Power encounters....

"I'm attempting to walk with you here..."

It was a true blessing to hear these words from a friend of mine this past week. It showed me the person really cared about how I was and who I am. We were engaging in a conversation and the person opposite me was doing more than just pretending to care. Our talk was more than just a casual, "How ya doin'? I'll be on my way now..." The person actually stopped and listened to what I had to say and wasn't befuddled when I failed to respond to his question with a quick or expected answer. I wasn't just someone he was connecting with on the way to another errand. I had his attention, however momentary, and he had mine.

In the midst of multitasking and a thousand other things to do, this person gave me a rare gift in a minute or two of singular focus. He allowed me to have what I am guilty of not giving others often enough; I'm to quick to speak and despite training, I struggle to listen without interjecting and interrupting. I assume I know what the person is probably going to say next, or worse yet, I tell somebody I understand his or her situation when I only have slight impressions with which to judge. 

"I'm attempting to walk with you here" seems so gracious because it opens the door to further interaction and  shares with me the hope you might really want to know me a little. I'm not just your fellow church-member, classmate, or person sharing the doorway. Attempting to walk with me or gain any sense of my spiritual and emotional pulse is quite possibly going to require more than a few moments of random chit-chat.

I'm not saying that every relationship has to go deep and extend beyond a friendly handshake. I am saying that most notable friendships and conversations I have with people require time which we (myself not exempted) often have difficulty giving. Too often, we give in to checklists, other good excuses, and the swirling thoughts of a perpetually distracted mind. 

When somebody gives me the actual gift of attempting to walk with me, I'm going to stop and take note. It doesn't happen in places where I am too often; I wish it would happen more. In even attempting to walk with me for a few minutes, my friend gave me valuable insight into what I might be able to share more of with others. The investment toward relationship is a powerful one and I'm thinking believers should pause to match pace with each other more frequently. Within a world of pain and despair; it shouldn't hurt us to help out a little more by taking time to get to know each other better.   

Keeping On...

Thank You, Lord, we can be strong in Your strength and by Your Spirit…

We can find our strength, vitality, and sufficiency for each task by confiding in Your all-sufficiency; our competency and independence comes as a result of depending on You for all things (www.bible.org).

Lord, we are grateful for the strength to keep waiting even when the wait is long and the sighs are many.

We don’t have a lot of answers, but we keep breathing in and out, and you give us insight to do whatever comes next. Moving from Point A to Point B is for many an act of grace and faith.

We praise You that You don’t grow faint or excessively tired; Your Scripture teaches there is no limit to Your wisdom and adequacy.

You are the capable Deliverer of Your people, the One who faithfully executes Your decrees as Your people continually hope in You.

YHWH, Provider, Magnificent Creator, revive us again. Renew our energy and give fresh strength to those who are ready to dropout or drop over (adapted from The Message).

Thank You that we can trade our insufficient strength for Your omnipotent strength; You give us durable, stable, power to sustain us while we are feeling weary, weak, and powerless to succeed according to our own resources.

We often long for You to grant us greater understanding of our immediate circumstances, but we need patience and courage to rest in You regardless of Your direction in our lives…

Show grace to those who yearn for sunshine but are experiencing fog at many turns…

His Strength, Not Mine

Anyway…

I’ll praise Your Name, Lord

And sing Your song.

I’ll praise Your Name, Lord

My whole life long;

I’ll praise Your Name, Lord

Until I’m home,

I’ll praise Your Name, Lord,

And sing Your song.

Lord, will You show Your presence strong even on the days I don’t feel like praising You? Will You guide my hands, my feet, my tongue, my words?  Will you give me grace and patience for all the little routine tasks which frustrate me?

Sometimes I feel drained, Lord; Sometimes, I’m distracted.  Sometimes I don’t feel like being nice and my song is hidden somewhere where it can’t be easily reached.  I want a break from being Amie, and I struggle much with being envious.  I dislike shoes which fall off, and sand which is hard to walk through, and dogs who ignore me when I call their names.

Thank You, Lord, that Your song is so much greater than mine, Thank You for the renewal of hope which appears with each new sunrise.

Thank You, Lord that until I’m home happens Day by day and with each passing moment.

Thank You Lord, for giving me space to be real with You. You know the attitudes, actions, and motives of my heart anyway…

Renewed Day by Day

Father, thank You for the glimmers of hope You offer…

Thank You for providing strength and breath for next steps.

Thank You for not leaving Naomi miserable, disillusioned, and broken. You are the God of endings and beginnings. You are the God who reminds us to keep trusting You even when life is hard and trust is difficult to find.

