God is the Fountain Whence

Pray the Hymn

God is the fountain whence ten thousand blessings flow; To Him my life, my health and friends, and every good I owe.

You are the sweet, flowing source of my limitless blessings; All of the good things in my life – my health, friends, family – I owe to You.

The comforts He affords are neither few nor small; He is the source of fresh delights, my portion and my all.

The comforting peace You offer is no small thing; All of the wonders of this world that delight me are gifts from You: the sweet song of the birds at dawn, the feel of a cool breeze on a summer day, the laughter of a dad and his children playing, the taste of perfectly brewed tea, the smell of baking bread, the certainty of Your Spirit instructing mine. You are all I need to live fulfilled in every way.

He fills my heart with joy. My lips attunes for praise; and to His glory I’ll devote the remnant of my days.

Perfect joy is found in You. I hold Your joy in my heart, and it is filled to the brim. Because of this, I want to sing like an angel. And for Your glory I will remain faithful to You for the rest of my life. Amen.

Honesty

Your words…

Lord, how long will You forget me? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, I will sleep in death. My enemy will say, I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.  Psalm 13, a psalm of David

My words…

Praise
I view my prayers as offerings of time and thought and faith. I bring before You various expressions as responses to Your words to me. You speak. I listen. I respond. Being Omniscient God, You know my prayer before I pray it. You know my prayer without me having to say it out loud; I can just think it, and it’s a prayer. Which got me thinking. The prayers I verbalize (write) are only honest to a point because I am only honest with everyone to a point. It’s a defense mechanism (A human term for humans!). Being completely open with others can cause all sorts of drama and trauma. But is that true with You? David obviously didn’t have a problem being completely open with You. He filled some of his prayers with barbs and complaints that make me wince. How dare he speak to You that way? Who does he think he is anyway? Oh yeah, he’s the man after Your own heart. He stood firm in the shadow of a giant. He was anointed king then spent years on the run for his life. He faced danger as a shepherd, as a solider, as a king. When you rescued him, he wrote songs about it. He knew You could stand up against his brutal honesty because it was always surrounded by declarations of adoration and gratitude. And I read that although David ranted and railed, he ranted and railed to You – the only God in existence. You were his only Savior. You were his only Deliverer. That’s honesty robed in faith.
Prayer for me
I have yet to stand in the shadow of a giant or flee for my life. Do I have the same right to be honest with You? If I understand correctly “no respecter of persons” then I believe that I hold that same right. I’m not sure I have put into thought what I truly feel, let alone verbalize it. (Is this even a good idea? Not sure.) But here goes: I don’t have a question of You forgetting about me or turning Your face from me, which is the basis for my first complaint. If You know who I am, and You know my struggle, then why the wait? Where’s Your answer? Sure, I realize that You are not a gumball machine, but I’m talking decades here! Will I even see the answers before I die? (Whew. This is not easy. How did David do it?) And another thing. Evil is everywhere. In every crevice and cranny. Are the archangels being overrun? Has the trumpet of the Lord gone silent? I don’t expect holy behavior from the world. Civilized is close enough. How much longer will the rapes, mutilations, torture, and murders persist around the globe? The planet has been spinning for a gazillion years. I would have thought we’d have gotten farther along by now. (Okay, I’m done.)
More praise
Well, that wasn’t as cathartic as I thought it would be. I pray with the weight of my entire spirit that You are not offended with me. I couldn’t handle that. Was it honest? Yep. Was it necessary? Nope. And truthfully, I think I know the answers to all of my ranting questions. One can’t be a follower of Christ for as long as I have and not know a little of how You work. So, I will wait on You while I continue my petitions. You are my only Savior, my only Deliverer. It may sound like a cop-out to some, but it’s actually honesty robed in faith.

