Helplessness Before God

I'm quoting someone quoting someone else hence I cannot give credit to the author, but I heard this the other day and loved it:

"Prayer is helplessness before God."

In my reading of Ellen White (I'm attempting to read all the Testimonies to the Church), I came across a description of the good shepherd. She said that Jesus pulls the sheep close to his heart to warm it. So of late when I've been praying, I don't just pray. I imagine myself as a lamb pulled up close to Christ's heart. "This is where I want to be Lord! Right here, next to you."

Link to The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness

I enjoyed reading The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. The title is what caught my attention.

The Good News in the Bad News

Sometimes in my reading I come across something that moves me to joy. This is a passage that does just that..."

"This profound awareness of innate sinfulness is not some obscure theological point or an example of religious fervor gone to seed. A great awareness of one's sinfulness often stands side by side with great joy and confidence in God. The same Paul who could call himself the foremost of sinners could exult two verses later, "To the King of ages, immortal, invisble, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen" (1 Timothy 1:17).

"It is a theme that also resonates through the Psalms. In Psalms 40 we see rejoicing in the Lord and lamentation over sin side by side.

'As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my inquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.'

"What's going on here? Is this some kind of bipolar spirituality at work? By no means! It is the joy of salvation breaking through, despite life in a fallen world and a heart still fighting against sin. It is reality as seen through biblical truth.

"This reality is very different from what we're usually up to our necks in--that slick, shiny, false reality of an affluent, comfort-driven society obsessed with self-esteem. Instead, This reality sends us to the Savior, who brings God's holiness and mercy together on the cross.

......

"So this sin--my sin and yours--is supremely ugly. It is vile. It is wicked. But at the same time it is the backdrop to a larger drama. We may be works in progress who are painfully prone to sin, yet we can be joyful works, for--thanks be to God--we have been redeemed by grace through the death and resurrection of Christ. Our Savior has come to rescue us from the penalty of sin and grant us an abundant life by his Spirit p.37,38

When Sinners Say, "I do" by Dave Harvey

Today

This first thing I saw this morning when I opened my eyes were two little kids (my niece and nephew, 8 & 6 years old respectively) looking at me. They had been waiting for me to wake up. I don't know for how long, but their patience made me laugh.

I'm visiting my brother, his wife, and kids this weekend. This is a small blessing, a little break for the ordinary.

Today went extraordinary fast. I spent the morning shopping for a birthday present for my niece, then the afternoon whittling with my nephew (no one whittles these days!), now I'm heading to bed.

My niece will be getting baptized tomorrow. Kids grow up so fast!

Simple Day

Today I went for a walk, went to Target, ate at Heber's Cuban Cafe (I love their vegetarian Cuban sandwiches), went to Bed, Bath & Beyond (that store is amazing), washed my car, vacuumed my car, went to the mechanics to get my timing belt checked, waxed my car, shined the car wheels, ate waffles and blueberries for super, went with a friend to prayer meeting, went shopping and had a nice conversation with the same friend, and now it's time for me to go to bed. I love the satisfaction of a simple day. (I'm on spring break hence the luxury of this simple day.)

Joyful Prayer

Intercessory prayer can, in my life, take several forms. One way I pray is a kind of casual "Lord bless ________" and "Bless _____________". I've also spent time really getting down to what the needs of the person I'm praying for are.

Recently, I was struck that intercessory prayer while it is often serious can also be joyful. As I pray for people, I'm joyful because I know that there is no other real solution for them than Christ--and just the simple act of praying Christ's spirit into their lives is a step in the right direction. It's joyful because I can trust that God is working in my life and my friends' life, and it's exciting to see what He can and will do for us.

These Blessings

I have a floor to sit on with a floor heater turned on (even though it's 75 degrees in my house). I have a bookshelf full of books (some tipped to the left because I pulled out their neighbors and neglected to replace them), I have a messy room because my ritual Friday-before-Sabbath-starts cleaning was scuttled for a long drive to I-Drive to pick up a visitor I met at church who got stranded at a store because she was too far from her motel room to walk back and did not enough cash to pay a taxi to get back.

I have cicadas outside humming their long notes. I have a chance to choose to be here, present in Orlando, in my life right now (I never left, but I needed to choose to stay). I have ideas to explore; I have friendships to nurture and grow. I have people to connect and potlucks to attend. And books to read, did I say that already? It's worth saying again--BOOKS to read.

I have God's forgiveness that is far as the east is from the west. I have a God who names me what I will be and not what I am (see John 1:42), who loves to love me, who is teaching me and knows what is best "whether hunger or bread" for my life.

These are my blessings.