a Quote:
“I can’t tell you how much energy and determination and prayer it takes for me to keep making the deliberate choice to appropriate faith and trust in the power of God . . . How do I do it? I fill my mind with the truth of the identity of God. I keep an awareness of His power flowing through the front burners of my psyche, memorizing relevant Scriptures and consciously “changing the channels” of my brain until I rest in His power. I’ve declared war on my ignorance of God, because the challenges I face today are simply too great for me to remain in ignorance and to trust in my own resources.” (emphasis mine)
The God You’re Looking for
by Bill Hybels
my Prayer:
Lord, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for your grace; freely given and undeserved. Thank you for your Holy Spirit’s presence in my life. Thank you for overwhelming blessings. You are perfect and Holy and your plan is so far above what I could possibly imagine. There is none like you.
I want to give to you, financially and of my time and talents, not out of obligation or for what I might receive in return, but as a response to my consuming gratitude. Please allow me to serve you. Please don’t let me miss an opportunity to serve due to my attention to self-focused goals or oblivious adherence to my routine.
the Word:
Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:1-12 (NIV)
the lyric.
“Into the darkness you shine. Out of the ashes we rise. There’s no One like You. None like You. Our God is greater, our God is stronger. God You are higher than any other. Our God is Healer, awesome in power. My God, My God.”
Our God
by Chris Tomlin
This was dual published on my Pragmatic Communion blog.