Seek

Your words…

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10

My words…

Praise
Who is seeking whom here? I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking You are stationary. I do the searching, and when I find the right path which leads to Your throne, the game of hide and seek is over. Yay! I win! But the fact that You seek me – well, that changes everything. As C. S. Lewis expounds, “But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband – that is quite another matter.” What does that say about You? What kind of God would take it upon Himself to do the seeking? And then I think about the parents who search for their missing child for years, devoting all of their life savings, chasing down every lead in hopes of saving their precious loved one. Yet Your love is of a purer variety, perfect and limitless. And so You seek because when You seek, You save. So seek. Seek every day. Seek perfectly.
Prayer for others
The exciting thing about believing in You is learning more deeply how You work. You are never idle. You are always moving, always seeking to draw another soul to You. You don’t like separation. I pray for that soul You have been seeking for years and years. I pray that person will turn her eyes toward You because when she does, she will bump right into You.
More praise
If You didn’t love, You wouldn’t seek. But it’s not just that You love. You are Love. I can’t grasp it. I can’t explain it. I only know it’s true. It’s the hook on which I hang my belief (if it were a coat). I was sought by You – the hunter, king, husband – because You love me. There is no greater title that I can wear: One sought by God.

Psalm

Your words…

God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate and without water. So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory. My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life. So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name, I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:1-4

My words…

Who can write like David? Not me. His prayers and songs to You have freed the shackled hearts of people for centuries. I just listened to the story of man, worldly in every way, who, upon hearing one sentence from one hymn, found You. And he didn’t even know he was seeking. Just one phrase of a song brought tears to his eyes and his spirit to its knees. I know how he feels! There have been so many psalmists besides David who have drawn words from deep within their souls, like water from a well, and recorded them for You and for others. As much as I would love to write a psalm worthy of David’s, my well is not as deep. So I offer to You, my favorite psalms, written by others, strung together in one song of praise and reflection. Your angels can put it to music:
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die.
You didn’t want heaven without us, so, Jesus, You brought heaven down.
The waves and wind still know Your name.
Who would have thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men?
Unheard by mortals are the strains that sweetly soothe the Savior’s woe.
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
But this I know with all my heart; His wounds have paid my ransom.
I can only imagine.
The heavens are roaring the praise of Your glory, for You are raised to life again.
Bread of heaven, feed me til I want no more.
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well with my soul.
Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart.
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee.
God, who called me here below, shall be forever mine.
God has made His saints victorious; sin and death shall not prevail.
Lift your voice; it’s the year of Jubilee. And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes.
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be. Lord let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
Swing low, sweet chariot
Amen and amen.

Room

Your words…

Then Mary gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough – because there was no room for them at the lodging place.  Luke 2:7

My words…

A Christmas Prayer
Two grammatical clauses. The first prosaically describes Your arrival – the unblemished lamb, the mighty lion, the only begotten, – freely departing the dazzling radiance of heaven and the precious union with Your Father to wear human skin to cover the veins that held the necessary ounces of blood needed to save me. Boundless joy!
But the second clause takes my joy and drapes it with sadness. There was no room for You. No room! The earth is a rather spacious planet, but You, Father, chose to send Jesus to a place and time where He would not fit. Of course You did! How can the Creator fit within His created? Just as You did not fit inside a crowded Bethlehem lodge, so Your message of unconditional love, equality, justice, and salvation did not fit the preconceived ideas of the stubborn tribal nation to which You were born. There just wasn’t enough room for that too-good-to-be-true message.
I ponder Your unfathomable traits: You were not created (You have always been). You are all in all, the beginning and end. But there is one place I know where You fit perfectly. Yep. My heart. I’ve made room for You there.

