Sunday, June 6, 2010

A Brief Prayer of Faith

Treasured friend,


Sometimes all there is to say, as you approach the God of the universe in prayer, is:

I love You, Lord—and because I love You, I trust You.

I’m having one of those moments this morning, as I write. Fatigue (after weeks and months of overtime work), relief (over a deadline met, at last), frenetic activity (in the midst of a long, wearisome, but productive business trip), worry (about Dad’s health, and now his elder sister’s, especially while I'm such a distance from them), more questions than answers (about decisions to make and next steps to take).

Perhaps this Lord’s Day finds you, too, in a time when it’s hard to form the words to a single prayer of more than those two sentences. Wanting to pray in God’s will for our loved ones, our work, our ministries—and having no idea what’s best for them, what God’s good and acceptable and perfect will is for them. Asking, even desperately so, to hear from the Lord--and yet hearing only the sounds of waiting and waiting alone, the sounds of silence. Yet, there are decisions to be made—and somewhere we need to find the wisdom to make them.

That’s when we need to make an affirmation of faith, to which we may well ascent with our minds, and tremble before with our hearts: This one thing I know, God is faithful. The Psalmist had much the same experience—and yet he penned these faith-filled words,

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek." …

Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. …

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:7-8, 11, 13-14 (ESV)


I, too, believe that when we seek His face, He will answer—in fact, He relishes the moments when His beloved children come to the point where they must seek His face; they can do nothing else.

As I approach worship this morning, I’ll be seeking His face. And I’ll listen for His voice inviting:

Let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

My prayer for you is that you’ll do the same.



Blessings to you today!

Julie




© 2010, Julie-Allyson Ieron. All rights reserved. For reprint permission, email: orders@joymediaservices.com

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