Pressing Matters, Pride and the Privilege of Prayer
October 13
The 68 table cloths and 70 linen napkins my friends and I prepared for this past wedding weekend have all been washed, but once again need pressing. My husband was out at a board meeting last night and I knocked out about 3 hours worth of ironing. This morning I started on to the linen napkins. My ironing press is in front of a window and as I looked out to the yard I watched the leaves falling from the trees. The seasons change so quickly, the view in front of me would not last forever and I thought...."What is pressing here?" Turning off the iron, I called to Moses, "Let's hit the trails and head to the woods and take in God's glory."
Tomorrow I have a consultation with a surgeon, which I have put off for way too long. If I am honest with myself, the scurrying I am doing to get this house back in order is because I am allowing the enemy to invade my peace and cause me to anticipate bad news and I don't want to leave my husband with a mess! Pride has kept me from sharing this with many of you. Figuring God and I can handle this one, I've denied you the privilege to pray for me, as you have so many times allowed me to do for you. Putting pride aside I ask you to pray that the mass, which has been in my leg for sometime now, will be gone by tomorrow and that I will not need surgery.
Closing the ironing press and heading to the trails for "Jesus time" was powerful. The first few signs I walked passed were loving commands...trust in the Lord, keep My commandments, do not be anxious, impress my word upon your heart, rejoice in the Lord always, train up your children in the way they should go... My first stop was on a bench by the beach. On my right hand is a beautiful diamond which my father gave me when I was sixteen years old. It glistened in the Autumn sun. The scene towards the contemporary version of the movie Titanic-came to mind when the older woman dropped her amazing jewel back into the ocean. If I tossed this diamond in the water and then put the word out that it was in the lake I can only imagine how many people would search frantically hoping to retrieve this treasure. Yet, the richest treasure in the world is available for the taking and people are not willing to take time to dig into God's word and find Him.
What is it that you find pressing today? Has your Jesus time been invaded by a sense of earthly urgency?
Let's Pray:
Oh, to You Almighty God, who called us into being, we submit our wants to Your will and say..."Be glorified!" Help us to savor not only the beauty of Your creation, but the blessing of being called Your child. Give us the discipline to slow the pace of today and ponder the purpose You have for us this day. Train our minds to treat our relationship with You as a treasure to be shared with many. May the most pressing problem we have today to be to take to our knees and count it a privilege to pray for those You position in our hearts and minds. As we think about Your love, may laughter be the language that lifts our spirits high as we rejoice in the wonder of being known by You. In Jesus' Name, Amen
The 68 table cloths and 70 linen napkins my friends and I prepared for this past wedding weekend have all been washed, but once again need pressing. My husband was out at a board meeting last night and I knocked out about 3 hours worth of ironing. This morning I started on to the linen napkins. My ironing press is in front of a window and as I looked out to the yard I watched the leaves falling from the trees. The seasons change so quickly, the view in front of me would not last forever and I thought...."What is pressing here?" Turning off the iron, I called to Moses, "Let's hit the trails and head to the woods and take in God's glory."
Tomorrow I have a consultation with a surgeon, which I have put off for way too long. If I am honest with myself, the scurrying I am doing to get this house back in order is because I am allowing the enemy to invade my peace and cause me to anticipate bad news and I don't want to leave my husband with a mess! Pride has kept me from sharing this with many of you. Figuring God and I can handle this one, I've denied you the privilege to pray for me, as you have so many times allowed me to do for you. Putting pride aside I ask you to pray that the mass, which has been in my leg for sometime now, will be gone by tomorrow and that I will not need surgery.
Closing the ironing press and heading to the trails for "Jesus time" was powerful. The first few signs I walked passed were loving commands...trust in the Lord, keep My commandments, do not be anxious, impress my word upon your heart, rejoice in the Lord always, train up your children in the way they should go... My first stop was on a bench by the beach. On my right hand is a beautiful diamond which my father gave me when I was sixteen years old. It glistened in the Autumn sun. The scene towards the contemporary version of the movie Titanic-came to mind when the older woman dropped her amazing jewel back into the ocean. If I tossed this diamond in the water and then put the word out that it was in the lake I can only imagine how many people would search frantically hoping to retrieve this treasure. Yet, the richest treasure in the world is available for the taking and people are not willing to take time to dig into God's word and find Him.
What is it that you find pressing today? Has your Jesus time been invaded by a sense of earthly urgency?
Let's Pray:
Oh, to You Almighty God, who called us into being, we submit our wants to Your will and say..."Be glorified!" Help us to savor not only the beauty of Your creation, but the blessing of being called Your child. Give us the discipline to slow the pace of today and ponder the purpose You have for us this day. Train our minds to treat our relationship with You as a treasure to be shared with many. May the most pressing problem we have today to be to take to our knees and count it a privilege to pray for those You position in our hearts and minds. As we think about Your love, may laughter be the language that lifts our spirits high as we rejoice in the wonder of being known by You. In Jesus' Name, Amen
