Answer
Your words…
Pay attention to me and answer me. Psalm 55:2
You answer us in righteousness with awe-inspiring works, the God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the distant seas. Psalm 65:5
My words…
A Plea for Answers
When I read King David’s plea for You to pay attention to him and answer him, I shudder. Who does he think he is, demanding anything of You? But really, deep down in my spirit, I want to pray that same prayer, but I’m too fearful. So I came up with a solution. I will add please to my request so I don’t sound as impertinent. Please pay attention to me and answer me. There.
I have never received an audible answer from You. (Thank You for that. I couldn’t bear up under it.) But as soon as I typed my petition, Your words formed in silence in my mind: You have always had my full attention, my child. And I will always answer you. (Cue the tears.)
Forgive me for thinking that my requests are at the end of a long string of more spiritual requests from more spiritual people and that I need to jump up and down and wave my arms over my head to get Your attention. If I have Your full attention all the time, then I should accept with confidence that my words have been heard, and You have formed Your answer. I have heard and read that You answer prayers in three ways: yes, no, wait. I get that. But here’s what I wonder: How many times have I refused to see an answer because it was not the one I wanted? (You know the number.) I just decided to ignore it. It went away. If I wait long enough, perhaps You will answer it the way I want….eventually. I keep praying, and You say, “I already answered that one.” Therein lies my lack of faith. (It always seems to come down to faith, doesn’t it?)
So today I pray that I will recognize Your answer and obey with belief that it is Your will and best for me. No matter what other voice creeps across my mind. Keep me from the temptation to say, “So many prayers. So few answers.” Every prayer is heard. Every prayer is answered. Amen.
Simple
Your words…
And Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6
My words…
Praise
Life has gotten complicated. I struggle to keep up. Gone are the days when I use paper and pencil to do anything. Screens. My life is lived in front of various sizes of screens, storing and providing me with information. I have no idea how it works. There is a comfort in knowing how something works – like pencil and paper. There is a comfort in knowing simple truths. Like Jesus is Lord. But even You, in the minds of humans, grow complicated. Your message, Your life become entangled with words like sanctification, justification, propitiation, pre-destination, denomination (and many other -ations), and my spirit starts to spin. I furrow my brow and set about disseminating terms and theories and ideologies and arguments, and soon I have complicated You. You did not come to earth to make things more complicated. You came to simplify everything. One very simple offer: Wanna go to heaven and live with God? Follow Me. I’ll take you there. Plain and simple.
Prayer for me
I believe I have made Your gospel more complex than You intended. I created a “gospel maze” and asked a lot of meaningless questions about “the exact point of salvation” and the significance of “70 times 7.” It’s not a maze. It’s a path. Keep me from spending too much time in the maze.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I feel that Your offer of a way to the Father is too straightforward. Surely, the promise of heaven warrants a complex, difficult set of rules and regulations to follow. But that’s not Your plan. It never was.
Prayer for others
I come across so many people who have no interest in meeting You, Father. They decline Jesus’ offer. I pray they will come to accept the simple invitation and be a light in the darkness.
Thank You
Thank You, Jesus, for fulfilling a complicated covenant then freely and lovingly presenting the world with a new, simple way: You.
More praise
When I wonder which path to follow, You are my Way. When I get bogged down with knowing what is right, You are my Truth. And when darkness clouds my spirit, You are my Light. I believe that if I stick with You, I will end up exactly where I belong: in the presence of the Father. And when I am overwhelmed with anxiety, self-doubt, weariness, or confusion, I cling to this simple hope. It has saved me.
