate and lofty teachers of the law. For good measure, he threw in a reminder of who had killed the Son of God (You guys!) before He was raised from the dead! (Go Peter!) The leaders stood there with furrowed brows. There was something about Peter that reminded them of…that’s it! Jesus! They recognized You in Peter. He may not have had letters after his name, but Peter had “Jesus creds”—the rightful terminal degree.
Peter’s bold, practical, life-changing message was a result of hours, days and years spent in the presence of You—Master Teacher, Prince of Peace, Consolation of Israel. Peter listened. Peter learned. Peter grew. That’s what happens to people who spend a lot of time with You, Jesus.
Over the years, I have come to recognize those who have earned Jesus creds. They possess a visible inner peace. They never boast about themselves. They smile—a lot. They don’t crumble when life gets tough. They have a bible handy, and they read it. To them, worrying is a waste of time and energy. They recognize evil when others do not. They praise You for their accomplishments. They don’t love money. When they sin, they seek forgiveness.
I pray, Lord, I will seek to spend more time with You. I pray to live out my ministry with boldness so others will recognize I have been with You. There is no higher honor.
Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! 1 John 3:1
Both the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. Hebrews 2:11
My words…
Father God, since I can’t fathom your fullness, all the boundless traits that make up who You are, neither can I comprehend my place as Your child. It’s a truth I know in my mind but one which resides with the birth of a star, the depths of the ocean, the splitting of the Red Sea, the migration path of the bar-tailed godwits, and the resurrection of Your Son—too magnificent to take in. But my feeble spirit endeavors all the same. Indeed, I am a child of the One who is love, the King over all the earth, the God who performs wonders, the righteous judge. My earthly family status matters not; I am not a celebrity or a child of one. I hold no important social position. But in the heavenly realms, I am rather important, aren’t I? And it’s only because of Your love for me.
Prayer for Your children….
Like all fathers, You have suffered disappointment at the hands of Your children. We are a rebellious lot. We come and go in our devotion to You. In the face of Your instruction, we throw the occasional tantrum and stomp our feet. When we don’t get what we want when we want, we pout. Worse yet, we storm out. I know, for myself, I have acted like a spoiled brat many times, taking for granted my position within Your kingdom. Forgive my inexcusable pride and ingratitude. Praise be to my Father who lovingly claims me as His child even when I don’t act like it.
More praise…
As Your child, I am a member of a huge family. The heroes of faith I read about in scripture are all my siblings as are Your devoted followers over the centuries. And wonder of wonders—Jesus, You are my brother. I can’t wait for this family reunion!