Overwhelmed

Your words…

But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” The course of my life is in Your power; deliver me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors. Show Your favor to Your servant; save me by your faithful love. Psalm 31:14-16

My words…

A prayer of the overwhelmed 
Lord, I spend a fair amount of time reasoning through Your word as it applies to my twenty-first century life. When David pleads with You to deliver him from the power of his persecutors, he was referring to mean people with sharp weapons who were intent on killing him. I am not in danger from mean people with sharp weapons. My greatest persecutor is ME. David says, “The course of my life is in Your power.” I say, “The course of my life is in MY power.” I make all of the decisions, setting my own schedule, relying on my own strength. Then, when things don’t go according to plan, I drop my head in my hands, overwhelmed by unmet deadlines, deferred responsibilities, and uncooperative technology. At the end of the day, I am left feeling hollow, discontent, and restless. My spirit reels.
And then, Your Spirit calls the class to order and begins to teach. (A repeat lesson, I am sad to say.) In whom should I place my trust to direct my daily plans? In the One who will deliver me from my own habit of power-grabbing. In the One who will grant me a day of blessing and contentment. My deadlines may not get met, and technology may still fail me, but what You will for that day will be accomplished because, ultimately, the course of my life is in Your power. When I truly grasp that truth in my heart, I am no longer overwhelmed, and my spirit is grounded. What peace! I slide into bed at the end of the day and pray a four-word prayer: “You are my God.” And then I close my eyes and sleep.

Consolation

Your words…

The Spirit of God is on Me because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn.  Isaiah 61:1-2
There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God, and said, “Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace, as You promised. For my eyes have seen Your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples – a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel.” His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and told His mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed – and a sword will pierce your own soul – that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  Luke 2:25-35

My words…

In a world where I console the baby, You sent a baby to console me. Jesus’ birth, His first coming, is You placing Your cool, tender hand on the burning hot forehead of the world. Comfort, at last. The cries of the infant Jesus were trumpets, heralding an end to sin’s bondage and oppression. His laughter was a sweet bell, a joyful peal to announce the only way to true freedom. Simeon longed to see and hold Your comfort, and You sustained him until he could. The throngs who daily visited and worshiped at the temple had no idea that Simeon held the Salvation of the World. The One whom they prayed would come, holding a sword, reeking havoc on Israel’s enemies, brought instead comfort to Israel, to the Gentiles, to the world forever. A little Baby. A Comforter. Amazing.  And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise, with all my heart I praise Your holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise, His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Scripture

Your words…

The Risen Savior appears…
And as the apostles were saying these things, He Himself stood among them. He said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. “Why are you troubled?” He asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
Then He told them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the scriptures. Luke 24:36-39, 44-45

 

My words…

Praise
Jesus, I am so happy You chose to stick around earth for a while following Your resurrection. I am so blessed when I read the encounters You had with Your disciples. Most all of them reacted the same way upon seeing you: joyfully terrified beyond belief – and confused. Those of us living a couple of thousand years later may not understand the confusion. You did mention to Your apostles, on more than one occasion, that You would suffer, die and rise again on the third day. But it seems they did not fully understand Your meaning. Nor did they fully understand the Psalmist’s prophetic declaration that the Messiah would not see decay. So, as a final parting gift, You dispelled the confusion and opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Wait. What? You opened their minds to understand the scriptures! I wish I could have seen the apostles’ faces as the epiphanies unfolded in that place. Suddenly everything they had heard You say made sense. All of their questions were answered. And with this influx of understanding, I can only believe they clung to You, knowing fully Your true nature. Only You, so full of love, would choose this way to prepare them for what lay ahead.
Prayer for me
Your words tug at my thoughts. As You know, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I read in the Bible. At times, I am overwhelmed by the density of the verses (Hebrews) and at other times, I am just as confused as the Apostles (Nephilim?) It is during these times that I ask of You the same gift You imparted to Your apostles following Your resurrection: Open my mind to understand the scriptures. I desire a deeper understanding of Your word. I desire more epiphanies!
Forgive me
Forgive me when I neglect to depend on Your power – Your Spirit – when contemplating Your words. I long to know You better, but that cannot be accomplished if I rely on my own understanding of scripture. Forgive me when I do not treat Your words with the respect they deserve.
Prayer for others
I pray for those servants who have taken on the mission of getting a Bible into the hands of everyone on the planet. Your words are power – power enough to change the lives of people and change the direction of nations, and because of this, owning and reading the Bible has been outlawed in many countries. So I pray for those who risk their lives in order to own a Bible. Open their minds to understand the scriptures!
Thank You
I am grateful for every Spirit-drenched word You left behind. I wish there were more! I would love to read exactly what You, Elijah, and Moses discussed during Your time of transfiguration. A few more verses about what happens in the unseen spiritual realm would also be heartening. But I believe Your wisdom determined the canon, and I thank You that everything I need to know to live the life You intend for me is found within Your two convenants.
More praise
Jesus, when You stood among Your disciples as a risen Savior, You imparted the perfect words to allay their fears and fill their hearts: “Peace to You. Why are you troubled? It’s Me!” And that is just one message among hundreds that I go to in scripture when I am fearful and confused. Your words are eternal and transforming in every culture and every age. The best part? Each word was written out of love for me, love for Your children. And that is why I hold them close.

