A prayer for any situation

February 8, 2024

Maria 1 Corinthians 2, Exodus 33, God's Glory, Prayer, Psalm 20 , , , , , Leave a comment

Moses said, “Please show me your glory” Exodus 33:18 NIV

This morning with a cup of coffee at hand, I opened up to Psalm 20. I needed God’s word to shape my mind for this day.  I’m in the truck with Mike right now as we travel to Asheville to say goodbye to Mom who is dying.

The first part of Psalm 20 is a petition, asking God to grant his people several marvelous gifts of help and sustenance. Then comes verse 4 (NLT): May he grant your heart’s desires….

I paused and said to myself: Just what IS your desire, Maria, in this situation that involves Mom, her two sons, Mike and Steve and you?

I was about to form a response with details of her passing and the ‘boys’ grief, when what popped into my mind was Moses’ petition to witness God’s glory!

Not what I was expecting. But it thrilled me.  I saw it as evidence that bit, by bit, I am growing more like Christ.  I DO have ‘the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16).  Not completely, but each less-clingy, less-desperate detailed request is a way I can release control over my life and hand Jesus the reins. It’s a way of praying like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when he submitted to the Father’s will.

I don’t know what the weekend holds, but I do know that we have a Good Shepherd to lead us by the hand as we walk with Mom through the dark valley of death.  He will bring us to the other side.  May we see his glory!

What you focus on tends to dominate

April 15, 2021

Maria God's presence, Psalm 16, Psalm 21 , , , 1 Comment

Have you found this to be true? What we pay attention to grows bigger, more significant? I’ve experienced that both with sound and sight.  When Mike was in the market for a Saab way back in the 80s, I couldn’t picture what one looked like. But as soon as he pointed out several, I started spotting them easily.  Similarly, when he helped me identify a particular bird by its call, I immediately grew aware of how many there were.

This principle of focus and attention applies to our problems and broken situations as well. What I listen or watch out for grabs the spot light.  But do you and I really want to fill our minds with what’s wrong?  We don’t have to deny reality, but as believers, God’s reality is the canvass upon which we live out these temporary circumstances.  They are not the only facts of life. More significant is His planned provision.  I want to keep watch for His help, His guidance, His grace. They are just as real as the suffering.

To that end, some of the psalms have helped me calibrate my focus this week.

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I have set the LORD always before me…….I shall not be shaken. Psalm 16: 8 ESV

That’s my problem!  Verse 8 flashed like a strobe light, helping me see I did not have God front and center in my thoughts.

Little things niggled away at any peace as soon as I awoke. I rehearsed temporary things like worries about my weight, a busy Sunday afternoon, now that I’d accepted a spur-of-the-moment lunch invitation for after church, options for the summer, what to choose for birthday gifts coming up in May.  All of them hung around the edges of my mind when the morning alarm startled me awake.

On top of those pesky problems buzzing in my head, one of the cats had missed the litter box and there was pee on the baseboard.  Like I said, little things.  Collectively these thoughts dominated my mental space, causing me to feel, ‘rocked’ and grumpy.

When I sat down to immerse myself in His word, God ‘spoke’.  Psalm 16 made me ashamed of my peevishness. Because I hadn’t started my morning looking at Him, the world rushed in. What a sad way to greet the day and our Father, by ignoring Him.

You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Psalm 21:2 ESV

Can you articulate your one heart’s desire?  The question sobers. When I started writing in my journal, nothing circumstantial came to my mind. Neither money, stuff, adventures, changes in house or town called me. Even the idea of travel.  Sure, I can fantasize about living in Switzerland, but anything here on earth that I could name as a heart’s desire will vanish pretty soon anyway.  I don’t want to waste my one desire on something that won’t last.

I pondered further. What would I ask for that both changes my life now and forever?  I read on in the Psalm.  Then I saw it in verse 6: you make him glad with the joy of your presence, followed by verse 7: ….for the king trusts in the LORD

That’s what I want! I immediately wrote down and prayed, “Father, cause me to exercise firm and complete reliance on You so to be cheerfully content in any circumstance!”

The good news is that God WANTS to do just that. He wants us to enjoy His closeness.

How do we ‘get’ close to God? The only way I know how to feel close to someone is to talk and listen to them constantly.