Humility in the Morning

Lord, please clothe me in humility. Give me the strength to put aside my pride and act with humility toward others. I want to help others so I may spread Your love not glorify myself.

Help me to identify and avoid the devices and distractions the devil puts in front of me. He places snares around me and in my sinful nature, I keep falling into them. I need your grace to overcome the obstacles and walk in Your light. It is only through my faith in You that I can resist him. I pray for my brothers and sisters that they too may avoid the evil that surrounds them.

I keep faith that it is through my suffering that You will strengthen, restore, confirm and establish me. I ask for the grace to joyfully accept my suffering as I know that it is only through the testing of my faith that I become steadfast in my faith.

Thank you for all the blessings You have bestowed on me. Each blessing teaches me of your love. No matter how much I sin, You are there to love me; constantly forgiving me, more than any human could ever forgive. Your glory is awesome!

I pray through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, My Rock and My Redeemer. Amen.

In words inspired by Him, 1 Peter 5:5-11:

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the might hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experience by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

James 1:2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers , when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.

Morning Prayer to Get in Tune

Dear Lord,

Let me be your witness for others today. Through my words and actions, may they see You.

Let your Holy Spirit descend on me so my ears will be open and I will hear your voice and see the path You set before me. May the words of my lips and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you.

I depend on Your strength to be patient, productive and a good example for others today.

Thank you for your blessings which are more than I can count. I cherish them all.

Through Christ our Lord, I offer my prayer. Amen.

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 40:6
But ears opened to obedience you gave me.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, ...

Living in Psalm 23

It was just a few days ago
I was settled in the shade of a tree planted and nutured with my husband's hands,
Absorbing the sounds and perfume of the oasis You and he created together.
The retreat with its small, rolling green pasture begs me to relax in it.
I felt Your love eminating from the leaves, petal, creatures and cool dirt.
I laid my soul down and absorbed the calm.

Yesterday you answered a prayer in the unexpected way that is exclusively Yours.
I rejoiced, I praised, I was awestruck by Your brilliance.
You reminded me how Your Will will be done on Your timetable, not mine.
I felt Your strength and love stronger than ever.

Today the shadows of doubt and fear rise to meet me as I descend into a valley.
The realities of this world with its temptations and my sins surround me.
I feel the weight of fear and doubt pulling me farther into the bleak trench.
My mind entices me to forget your great deeds of yesterday.
Emotions taunt me for trusting someone who would allow me to fall down.

And then the Spiritual, Holy voice whispers,
"Read Psalm 23 and feel my rod and staff beside you as I take your right hand in mine.
I will lead you through this valley.
Follow my voice through the darkness.
Feel my light on your face as you turn toward the Son.
It may not be tomorrow, but I promise you,
some day soon I will bring you back to the welcoming pasture that your husband and I lovingly created.
And you can lie down and rest."

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Who's Controlling This Life?

Part of survival on this earth is knowing who you can trust because trusting someone gives them control over a part of your life. Being an indpendent person, I don't want anyone else having control of my life.

Then, on Air 1, a scripture moment laid a truth on me that has caused a revolution in my thought process. The only thing we really have control over is our hearts (meaning soul or thoughts).

Let that idea sink in for a moment. You don't control your money; this last year has brought this home. You don't control your family (although we try!). Our bodies can fall apart in a moment. Some one's loss of control of their car can change our lives in an instant. We control NONE of it. It's just an illusion we create to give ourselves security.

But we control our thoughts and believes. I told God I was afraid to hand over my life to Him. I told Him I couldn't trust Him because of the disease that caused my mom extreme pain on a daily basis. It's too scary.

Trusting Him seems to be giving up control. But if I don't have control anyway, why does it bother me? Wow! That's an "A-Ha" moment. It's not about me giving up anything. It's about me accepting the truth.

Anyway, lately He has been showing me amazing outcomes beyond what I could imagine. He's helping me evolve through scripture, daily prayer, Bible study, etc.

If you get nothing else out of my ramblings, may His words bring you closer to Him:

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift my soul.

Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;
may your good spirit lead me on level ground.

(Psalm 143: 8-10)

Prayer Request

A friend just told me about a friend of hers who needs our prayers. Her name is Lesa and she has both parents in the hospital (one is not expected to live more than a couple of days), a sick husband and a child that has a condition which is going to need major surgery.

This is just too much for someone to handle without the Lord by her side. I don't know if she's close to God, but I know God is close to her right now. I pray that she feels His strength and grace.

The Path I Didn't Even Know Existed

3 months ago when my church first announced the Bible study on Psalms, I was excited because I thought I was going to learn facts about the Psalms. I was looking forward to a history lesson and background information that would help me better understand them.

But God had another plan for me. The course wasn't about facts and history, but the emotions and poetry. Each week we examined psalms from a different perspective and each week I couldn't figure out how there could be another week like this. What else could be gleaned from such an approach?

At the end of the 10 weeks, several of us agreed that this course did not go the way we thought or originally wanted it to. However, it took us to a place of such higher understanding and closeness to God. It was absolutely amazing as only He can do it!

The Psalms are the heart of the Old Testament. While Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, etc., give us the framework of the Israelites, the Psalms expose to us the emotions behind all of it. In this book is the agony of feeling defeated, the frustration of feeling forgotten, the joy of God's miracles and praise of the Almighty when all else fails.

Need a prayer? Leaf through the pages of Psalms. You'll find your emotions so beautifully written out by someone else. You begin to realize God knows what you're feeling, He understands your hurt and frustration. And He'll bring you back to where you feel like praising Him. Read, meditate, pray and enjoy!

My Psalm of Lament

I'm currently attending a bible study about the Book of Psalms. The assignment this week is reading some of the psalms of lament and praying them for ourselves.

I wrote this psalm based on Psalms 44, 74 & 79. Keep in mind that I modeled it purposely with the Old Testament spin of asking "Why" instead of "What?" (When Jesus came, he changed our relationship with God to more of a Father/child which means we ask "What;" as in "What am I supposed to be learning?" ) I thought about changing my psalm, but I think the whys are more relatable because that's what I ask when I'm truly lamenting. And this just proves that when I'm feeling overwhelmed and desperate, I'm seperated from God. When I start asking "Why" it really is time to pray; to get back under God's shield.

God, you have performed great miracles for the Israelites and in my lifetime I have felt Your hand pull me through many moments. It is only through You that I succeed.

But now you have brought hardship into my life that overwhelms and scares me. You've humbled me by making me realize my weaknesses and my ineptitude. I know my heart turned away and my feet slipped. I gave up on Your love and thought I could survive without You. Now I've learned how much I need You.

Why do you reject me, O God? Please remember me and do not reject me forever. Do not forget my misery. Rise up and help me. Redeem me with Your unfailing love.

My situation tempts me and I try to resist, but I sometimes slip. I struggle with my inabilities and my lack of faith. How long will you allow me to be tempted and stressed by this? You've given me miraculous signs in the past and I wait for them now.

Why do you hold back your right hand? Take if from the folds of your garment and help me. You, God, bring salvation upon the earth. You created the earth; you established the sun and the moon. You alone have the power to save me.

Please don't allow me to be without your grace; I will praise your name and give glory to You.

How long, O Lord, will you be angry with me? How long will you discipline me? When will I learn your lesson and be done with this stress? Why should I have to cry, "Where is my God?"

Help me, O God my Savior, for the glory of your name. Deliver me and atone for my sins for your name's sake. Save me from my situation and I will praise you forever. I will share Your saving grace to my children and their children and to all who read my words.