12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
Psalm 19:12-13
Dear God, my hidden faults. My deliberate sins. You don’t want either for me. The deliberate sins…well, they are just selfish foolishness on my part. Some are bad habits. Some are born out of selfishness. Some come from be fighting for my own rights that I should have already laid at your cross to follow you. I am sorry for these sins. I am sorry for this foolishness. Once again, here this morning, I lay them at the foot of your cross so that I might pick up your yoke and walk with you in the life you want me to live.
Then there are the hidden faults. The sins that are so engrained in me that I cannot see them. Like an odor in a room I’ve gotten used to. Others can smell it when they walk in the room, but I’m oblivious. So give me eyes to see myself. Give me your eyes. Give me ears to hear myself. Give me your ears. Raise up voices around me who will be your voice to me. Reveal to me the things I need to know.
To quote the song “Spirit of the Living God,” “Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.” That is my prayer this morning, Father. Fall afresh on me today. It’s the 4th of July, and I am about to attend a worship service where my wife is leading singing. Fall afresh on me and everyone in the room this morning. For her, make it not about her voice, which is beautiful, but make it about your Spirit falling on all of us, from the priest on down. Help us to leave that place worshipping you and taking you into the world so that others might have the joy of knowing you.
I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
My father sits at night with no lights on His cigarette glows in the dark The living room is still I walk by, no remark I tiptoe past the master bedroom where My mother reads her magazines I hear her call sweet dreams But I forgot how to dream
But you say it’s time we moved in together And raised a family of our own, you and me Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be You want to marry me, we’ll marry
My friends from college they’re all married now They have their houses and their lawns They have their silent noons Tearful nights, angry dawns Their children hate them for the things they’re not They hate themselves for what they are And yet they drink, they laugh Close the wound, hide the scar
But you say it’s time we moved in together And raised a family of our own, you and me Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be You want to marry me, we’ll marry
You say we can keep our love alive Babe, all I know is what I see The couples cling and claw And drown in love’s debris You say we’ll soar like two birds through the clouds But soon you’ll cage me on your shelf I’ll never learn to be just me first By myself
Well O.K., it’s time we moved in together And raised a family of our own, you and me Well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be, You want to marry me, we’ll marry We’ll marry
Dear God, it looks like this song was copyrighted the summer I was born. My parents had been married just under 16 months when they had me. It’s interesting to thing about them as a young couple.
Marriage is such an interesting sacrament (in the words of the Catholic Church). And there is a difference between living together and getting married. For some, like the writer of this song, there is a fear there. You see the misery of an older couple and you don’t want that for yourself. “What if that happens to me?”
I remember when my wife and I were dating and wondering if she was the one to marry. I don’t know if it was the right question, but the question I asked myself was, “Can I imagine being 65 years old, waking up on a Saturday morning and enjoying talking with her over breakfast?” Now that I think about it, that’s kind of an odd question to ask. And our lives have taken a lot of twists and turns since then. But I’m grateful that even this morning, as recently as 15 minutes ago, we sat and had breakfast together, sharing our thoughts on a couple of things. I played a Tracy Chapman song (“I’m Ready”) for her and we talked about the Christian overtones. She talked about some writing she is submitting to a journal. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that I still enjoy her company.
What makes marriage hard is kind of what makes life hard. It seems like we are constantly fighting the slide towards selfishness. In marriage. In life. I have a friend who is always asking, “When will it be my turn to [fill in the selfish desire here]?” But the best thing I ever heard about marriage was something I’ve mentioned to you several times, the Sacred Marriage material by Gary Thomas. “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” I am grateful I heard that presentation and then read the book less than 10 years into marriage. I can look back and see how selfish and needy I was before that. That book alone might have saved my marriage.
Father, first, please help me to be the husband my wife needs me to be. She is your daughter. And while I am your son, I am also you son-in-law. Help me to do my best for your daughter. Second, help me to be an encouragement to those who are in tough marriages and a supportive counselor to those who are in good marriages. I guess, Father, I just want to be your man today. I’m giving someone I’ve never met a tour of our nonprofit. Help me to be what you need me to be for her. I have friends and family who are facing significant health issues. Please heal. Please comfort. Please strengthen their caregivers and family as well as them. I have relatives whom I love very much. Please show me how to love them and how not to love them. And I pray for favor for my wife in the pieces she is submitting to that journal. Guide her in her career, her passions, and her gifts.