 

 

Thorn

Your words…

Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

My words…

Praise
Father, when I lift my heart to You in prayer, I intentionally use my first words as words of praise and exultation. They are my “first fruit” words that I lay at your feet, acknowledging Your ability and willingness to answer my petitions, forgive my short-comings, and accept my thanksgiving. But, today I am unsure how to praise You. Your chosen apostle, Your tireless servant, humbly entreated You to comfort him from a chronic, physical ailment or deficiency that plagued him every waking hour. You allowed this thorn, this tormenting message from Satan, to weaken Paul and cause him to cry out to You three times. Your answer each time? No. I have prayed to You to guide my thoughts to understand what You want me to learn from Paul’s prayers. And I think the key word for me to ponder is weakness. I don’t find any enjoyment in thinking about my weaknesses. Who does? As humans, we have conquered, built, invented, and explored not from a foundation of weakness, but in a belief that strength is the key to success. So, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that You would work through our weaknesses to grow more reliant on You. Your ways are opposed to the ways of the world. It pains me to read about Paul’s entreaties. He had suffered so much in Your name: beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment. Yet You knew his faith and reliance on You would only grow stronger if he remained tormented by the “thorn.”  His weakened body was the perfect vessel in which You chose to work.  And he gladly accepted Your answer to his prayer. His weakness made him strong, and You needed a strong Paul. At times, Your ways are difficult and painful to endure. Praise be to the God of heaven who knows to use our weaknesses to make us strong. We wouldn’t have figured it out on our own.
Prayer for me
Lord, I need to trust You more. I have placed at Your feet petitions for me and for others, and You have answered in the same way You answered Paul: No. Then I wonder: Do You hear me? Do You care? You have shown me, through Paul, that negative answer to prayer is Your way of growing my faith and my resolve to depend upon You. Like Paul, I want Christ’s power to reside in me. This is my earnest prayer.
Forgive me
It is hard to admit that, after all these years, I still wonder if You hear me. What a faithless child I am. Forgive my lack of faith. I read about the Apostle Paul, and I am awed by his acceptance of Your will in his life. I know in my heart that Paul’s level of faith is not out of reach for me. Pardon my unwillingness to desire a life where my weaknesses and my discomfort are the way to a stronger faith in You.
Prayer for others
Lord, You know how many suffer from various thorns in the flesh. So many. Our bodies are susceptible to the prick and pain of various kinds of thorns. Some are facing surgery tomorrow morning. Many are receiving treatments, leaving them weak and anxious. Others know their moments on this earth are but a few. Lord, I am saddened by those I know who are suffering, but I pray You will use their weakness to grow their faith. I pray that even in the middle of pain, You will give them the strength to smile and turn their face upward to You in a show of submission and praise.
Thanksgiving
Thank you for the lessons You teach through Your holy words. They are hard lessons, but I can learn them from no one else. Thank you for being the God who loves me enough to teach me the only way that’s worth living.
More Praise
You are a mighty, strong God who yearns to see me grow through my weakness. You are the giver of grace. Your grace is sufficient. Your grace is enough.