Thank You for reminding us You can renew our harvest after seasons of drought, famine, hunger, and death.

Thank You for reminding us You can send new and different blessings in place of blessings now departed.

You are able to make the bitter pleasant again as time passes and circumstances change.

Father, I pray for those needing tangible hope right now. I would seek employment for the jobless, open doors for the discouraged, and relationships for the lonely.

Father, we know our greatest hope and peace is found in perfect harmony with You.

Our joy in You will have its fullest expression in eternity where we will be able to praise You without hindrance or impediment.

Lord, we are not home yet…give us patience while we are waiting.

Thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit who comforts, instructs, and abides forever.

Whereas the Israelites possessed a Hope expectant…we possess a Hope both realized and a Hope returning.

 “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy." (1 Peter 1:8).

Thank You for setting us free to worship You. Thank You most sincerely for being our Living Hope.

We look forward to seeing you because we know that in our time of meeting our joy will be even fuller than we can possible imagine on this ordinary day!

Praise Your Name!

Courtesy

Lord, thank You for reminding me small courtesies still matter…

Things I might otherwise pass off as inconsequential perhaps are not so inconsequential. Attending to little details with friends and neighbors may help build relationships rather than leaving them lie.

Kind words and compliments are still important.

Brief visits and hugs are important too.

Sincere words of apology or explanation are worth a mint especially if a person is not anticipating them to come.

Earnest love and appreciation cover over a multitude of sins.

In 1 Peter 4: 9, the Scriptures ask us to show hospitality toward others without grumbling or grudging. As possible, believers are to go beyond what is conventional in seeking to assist those around them.

Forgive me, Lord, for the times this week I have let little things slip by; I have failed to serve You and others as I ought.

I have made excuses for my lack of attention.

I have blamed my poor attitude on various negligible things which are quite insignificant within the whole scheme of life.

I have said things better left unsaid.

I have done things better left undone.

I need cleansing grace and a renewed outlook.

Thank You for all the ways You speak. Thank You for the hands You use to knock firmly on my door.

Where I Am...

Lord, where is the balance between competency and humility?

I have been reminded again and again lately of the verses which state that You made Yourself of no reputation in order that You might serve humankind. I want to live a life which resembles Yours in every respect, but so often I let pride get in the way.

Please continue teaching me what it looks like to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Both pride and vainglory are destructive to Christian love; they kindle within us unchristian heats and passions (Matthew Henry).

Help me to be quick in recognizing my own defects and infirmities; help me also to be quick in making allowances for the defects and infirmities of others.

Help me not to entertain selfish thoughts and motivations, but to seek prosperity for others as readily as I would seek it for myself. I own that still have work to do in this area; I submit myself once more to You because I am hopeless in looking out well  for my neighbor through my own strength and will. My thoughts run so often to me even if I am restrained in my deeds and actions.

Lord, I ask that You would make me more servant-hearted and truly compassionate; Enable me by Your leading to keep serving others even when service seems inconvenient and my personal satisfaction level is low. Be present with me to monitor my attitude when I am called to engage in tasks I may not like or enjoy (Constable).

I cannot be victorious unless You are present in my rumbo diario.

“May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.”

Unreservedly

Lord, I want to want what You want…

Show me what it means that You’re my God; may I never stray far from the learning curve.

Teach me what it looks like to love You with all I've got!

You desire to be loved wholeheartedly, passionately, and unreservedly. You desire for me to commit my entire self to You in loving obedience. You ask for my commitment and allegiance with all that I am and hope to be. There is no room for half-heartedness or a divided soul in my relationship with You.  You appear to be an all or nothing God who requires of me an all or nothing response. Truly serving You well does not equate with a part-time job.

 ”It is better to have one fountain than a thousand cisterns, one all-sufficient God than a thousand insufficient ones.” (Matthew Henry)

You desire a fervent, sincere, truthful love which adds up to more than just lukewarm affection and lip service.

You desire for me to love You more than what I might love any other person, creature,  task, calling, or idea. Nothing or no one is to come before You if I am recognizing You to really be my all in all.

Lord, I confess before You that the nature of all-consuming love is difficult for  me to comprehend; I confess that without Your grace, I cannot attain to the kind of love You’re looking for in me and from me.

I honestly and humbly repent of the cheap love and worship substitutes I have attempted to offer You in the past.

I cry to You for help in wanting more of what You want for me….

Lord, would You meet with me and make me even more willing to meet with You and seek You for all You are?