The Psalm I’m praying daily

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.

As we prepare for a transition in the next several weeks, that brings us out of our church planting residency at New Life Christian Church and into a full blown needs assessment for a Community Service Organization, these words have become part of my daily prayer life.  Today, as I drove through our target city, I found myself asking God to bring his peace and prosperity to this new CSO and Church plant, that those within the borders would know peace and feel the peace that comes from relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thoughts that encourage the soul

I read this quote by Oswald Chambers yesterday and realized it’s where I am today. Hope it encourages you as it has me.

“Faith never knows where it is being led, But it knows and loves the One who is leading.”

Psalm 124

I have been going through a Beth Moore study, “Stepping Up: a journey through the Psalms of Ascent“. It’s really been shaping my prayer life right now and challenging my views on how God has intervened in my life.

Today, I began the study on Psalm 124 – it is fascinating me in new ways. I have never seen myself as one who has faced strong persecution/trials/attack. (I may be opening a can of worms for myself, having said that – pray for my protection.) I know that a battle wages around me and has the potential of being damaging – I’ve just never felt it to be severe.

Today, I realized that severity of attack depends on the person and situation. For me the attacks of my past have been a lack of faith – faith to step into God’s calling without releasing control to Him. This has limited my perspective on just what God can and will do so that I can see Him show up and experience the joy of obedience. Other attacks have been a lack of confidence in “my story” and ability to use it in the life of others. This has limited my perspective on God’s heart that breaks for those far from Him. It has also limited that boldness with which I have reached out to those far from Him.

I’ve always feared “spiritual” attack – I’ve feared as the Psalmist remarks being “swallowed alive, engulfed, and ripped apart.” But, I’ve never looked at it from the deliverance side “we have escaped, He didn’t abandon us, we’ve flown free, their grip is broken.” Psalm 124:8 reminds me that “God’s strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth.” God does not overlook the attacks on His children, in fact He takes them very personally. Check out Zechariah 2:8!

Peace

Four months ago now, our family left Pennsylvania for Northern Virginia. Leading up to our move I prayed intensely for my sanity, for God’s provision in housing, for my kids to transition well. I worried a lot – about selling our home, packing our stuff, moving our stuff, storing our stuff, finding a good deal on a rental, saying “Goodbye”, saying “Hello”, my kids, our finances. Then I started praying through various Psalms, the more I prayed the less I worried, the less I worried the more I prayed. Finally – PEACE!

I never prayed for peace specifically but it came – it came as I gave each worry over to God.

We don’t know where we will be tomorrow – literally – we don’t know when the home we are renting will sell and we will have to move out, we don’t know where we will be planting a new church , we don’t have all the details of our fund-raising wrapped up yet, we are still living out of boxes. Funny thing about all this, I can not remember another season of life, since becoming an adult, quite as peaceful. Life today is a season of peace – beginning each day, as I pray through what could worry me, as I let go of the control to “know” in the moment, as I sit and enjoy the moments with my children, even as I shuffle through boxes still trying to find that elusive Lego that will make all the others fit together.

Peace

Markings

My 4 year old son, Ryan, has recently taken up residence inside my journal. His name and other self-scripted words are appearing in various forms, on various pages as I thumb through looking for space to write. Each time I come across these marks of his penmanship I smile (okay – the first time I was actually slightly irritated), and remember him. I remember his joy at discovering he can form letters and make words. I have also found myself pausing and reflecting on his proximity to my – not just because we are in the same house – often times that is not the case – but because my 4 year old is with me in those moments, his marking is in my life, shaping who I am even now.

Before sitting down to write these thoughts today, I had been reading various Psalms. All of this got me thinking about how God takes us residence in my life – about the God markings scripted around me, waiting for me to notice them, waiting for me to remember the proximity of God – not because I can physically see Him – but because, as Psalm 139 reminds me, his markings are all over my life, shaping who I am now. Even though I may have moments where I want to, Psalm 139 reminds me, I can’t escape the presence of God in my life.

Have you seen God’s markings today? He wants you to!