Take the Mercy

“For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is–limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death–He had the honesty and the courage to take His own medicine. Whatever game He is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair and death. When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile.”–Dorthy Sayers

 

Before the universe began, from all eternity, Christ was in God. Since the birth of humanity, he has been a living Word. Then he dwelt among us on earth as a poor man. Risen from the dead, by the Holy Spirit he remains alongside each person.

 

 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”—John 1:14

 

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. –Hebrews 4:16-17 (The MSG)

 

Jesus, we are thankful that you ‘walked in our shoes’ and you know our pain and struggles intimately through first hand experience.  Thank you that you are with us even now and forevermore. 

 

 

 

 

 

Constancy

Constancy
Constancy
Constancy:  The state or quality of being constant or steadfast; freedom from change; stability; fixedness; immutability; as, the constancy of God in his nature and attributes.

 We are facing difficult days, many we know and love suffer and there is much darkness and despair around us.  We must fight the temptation to leave the path of truth for the sake of some prospect of hope of our own. It is not our understanding of the situation which can show us what is wise, but only the truth of the Word of God. 

 

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
   yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
   and meditate on your mighty deeds.

-Psalm 77:11,12

 

 It is easy to focus on the hardship and difficulties that fill our headlines and our hearts.  But we do well to take to heart God’s command to reflect and remember all He has done for His people all that He has done for you and me.  Find comfort that constancy, stability, and faithfulness are found alone in Him. 

 

Want of trust is at the root of almost all our sins and all our weaknesses.  How shall we escape it but by looking to him and observing his faithfulness?  The man who holds God’s faithfulness will not be foolhardy or reckless, but he will be ready for every emergency.  Abraham held God’s faithfulness and offered up Isaac, “accounting that God was able to raise him…from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19, KJV)  Moses held God’s faithfulness and led the millions of Israel into the howling wilderness.  “and what shall I more say?”  for the time would fail me to tell” of those who, holding God’s faithfulness, had faith and by it “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises…out of weakness were made strong.    -Hudson Taylor

 

Lord, lifter of our heads and hearts help us to gaze upon your beauty and reflect on your faithfulness.  Give us grateful hearts full of praise and thanksgiving.  Amen 

 

 

 

Be Still

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him-Psalm 37:7

Be still, and know that I am God-Psalm 46:10

Many of us are so busy that we accomplish little of any real value.  We are so consumed by our many possessions that we never experience what it means to have much. Simplicity is God’s grand antidote to a culture of money and madness.  And properly understood and lived out, simplicity is God’s pruning shear, which cuts back the tangled branches of our lives, enabling us to begin living freely, sharing generously, and loving deeply. -unknown

 

 

 

Here I am Lord,  I’ve come to do Your will.  Here am I Lord, in Your presence I am still.

 

Hearing God

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Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path—Psalm 143:10 

As Christians we stand in a millennia-long tradition of humans who have been addressed by God.  The ancient Israelites heard the voice of their God speaking to them out of the midst of fire.  A regular place of communion and conversational interchange between the high priest and God was established in the mercy seat over the ark of God.           

The individual with faith among the Israelites also cried out expectantly to be taught by God.  Isaiah, who had first hand experience of conversing with God, described it this way:  “then you shall call, and the Lord will answer you; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am…The Lord will guide you continually”—Dallas Willard

The Importance of a Life of Prayer

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O Lord, who brings us to the Father,
The Life, the Truth, the Way

The path of prayer You did walk;
Lord, teach us now to pray.  

“Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God and should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him. We should look to the Holy Spirit to really lead us into the presence of God and should not be hasty in words until He has actually brought us there.” –-R. A. Torrey 

“We can never expect to grow in the likeness of our Lord unless we follow His example and give more time to communion with the Father. A revival of real praying would produce a spiritual revolution.” –- E.M. Bounds 

“The trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says “Amen” and runs away before God has a chance to reply.  Listening to God is far more important than giving Him your ideas.”—Frank Laubach 

“The value in persistent prayer is not that he will hear us…but that we will finally hear him.”—William McGill 

“Prayer means yearning for the simple presence of God, for a personal understanding of his word, for knowledge of his will and for capacity to hear and obey him.”—Thomas Merton

I Hold Your Right Hand

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For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.”…So that all may see and know, all may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this  Isaiah 41:13,20 

Father, I abandon myself into Your hands. Do with me what you will.
Whatever You do, I will thank You. I am ready for all.  I accept all.
Let only Your will be done in me, as in all Your creatures,
And I’ll ask nothing else, my Lord.  Into your hands I commend my spirit;
I give it to You with all the love of my heart, for I love You,
Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into Your hands
with a trust beyond all measure, because You are my Father. 

From prayer that asks that I should be sheltered from winds that beat on Thee.
from fearing when I should aspire, f
rom faltering when I should climb higher,
from silk and self, O captain, free thy soldier who would follow Thee. 
From subtle love of softening things, from easy choices, weakenings…
not thus are spirits fortified, not this way went the Crucified…
From all that dims Thy Calvary O lamb of God, deliver me.
 

Give me a love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire.
Let me not sink to be a clod. make me Thy fuel, O Flame of God.-Amy Carmichael

A Simple Prayer

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Thank you for hearing my prayer, O God;
and listening to the words of my mouth—Psalm 54:2

I am, O God, a jumbled mass of motives.
One moment I am adoring you, and the next I am shaking my fist at you. 
I vacillate between mounting hope, and deepening despair. 
I am full of faith, and full of doubt.I want the best for others,

and am jealous when they get it.
Even so, God, I will not run from your presence. 

Nor will I pretend to be what I am not. 
Thank you for accepting me with all my contradictions.  Amen.
-Richard Foster

God’s Breath

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The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty

gives me life.-Job 33:4

Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.  

Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.  Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy.  

Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy.  

Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.-Prayer of St. Augustine

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

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I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever
By power of faith, Christ’s Incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;

I bind unto myself today.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One, and One in Three.
Of Whom all nature hath creation:
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord
.– St. Patrick

Early in the Morning

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It is good to give thanks to you, Lord, to declare your steadfast love in the early morning.  For you, Lord, have made m glad by your work; at the work of your hands I sing for joy.  -adapted from Psalm 92:1-4

O God, early in the morning, I cry to You.  Help me to pray and to concentrate my thoughts on You; I cannot do this alone. In me there is darkness, but with You there is light; I am lonely, but You never leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with You there is help;

I am restless, but with You there is peace.  In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience; I do not understand Your ways, But You know the way for me. 

O Heavenly Father, I praise and thank You for the peace of the night; I praise and thank You for this new day; I praise and thank You for all Your goodness and faithfulness throughout my life. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer