It Pales in Comparison

I'm not sure what I think about "praying" on the internet.  Does God read my status?  He doesn't have to!  He knows my thoughts before I even have them, so I know He doesn't need to see me post them.  However, my friends and family can't know my thoughts.  You can't know what God is doing in my heart unless I speak them or post them.

Lately, I have been experiencing God's presence very palpably in my quiet time with Him.  Today as I begged Him, again, to change some difficult circumstances in my life, He directed me to a portion of His word that helped me regain my perspective.  I know a lot of my friends are struggling right now, so I want to share this section of Scripture with you, reworded in the form of a prayer.  I hope it helps you as much as it has me.

Father,

I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower me with inner strength through your spirit.

Then, you will make your home in my heart as I trust in you.

My roots will grow down deep in Your love, and I may have the power to understand, as all Your people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep Your love is.

May I experience your love, though it is too great to understand fully?

Then I will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You.

Amen.

Call It What It Is

For my entire Christian life I have "done devotions."  Well, to be honest, its not that I've actually "done" them every day...not even close, in fact.  Practically speaking, "do devotions" is the term I have used to describe that time I spend privately reading Scripture, praying and journaling about what I read and pray (and occasionally hear).

Its really quite easy to say in my head, "I just don't feel like doing devotions right now."  In fact, I can do that without a second thought.

Last night I decided to change things up a bit and call devotions by another name: "spending time with Jesus."  I got up this morning and wanted nothing more than to just flip on the t.v., pick up my knitting and turn off my brain.  Instead, I used my new-fangled terminology and said to myself, "I just don't feel like spending time with Jesus right now."  WOW!  Its amazing how just a few words can change the way a sentence makes you feel.

So, once I'm done with this paragraph, I'll be picking up "Jesus Calling," my Bible and my journal and spending a little time with my Savior.  I'm looking forward to seeing what He has to say today.