Imagination
Your words…
My soul, praise Yahweh! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed in majesty and splendor. He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, laying the beams of His palace on the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind, and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants. Psalm 104:1-4
My words…
Praise
The human imagination: a testament of Your love for Your creation, the door through which I walk when I yearn to leave the tangible behind and enter a world populated by children with stronger faith. My imagination invariably saunters toward heavenly scenes. The sound of crashing waves and furious wind rushes unchecked since there is no boundary or border to stop it, yet there are pockets of serene silence. A triumphant shout shakes the heavens when one of Your beloved turns to You and begs, “Save me!” The heavens are ablaze with light. Not a speck of darkness can withstand the presence of Your radiance. The sweet breath of the Spirit fills the place. Armies of valiant angels wield their weapons to protect me and defend Your church against the Father of Lies. The martyrs and saints stand exalted around You. Your throne is infused with the praise of the trees, the waves, of the singing bird and braying animals, and of Your children. Jesus presents You with platters of prayers, and You fill Your ears and mouth with them – continually hearing and answering. You hold time in one hand and space in another, yet Your hands are not filled. I long to see You with my eyes. But for now, You reign in my imagination.
Prayer for me
My zeal is diminished when I endure long stretches of time trapped within my senses, forsaking the gift of my imagination. Some may claim no use for imagination, but I couldn’t worship You without it. Imagining what could be is not a sign of absurdity. When a child watches rain drops pelt the window and says, “Look! God is crying!”, her words are not folly. They are praise. I pray for that unfettered use of my mind.
Thank You
My imagination is one aspect of my free will, which is a powerful gift from You. It is the only way to see the unseen. It is the only way to envision history: the parting of the Red Sea, the fall of a giant, the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. So, thank You for that lens.
More praise
The Psalmist shared from his imagination, and his scene became Scripture. I love to picture You walking on the wings of the wind. When I ponder Your perfect qualities, Your boundless love, Your heavenly home, I cannot explain. I cannot prove. I can only imagine.
Impossible
Your words…
He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen be angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16
My words…
Praise
Praise to You, the Impossible. This prayer is not devoted to Your “impossible” acts, however glorious they may be. This time I don’t praise You for what you do but for who You are. You, the Holy Son stepped away from the side of Your Father who is All Love and entered a world embroiled in hate. Impossible! You traded the majestic shouts and joyful anthems of the heavenly hosts for the arguments, complaints, threats, and accusations of a clueless humankind. Impossible! You draped Your power with weak human skin, and in that skin You conquered death itself. Impossible! And that is what is so great about adoring You. For who would desire to worship a possible god?
Prayer for me
I am called to live my life with You as my example. The first word that comes to my mind: impossible. (Hello Satan.) I desire Your help and strength to declare that I am the daughter of God, and I have the Impossible living within me. Test me so I will grow to witness more of You in me.
Forgive me
Forgive me for not falling to my knees every day in awe of You.
Prayer for others
Today I pray for those who have lost their belief in the impossible. The stark, repulsive injustices of this world leap before their eyes like actors on a stage, distracting them from the lovely, awful, true story of the incarnation. Help them, Lord, to look beyond their possible existence and explore the Impossible.
Thank You
Thank You for being manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory!
More praise
Madeleine L’Engle writes that belief in the impossible is easiest for the very young and the very old. It’s true for me. As I age, my belief in the impossible grows. I have almost returned to the point of my youth. And for that gift, I give You all praise.
Plans
Your words…
All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord evaluates the motives. Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be achieved. Proverbs 16:2-3
My words…
Praise
Praise to You, the Creator of my known universe and others unknown. You are the one true weigh-er of motives and intentions, supporting the thoughts and actions of Your children. You know the “why” behind every word and deed, evil and good. Following a certain foolish act, I frown and ask myself, “What were you thinking?” You know. When I intentionally stray from Your will and act according to mine, I find myself in justification mode: “Well, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.” You know better. I may fool myself and those around me, but I can never fool You. Thank God!
Prayer for me
I have plans. I have goals. I have shared them with you. Over the past five decades, I have learned that long-term goals never turn out the way I planned, so I don’t bother anymore. But over the next few weeks and months, I will be continuing in some activities and exploring new enterprises. So, I commit them to You today. Scholars tell me that word “commit” is actually translated “roll.” I like that word better. I am rolling my actions onto You. I will do the work through the strength of Your indwelling Spirit. Then I know my plans will be achieved, according to Your will – which is the greatest, most loving will of all.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I have neglected (refused) to roll my work onto You. I surrounded myself with the weight of it, needlessly suffering in the name of PRIDE. “Look what I did!” When really it was crap. (Is dung a better word?) Forgive my rotten motives and stinking intentions.
