We rejoice in Your precepts, laws and instruction and thank You for making our path to redemption very clear. We depend upon You for the strength to follow You. You lead us in paths of righteousness. Your will for our lives is not only made clear but you are the great Enabler, the Counselor, the Comforter.
The bliss of peace…the angst of war
As we pursue peace with others we, according to Your word, actually edify and build up the other person. We, in fact, get the opposite of what anger would have yielded. Your way is always the best way.
Wisdom, an assurance of salvation… Maybe not.
Father, we know that Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, asked You for the gift of wisdom and You granted it. Here we listen to Solomon praising wisdom, using the feminine gender, and considering wisdom in the same nurturing way as a mother is with a child. The gift of wisdom is a great comfort, a reassuring touch from You.
God knows the numbers of hair on my head…no way.
Jesus, Your exact and specific words tell us that we are never alone, never forgotten and never without Your eye upon us. This is impossible for us to grasp. Our perspective stems from our experiences and we are not able to fully understand the concept of omnipresence.
Sorrow and sighing will depart…why, when?
Your word says that sorrow and sighing shall depart and be replaced with joy and gladness as we draw near to You. What a wonderful truth. When we retreat from the cares of the world and come to you there is comfort and peace where there had been anxiety and stress.
I struggle with a load You want to carry for me…Why?
It is Your yoke we seek to wear, not ours. Help us to unburden ourselves and to place our cares upon You. When we do so, You say our load will lighten immediately. We will, at that moment, move from the burden of trying to understand our difficult situations (why me?!!) to grasping the reality that You do understand and that You will see us through the transitional problems of life.
My heart stands in awe of Your word…Really it does!
Father, it is so hard, especially for busy parents, to take time to be alone with You, but when we do, we rejoice in the Light You shed upon us. Father, help us as parents to find a way to open the Scriptures with our children, frequently. Help them grow up seeing our commitment to You.
Am I my brother’s keeper…yes, more than I thought.
You teach us that our conscience must be clear when we make choices about eating and drinking and that if our heart convicts us concerning such things, we should refrain. You also tell us that if we do not feel right about what we are doing and we go on doing it, we are sinning.
Do we have access to “certainty” about eternal matters?
Jesus, You teach us that everything we see around us will pass away; all things will become new. You and Your angels will come and those who love You and whose lives have been encircled by Your righteousness will enter into eternal peace with You, forever.
I will show you! Or should I?
Give us a peaceful, gentle and wise reaction when evil comes into our midst, not a vengeful, angry heart. We all have a little “I will show you” in our hearts, but since You are willing to forgive us, we know we must not be vengeful with others.