Green Pastures and Still Waters
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If you’ve been around for a while, you have probably heard a few and even told a few. “Well, you better sit down, it’s a long story.” Every story is part of a bigger story and it’s a story we’re all in. Since creation and the fall, human beings have been a part of a very long story. The Hero of the story came from heaven to earth, He took on flesh and lived and taught among people. It was love that brought Him, His love for us. Yet, some of the very people He loved rejected Him, tortured Him and crucified Him on the cross. He rose from the dead! He is alive! He is our King and our Savior. Jesus is the model human and the express image of the Father. His story is far from over. By His Spirit, He continues to draw people to Himself to forgive them of sins and restore them to the image He intended. Pastor Mead used to remind us that we are all a part of God’s story. Whether it is a positive part or a negative part is up to us, individually. I can’t make you be a positive part of God’s story. I want you to be but it’s up to you. How can we be a positive part of God’s story? By responding to the truth we know. God came to give us life and that life is available as we trust and obey. There is no other way to be happy in Jesus and flourishing in His kingdom than to trust and obey.
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I have mentioned in the past that for about a year I have been using a Prayer Book. Some people avoid prayers written by others because they are “canned” and/or “repetitive.” That may be true but do your daily prayers ever get in a rut? Are you ever guilty of praying the same thing over and over again? Sometimes the only way out of the rut is to switch things up. I have found a daily guide to prayer very helpful. Today I prayed this…
“All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad,
The Trinity whom we adore,
Forever and forevermore.”
There are many pressing needs right now. Sickness is increasing, turmoil over politics, the suffering people are experiencing and the daily details that can often overwhelm. It’s easy to get stuck praying only about those things and neglect the first part of the Lord’s instruction on prayer, “Hallowed be Thy Name.” The written prayer mentioned above helps me remember that the first thing the created being should desire for the Creator is that His reputation be cherished and loved. Truly, our good is directly linked to His glory—they cannot be separated. The problem is I often want my good rather than or in the place of His glory. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. It has been said that we glorify God BY enjoying Him. I think that is true but it is very easy to forget the goal and motive in the process of the struggle. Pray about your needs today but remember to cherish the exaltation of God’s reputation today, “His pleasure is in those who fear Him and await His gracious favor.”