Feeding Trust

“Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:3 AMP)

Psalm 37 starts off with the phrase: “Do not worry.” I must confess...worry is my natural response to most negative situations. It’s like a knee-jerk reaction that I can’t control. Fear and anxiety feed off of each other and create a cycle of despair. Nothing good comes out of this. Often, in a crisis situation, I am unaware of what is happening to me. It’s like being in an ambulance and getting hooked up to the wrong IV solution. I do not realize that the stuff that is being pumped through me is causing further damage.

In every emergency, what I need is an IV  infusion of trust in God. I need to feed on HIS faithfulness, not on my fears. Worrying makes me focus on my problems instead of on God. Dread shoots up into my mind, dominating every thought and infusing every emotion.

In order to be fueled by trust, I must submit to the Holy Spirit, relying confidently upon His care. I can trust Him to hook me up to the right solution. I will commit everything to Him--my disappointments, my frustrations, and my anger. I shall wait patiently in His presence, depending on Him to nurture,  restore, and sustain me.

LORD, sustain me as you promised, that I may live! Do not let my hope be crushed. (Psalm 119:116 NLT)

Reflections

“I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.” (Psalm 16:8 NLT)

Have you ever sat quietly near a lake and looked at all the reflections? Or are you one of those people who feels the need to skip rocks or shout across the expanse to hear your own echo? Perhaps you cannot enjoy a lake without going out on the water in a motorized boat, fishing, drinking, or being dragged behind on a flotation device. Most of us have difficulty being still. It feels passive and useless. We feel the need to always be doing something, even if it is unproductive.

Worrying is like churning the waters up--it may feel like we are doing something, but it merely muddles up everything. Listening and responding to the echoes of our own fears only increases our uneasiness. Meditation is like sitting still and looking at the reflections of a placid lake. It allows us to notice all that is present. When we listen to the silence, we hear God’s voice. When we look at the stillness, we see that He is right by our side. When we remain quiet, we are enveloped in His peace.

Lord, help us to cease striving. May we rest in confidence by Your side.

Compassionate Healing

“Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.” (Matthew 20:34 NLT)

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20, two blind men ask Jesus for healing. The crowd tries to shush them, but they shout even louder for help. I wonder why the crowd wants them to be quiet?

Jesus has compassion on the blind men and heals them of their blindness. Their clear vision enables them to follow Jesus--not just tag along with the crowd.

Many of us go through our days blindly. We are unable to sense anything beyond our own viewpoints. Our perspective is limited to what is right in front of us. We are like a herd of buffalo. We keep moving because we don’t want to be left behind or trampled. Unfortunately, our lack of awareness sometimes causes us to follow the herd right off a cliff.

God is merciful. He knows our weaknesses better than we do. However, He waits for us to ask for help. As long as we are unaware of our sickness, we do not seek healing. We continue on with our mindless habits. The Spirit within us gets covered up by layer upon layer of indifference, distractions, and short-term pleasures. Then one day, our afflictions cut through the layers like a scalpel. We become painfully aware of the yuckiness within us and around us. We cry out to the Lord in desperation. The crowd around us says: Shush! You are making us uncomfortable.

But, we can no longer be quiet...we know we are unwell, unclean, and undiscerning. We must seek help.

“LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.” (Psalm 107:13-15 NLT)

Seek the Giver

“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (Psalm 105:4 ESV)

When I was younger, I used to seek out friends who were fun, ambitious, clever, and successful. I aspired to be more like them. Being around them made me feel good about myself. As I grew older, I was drawn to different kinds of people--devoted mothers, people of sincere faith, and those who espoused simplicity and authenticity. Even though my values had changed, I was still looking for friends who could help me become who I wanted to be. I was more fixated on what my friends had to offer than on who they were as individuals. This realization was quite upsetting. I was not as good a friend as I thought. I resolved to change. These days, I focus more on the spirit of each person I meet, apart from the blessings they bring into my life. I seek to know their essence, to understand who they are apart from how they relate to me.

My relationship with God has also changed. I used to focus more on what God could provide and less on who God is. My needs were numerous and pressing. My prayer life consisted mainly of petitions. Getting to know God was secondary.  This realization was quite upsetting. I felt convicted to change. I asked God’s help.

Lord, teach me to trust You for WHO YOU ARE, not just for what You can do for me.

Praying on the Armor of God

Jesus, I pray that ____ will be strong in the Spirit and in your mighty power. Lord, Place Your godly armor upon ____, so that he may be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For he is not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil, unseen powers of darkness and spiritual oppression.

Grant _____ the strength to wear Your protective armor, and teach him to use every offensive weapon, so that he will be able to resist the enemy in times of evil and stand firm even after the battle. Strengthen him with a core of truth. Protect his vital organs with a vest of goodness. May he stand his ground with cleats of peace. Teach him to hold up the shield of trust against the fiery arrows of despair. Protect his head with the awareness that he has been rescued from darkness into the light of God. May he learn how to attack evil with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Teach ____ to pray in the Spirit at all times and to stay alert and persistent in prayer. Lord, express Your mystery to him directly, in ways he can understand.

Praying Ephesians 1

Lord, may Your grace and peace pour into our lives. You are holy. Take us to the high places of blessing with You. Before You laid down the foundations of the earth, You had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of Your love. Long ago, You decided to accept us as Your own. What pleasure you took in planning this! You wanted us to enter into the extravagant grace of your beloved son, Jesus. Because of Your sacrifice and suffering, we are free--free from the penalties and punishments of our misdeeds. Not just barely free but abundantly free. You thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans you took such delight in making. You set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in You, everything in deepest heaven and on earth.

It is in relationship with You, Jesus, that we hear the truth and believe it, find ourselves home free--signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This seal from God is the first sign of what is coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us--a praising, glorious life.

I thank you Lord, for the solid trust that you evoke in us. I ask you, Jesus, to make us intelligent and discerning in knowing you personally, our eyes focused and clear, so that we can see exactly what it is You are calling us to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life you have planned for us. May we experience the endless energy and boundless strength of Your power working through us, as we trust in You. All this energy issues from You, Christ. God raised You from death and set You in power--in charge of running everything, forever. At the center of all of this, You rule the congregation of all those who trust in You. You speak, act, and fill everything with Your presence, through those who trust in You.

Scripture Prayers

“God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.” (Hebrews 4:12 MSG)

When I am in dire need, I have a difficult time formulating the words to pray sincerely. I used to fall back on memorized prayers from my childhood, but these days I have found a more powerful way of communicating with God. I read through Scripture and rewrite the verses in my own words on paper. I turn God’s Word into prayer, directly communicating my concerns. If I am concerned about a certain person, I will insert their name and change the pronouns to fit. Then I use what I have written out, reading and praying my customized prayers, rearranging the words as the Holy Spirit nudges me. Sometimes I may only need a few verses; other times, I paraphrase entire chapters. I like to the use the Message translation of the Bible for this exercise, because it is already written in conversational English.

The practice of using scripture verses as prayer is nothing new; it has been used by many before me. The reason I am writing about this is to share my experience and to encourage anyone reading this to try it for themselves. I will share my paraphrased prayers from Ephesians 1 in the next post.