Archive for October 2015

Lord, Give Me Light

[Jesus] said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.” (John 8:12, NIV)

Lord, give me light from Your side of reality today.
Don’t leave me here in the darkness of
my own little plans and
preoccupations.

Talk to me about what You see as important.
Lead me into what You want me to do.
Teach my heart to feel
what You feel
where You’re sitting.

Lord, give me light from Your side of reality today.
Don’t leave me here in the darkness of
my own little plans and
preoccupations.

I don’t want this to be an empty day,
a self-centered day.
As I pause, Lord, draw me closer.
Teach me about You.
Use me as would please You, Lord.
I love You.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: I Only Want to Walk in You
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

I Am Your Servant

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (Mark 10:43-44, NIV)

Pray this simple prayer in all kinds of circumstances:

When you have time in front of you that is not yet spoken for;

When you are preoccupied with your own plans;

When you find yourself overwhelmed and confused;

When you don’t know which way to turn;

When someone is in need, but you don’t know how to help them.

Remind God, and yourself, that You are His, that You are open and listening to Him, that You are always available to Him.

God,
I am Your servant.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: If You Would Be Great
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Questioning God

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Read Isaiah 45:7, 9-12

How often have you heard God accused of injustice, cruelty, or indifference? How often has He been blamed for the actions of us sinful people?

How often have our shallow, selfish expectations caused us to complain about His treatment of us or mistrust His love? How often have we acted as if He were unreal, or at least unresponsive to our needs? Secretly we have sometimes doubted whether there was anyone there listening at all.

“Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’…
Woe to him who says to his father,
‘What have you begotten?’…
Do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?” (Isaiah 45:9, 11, NIV)

How vital it is that we get a renewed vision of the transcendence of God. We get so saturated with our small, self-centered thinking that we forget how tiny and brief and inherently, inescapably ignorant we are.

All being, all existence flows from Him. This unimaginably vast universe, this reality, seen and unseen, is but the smallest expression of all He is. All that is, is His. All that is, is from Him, through Him, and to Him. He is the Source and Goal of life, of history…of creation itself.

Our ignorance is understandable. Our misunderstanding is understandable. Our flawed thinking is excusable. We need not repent of our weakness and smallness. They are part of who we are.

But we should repent of our mistrust of Him. Yes, it is difficult for us sight-oriented creatures to put complete faith in an unseen God. But He repeatedly, faithfully gives us every reason to trust Him. He patiently teaches us and reminds us, even as we fail to grasp the wonderful things He is doing right before our eyes.

Make it your goal and deep desire to trust and reverence and love your Father more simply, constantly, and completely, day by day.