I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Every generation Blames the one before And all of their frustrations Come beating on your door
I know that I’m a prisoner To all my Father held so dear I know that I’m a hostage To all his hopes and fears I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Oh, crumpled bits of paper Filled with imperfect thought Stilted conversations I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got
You say you just don’t see it He says it’s perfect sense You just can’t get agreement In this present tense We all talk a different language Talking in defense
Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear) You can listen as well as you hear It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die) To admit we don’t see eye to eye
So we open up a quarrel Between the present and the past We only sacrifice the future It’s the bitterness that lasts
So don’t yield to the fortunes You sometimes see as fate It may have a new perspective On a different day And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in You may just be okay
So say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear) You can listen as well as you hear Because it’s too late, it’s too late (it’s too late) When we die (oh, when we die) To admit we don’t see eye to eye
I wasn’t there that morning When my Father passed away I didn’t get to tell him All the things I had to say
I think I caught his spirit Later that same year I’m sure I heard his echo In my baby’s new born tears I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear) You can listen as well as you hear It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (it’s too late when we die) To admit we don’t see eye to eye
So say it, say it, say it loud (say it loud) Say it clear (come on say it clear) Say it loud (Don’t give up, don’t give in and don’t look away ’til it’s too late) Say it clear Say it loud (say it loud, say it loud)
Dear God, this seems like a good Father’s Day song. As I said a day or two ago, I think there are probably more of us who struggle with Father’s Day than sink into the joy of it. I think this son by B.A. Robertson and Mike Rutherford explains why.
When I think about it from a macro level, I think the words mercy and forgiveness are what come to mind. It reminds me of the beginning of the poem “This Be The Verse”: The f*** you up, your mom and dad. They don’t mean to but they do. They fill you with the faults they had. Then they add some extra just for you...
What the child never realized until maybe when they are a parent is how much the parent loves them. How much the parent sacrifices for them. I’ve seen a mom I work with fight for her child’s brain development and health. Doctors and therapists were convinced he is autistic, but she knew there was something more and she has put him through amazing amounts of occupational and cognitive development therapy for the first three years of his life. She has sacrificed. She has taken time from work. She has spent tons of money. And now it seems to be paying off to the point that she was told last week by his developmental therapist that she was once convinced the boy was autistic, but now she doesn’t think he is. As she told me this story, I thought about how this boy will one day be a teenager and frustrated with his parents, and he won’t realize how much they’ve done for him or loved him. How can he.
I can’t really understand how much my parents have done for me over the years. I know there was a time when I was a baby that I was very sick and my mother fought for me to see the right doctors when she felt like I wasn’t getting the care I needed. She carried me and walked with me a long distance to get me where I needed to be. And yes, I have been frustrated with her over the years. And yes, I haven’t fully appreciated everything she has done. And yes, I still have some issues. But it’s okay to let mercy and forgiveness rule the day.
So, Father, I offer this prayer to you today–this Father’s Day. The only hope any of us have is if we, to quote Rich Mullins, “let mercy lead.” Help me to lead with mercy today. Mercy for my dad. Mercy for my children. Mercy for everyone around me. Help me to lead with mercy today, see each person with your eyes, and worship you throughout this day.
I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
“Alive & Breathing” Matt Maher (ft. Elle Limebear)
What holds your heart What stirs your soul What matters come to mind The cares you keep The thoughts you think It’s not all wasted time Seek and you will find
Joy still comes in the morning Hope still walks with the hurting If you’re still alive and breathing Praise the Lord Don’t stop dancing and dreaming There’s still Good News worth repeating So lift your head and keep singing Praise the Lord
Years roll by We wonder why We lost our way from home Our Father finds The child inside We had left for growing old Awake, awake, awake my soul
Joy still comes in the morning Hope still walks with the hurting If you’re still alive and breathing Praise the Lord Don’t stop dancing and dreaming There’s still Good News worth repeating So lift your head and keep singing Praise the Lord
Let everything, let everything Let everything praise the Lord In the working, in the waiting Praise the Lord In the blessing, in the breaking Come on, praise the Lord In the dying, the rising Let it praise the Lord Let it praise the Lord Praise the Lord
Joy still comes in the morning Hope still walks with the hurting If you’re still alive and breathing Praise the Lord Don’t stop dancing and dreaming There’s still Good News worth repeating So lift your head and keep singing Praise the Lord
Joy still comes in the morning Hope still walks with the hurting If you’re still alive and breathing Praise the Lord Don’t stop dancing and dreaming There’s still Good News worth repeating So lift your head and keep singing Praise the Lord
Dear God, I’m about to have breakfast with a friend. I’m not sure what his emotional state is, but I know he’s facing a challenge in life. I’m not sure why, but I woke up with this song in my head, and it encouraged me. I hope you can use me as an encouragement to him as well.
The first verse of this song reminds me of the prayer I learned to pray several years ago: “Father, make it count.” If there’s going to be pain, make it count. If I’m going to struggle, make it count. If I’m going to sin and repent, at least make the sin count.
Father, right now, as I go to meet with this friend and prepare to talk on the phone with another friend, I ask that you take all of this and make it count. Awake my soul. Worship the Lord. He is God. You are my God, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. I am yours today.
