I need peace

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

Jesus, I see your ability to calm the most difficult storms.  You are the bringer of peace to your people.  You said that you would leave us with peace.  I pray that I would walk into that peace right now.  I lift up to you the coming weekend - all of my doubt and fear - I pray that you would take it.  All of my apprehension - please remove it and replace it with faith.

I would like to be able to walk in a deep calm, even though the things around me are troubled.  Would you please give me the spirit of peace?

I love you and am committed to serve you today.  Would you please help the concert be a success?  Would you please help us to get people there?  

I love you.

1 Lord, my heart is not proud;

      my eyes are not haughty.

   I don’t concern myself with matters too great

      or too awesome for me to grasp.

 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,

      like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.

      Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

 3 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—

      now and always.

Psalm 131

While ascending to Jerusalem, the people would recite Psalm 131 - why?

This morning I am sick and not feeling well at all.  As I work to go up unto his presence, I sense that the Lord would want to quiet my soul and give me rest.  He would like for me to be in a humble and contrite condition so that I am able to receptive towards his word.

Jesus, today i need to be strengthened by you.  I ask that you would strengthen me and give me rest.

Dangerous Trust

...I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.” So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.

Ezra 8:21b-23

Do I trust the Lord with my life?  Ezra had made a declaration of who God was - and then he chose to trust the Lord.  He trusted God when it wasn't easy.  He trusted God when it was dangerous to do so.

Dangerous trust.  Will I allow the Lord to lead me into dangerous areas of life or ministry?  Will I trust him to be my salvation, my provision and sustainer?

I can choose to allow God to be who he is, or I could never take dangerous steps of faith.

Jesus, today I ask that you would fill me with faith so that I would be willing to take the steps that you are asking me to take.  I love you and confess that I need you and not just need you to stick around a bit, I desperately need you.

Today, I will launch forward into the assignments ahead of me with faith.  Even if I fell alone, exposed or vulnerable, I will move ahead!

Including through invitation

12 Then he turned to his host.“When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

-Luke 14:12-14

The invitation of the Lord is for everyone, not for the people that we normally think it should be for.  It is amazing how we make judgements on who should be included in our lives, or to what extent they should be included.  Jesus is asking us to invite the uninvited - to open up the best of our lives for the "worst" of people.  Jesus, I ask you today to show me where I need to do this.  What people are you asking me to include?  How can I be more inclusive?  How can my capacity for people increase?  At the end of my life, I wish to be one who's reward is greater than just the obvious or natural outcomes of my "easy" circle of relationships.

Jesus, today, I ask that I would be someone who is focused on you.  As a result, may I bring others into your presence and into your light.  I ask that you would use me to be a light into the darkness of the abandoned, the forgotten and the overlooked.  I pray that I would actively include all around me to your kingdom.  I pray that i would choose to be sensitive to your leading.  I pray that I would be sensitive enough to not miss what you are doing.  Lord, give me a sweet and engaging spirit.  may I be like you are - loving and inviting and caring and able to speak into every life.  Holy Spirit, fill me today.