Thank You
Thank You for encouraging me to roll my activities onto You, so You may carry the weight of them. What peace that affords me! Life seems so much lighter. Each of my accomplished plans are gifts from You. And I am so grateful.
More praise
I commit my actions of the day to You. Give me the strength to accomplish what You would have me to do today. And help me to let the rest go, so when I lay my head on my pillow tonight, I will be assured that I achieved just what you wanted me to.
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.
Learn
Your words…
Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:9-10
My words…
Praise
The most wonderful aspect of Your creation is that it is a reflection of You: Limitless. No one person can know everything about anything. Even if I studied every day of my life, I could never know everything about music, space, literature, plants, math, language, religion, the human body, or any number of subjects. There’s just too much to learn. But You desire that I keep learning every day until I am a citizen of heaven. I am called to be a life-long learner of the Holy One. And just as I could never learn every aspect of molecular biology, so I will never learn every aspect of You. But that’s okay because if I did, You wouldn’t be God.
Prayer for me
Learning is tiring. It requires time devoted to meditation and study. Learning is a disciple, and I’m not very disciplined. I pray for strength to say no to the couch and yes to Scripture.
Forgive me
Sometimes I feel like because I know the basics, I know enough. You created me. You sent Your Son to die for me. He rose. He will come back, and I will get to be with You for eternity. I’ve memorized lists and verses and read through lengthy genealogies and confusing ancient customs. Forgive me for not dedicating myself to explore the whole gift. With all there is to learn, I’ve only just removed the wrapping.
More praise
I praise You as the Teacher who offers me a life-time supply of surprises, perceptions, epiphanies, amazements, and wonderment. And I praise You as the Author of the textbook.
Know
Your words…
This is what the Lord says: The wise man must not boast in his wisdom; the strong man must not boast in his strength; the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows me – that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration. Jeremiah 9:23-24
My words…
Praise
The finite cannot grasp the infinite. The created cannot fathom the creator. I cannot comprehend You. You dwell unseen but see everything. There is nothing You do not know and nothing You cannot do. I get weighed down with this truth. It’s too much to pass through my brittle mind. Then I read the simplicity of Your words through Jeremiah, and my mind softens. I learn that You don’t expect me to understand Your infiniteness. You just want me to know You through what delights You. All I need to know about You can be found in Your faithful love, Your justice, and Your righteousness. And although each of these facets of You is unsearchable, You narrowed it down to three (for me). So, if You don’t mind, I will focus on those three for the rest of my life.
Prayer for me
I have never known a celebrity. But if I did, I would boast to all of my friends because knowing someone famous would make me look important. And then I ponder: I know You, and You not only measure Your love using compass points, You created the compass points. Why am I not boasting to everyone that I am the daughter of the King? Why am I not sharing with others the importance of knowing You? Why? Because I am weak. Because I am distracted. Because I am weary. Because. Because. Because. There should never be a because.
Forgive me
Forgive my weakness. Forgive my excuse-making for not boasting in my knowledge of You. My path to knowing You is not as worn as it should be.
Prayer for others
Father, I pray for those who refuse to know You. It’s as if they are eating sand while standing within reach of a table of bounty. Lead them out of the desert and to the feast.
Thank You
Thank You for inviting me to know You. It is the greatest privilege of my life. And the best part is that it will never end.
More praise
I know You, Lord, through Your faithful love to me. You knew me before I was born, and You loved me then. I know You, Lord, through Your justice. You promise comfort to the down-trodden, and You have declared that the unrepentant evil-doer will suffer Your wrath. I know You, Lord, through Your righteousness. Everything You do is right. Your words and deeds luminate the path for me to follow after You. Just this drop of knowledge of You is enough to meditate on for a lifetime. I look forward to the “someday” when I will be soaked with understanding.