Our Unbreakable Lifeline [A Prayer]

“We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.”

- Heb. 6: 18-19 (MSG)

How I praise You, Jesus, that You are my great High Priest, forever interceding to the Father on my behalf - that because of Your perfect sacrifice on the cross, a helpless sinner such as me can miraculously be seen as acceptable in God's sight.

This is the hope to which my life should be anchored: that as long as I walk this earth, Christ is with me at every moment; and when, in His perfect timing He calls me home, He is ready to welcome me into His presence for all eternity. If I cling to this truth daily, even in the midst of the unavoidable difficulties of life, how free from fear and its companion, despair, I will be!

On the flip-side, if I am lured by my sin nature, the world and the Enemy into believing that my hope really lies in anything other than Christ (e.g. financial security, health, a godly husband/kids, acceptance, pleasure, escapism...) then I will always walk in fear – because none of these false gods are unshakeable; they can all crumble like dust. Fear cannot coexist with the hope that overflows from Christ's perfect love (1 Jn. 4:18). When I fear, it's because I'm believing the lie that God is still angry at me, which directly denies the promised hope of Christ's forever saving work on the cross.

Forgive me, Lord – I know that at the root of all my struggles with insecurity, anger, selfishness, gluttony and worry is fear! Fear that You are not enough for me to anchor my every moment onto, but that I must manage my lifelines to all my other false gods, which is exhausting and will lead nowhere but to despair.

Oh Lord, give me the grace to live a life fully secured to the unbreakable hope of Christ alone, that He will provide for my every need, and that because of Your great love for me, I need never fear. Even though I fail daily, You are faithful to relentlessly pursue me with Your grace and mercy, as You have always done. My hope is secure in You!

Dealing with the Daily Junk (a prayer)

sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

⁸ Let me hear of your unfailing love 
each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
-Psalm 143:8

Father, I thank You for the precious time You grant me in the mornings to spend with You (even if it's just a few minutes of solitude before my little ones miraculously sense that someone in the house is awake!). There is something so sacred about those dark, predawn hours when most of the world is still sleeping, except You, of course. Even though, at that point, my brain is barely getting fired back up and I still have sleep in my eyes, my heart has yet to get all cluttered with the cares of my day, and I can somehow hear You more clearly.

Invariably my soul's first response toward You is awe and praise...followed quickly by the daily realization that I fall severely short of Your holiness. Each morning brings me to the same place of remembering my continual failings...

but in Your grace, You do not leave me there.

As the psalm says, You remind me of Your unfailing love toward me, that what You have started, You will finish (Philippians 1:6). You will never give up on me, and because I have given myself to You, You will "show me where to walk." Even if the path is a rocky one - and most of the time the rocks are in the shape of my own poor choices - because of Your unfailing love, You will continue to gently lead me down the path of deliverance from the sin in my heart, for the sake of Your glorious name.

You will:

  ⁹ Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I run to you to hide me.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.
¹¹ For the glory of your name, O Lord, 
preserve my life.
Because of your faithfulness, 
bring me out of this distress.

I thank You, Lord, that I do not need to run from You when I feel the weight of my humanity - instead, You call me to run TO You, even to hide in the shadow of Your wings. You will "rescue me from my enemies", which is my sin struggle. You will "preserve my life" and "lead me forward on a firm footing" - I have seen You do it in the past, and I know You will be faithful to keep at it as long as You lend me breath. It is You who will have the victory in my life. Nothing is possible in my own power, but You will "encourage me by giving me strength" (Psalm 138:3).

Let my obedience to You be motivated purely by my love for You - let it never be a futile attempt to make myself feel better or somehow make You love me more.

Merciful Creator, thank You for Your faithful patience with me each day...I rest in the knowledge that You will never give up on me, and that You love me just as much now in my junk as You will when I am one day made perfect in heaven. You are so good!

Amen!

Today's Tender Rebuke

disclaimer: neither parent placed these stickers on his face :)

Eyes shut to the hardness of my own heart,
I fumble about our little home,
correcting this attitude,
disciplining that failure,
all the while growing
more
and more
impatient.

I adore my children.
But I am to the breaking point,
and I grit my teeth as I do my best
to not scream!

It is there,
in that place
when my heart is on the verge of
spewing all its latent ugliness,
that I hear You gently whisper,

"You are just like them."

A loving rebuke to Your child.

Thank you, Father, for that
much-needed reminder:
How can I demand that my
babies act any better than
I'm acting on the inside?

We are all desperate for You.
Thank You that You do not
leave us to ourselves.
Thank You that You use
Your Word to teach us:

"Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher...You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Luke 6: 39-40, 42)

And thank You for
Your patience with me,
even when mine
runs thin with
the precious little ones
You have so mercifully given me.

My heart longs to be like You,
the perfect Parent,
my Teacher,
to be fully trained by You.
Although it hurts at the time,
I cherish Your tender rebukes.
They mean You truly love me.

And even though I know
I am not all that I should be,
I am not who I once was.
You are growing me.
Bit by bit.

Amen!

My prayer for this blog

On this day set aside for fasting and praying for the soul of our nation,
I come to You in fear and trembling, merciful Savior.

Apart from You, I can do nothing.

Outside of You, I am nothing.

I pray that all that I am, be all for You.

As I begin this new journey of journaling,
I ask you to help me lay down
each word,
each thought,
each story
on the altar of Your glory.

Let nothing come out of my mind and onto this screen
that does not shout Your praise,
sing Your truth,
scream Your inutterable majesty.

Lord, help me.

Other than the bits of You swirling inside me,
I am a complete mess.

I will never have it all figured out this side of eternity.
But I know the One who does,
and all my heart truly longs to do is
to reflect and enjoy Your beauty and mercy
sprinkled through my everyday, run-of-the-mill,
fleeting vapor of a life...
even if the only one who ever reads about it is You, Lord.

May it all be for the glory of the One
who redeemed and
is still refining me.