I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Dear God, I heard this song in church yesterday morning, and I really stuck with me. Honestly, I think it is the haunting tune even more than the lyrics, but the lyrics are lovely worship of you as well. I thought I would spend some time with it this morning.
God, beyond our dreams, you have stirred in us a memory, you have placed your powerful spirit in the hearts of humankind.
It’s amazing you choose to reveal yourself to us at all. You could sit there silently. You could walk away and ignore us. But that’s not what you do. You speak to us. You reveal yourself to us. You put a hole in us that looks for you to fill it.
God, beyond all names, you have made us in your image, we are like you, we reflect you, we are woman, we are man.
What does it mean to be made in your image? What gives us a soul? What is in us that could possibly look like you? I feel very inadequate to even sit here right now and express my love to you. To worship you. To say that I will take you into this world and reflect you to the world. That seems ridiculous to me because I am such a poor representative of you. Help me to be just a little bit better reflection of you today.
God, beyond all words, all creation tells your story, you have shaken with our laughter, you have trembled with our tears.
There are no words that can describe you, but the beauty of creation is more than all of the words I could possibly conjure. You are amazing, God. Everything around me attests to that.
God, beyond all time, you are laboring within us; we are moving, we are changing, in your spirit ever new.
I was going through some pictures of myself from 35 years ago yesterday. I was 19 then. I’m 54 now. I thought I knew so much. Even now, I think I know so much. But one day I will look back on 54 and think about how young I was. How naive. Thank you for laboring within me. Moving me. Changing me.
God of tender care, you have cradled us in goodness, you have mothered us in wholeness, you have loved us into birth.
Oh, Father, comfort me. Comfort my wife. Comfort my children and their significant others. Heal us. Make us whole, Father, God.
All around us, we have known you; all creation lives to hold you, In our living and our dying we are bringing you to birth
I know you, Father, in that I know you are there. I know you are beyond what I can know. I know you love me. I know you are rooting for me. You comfort me. You live through me and bless others. Help me to not hurt, but to bless in your name and with fruit of your Spirit.
I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Why do the nations rage? Why do they plot and scheme? Their bullets can’t stop the prayers we pray In the name of the Prince of Peace We walk in faith and remember long ago How they killed Him and then how on the third day He arose Well, things may look bad And things may look grim But all these things must pass except the things that are of Him
Where are the nails that pierced His hands? Well the nails have turned to rust But behold the Man He is risen And He reigns In the hearts of the children Rising up in His name Where are the thorns that drew His blood? Well, the thorns have turned to dust But not so the love He has given No, it remains In the hearts of the children Who will love while the nations rage
The Lord in Heaven laughs He knows what is to come While all the chiefs of state plan their big attacks Against His anointed One The Church of God she will not bend her knees To the gods of this world though they promise her peace She stands her ground Stands firm on the Rock Watch their walls tumble down when she lives out His love
Where are the nails that pierced His hands? Well the nails have turned to rust But not so the Man He is risen And He reigns In the hearts of the children Rising up in His name Where are the thorns that drew His blood? Well, the thorns have turned to dust But behold the love He has given It remains In the hearts of the children Who will love while the nations rage While the nations rage
Well, where are the nails that pierced His hands? Well the nails have turned to rust But behold the Man He is risen And He reigns In the hearts of the children Rising up in His name Where are the thorns that drew His blood? Well, the thorns have turned to dust But not so the love He has given Oh, it remains In the hearts of the children Who will love while the nations rage
Dear God, this has never been one of my favorite Rich Mullins songs, but it came up on my playlist yesterday morning while I was mowing the lawn, and there was one line that caught my ear: In the hearts of the children who will love while the nations rage.
Oh, Father, where has our love gone? And when I say “our,” I mean the church. Your church. Your body. Where has our love gone? It feels like we have joined the fray with bullets and raging. With barbs. With “destroying” or “owning” each other. I’ve mentioned that I’ve been reading a memoir by Nancy French called Ghosted: An American Story. She is a ghostwriter, and she describes about ten years ago one of her jobs was to sit off camera at Fox News and feed zingers to her clients so they could “own the libs.” She is a great believer in you. Her love for you is deep and sincere. But she didn’t “love the libs” as Jesus would have commanded. She wanted to “own” them. She regrets it now. Especially since she fell out of step with the current makeup of the Republican party. Now she is the one they try to “own.” And sometimes it has worked. Sometimes, they have devastated her and her family. Of course, they claim to love and worship you too. Where is their love?
Now, before I get too sanctimonious on this topic, I could ask the same question of myself. Where is my love for those I oppose? Do I want to own them, or do I want to love them? Do I want to attack them or attract them? Do I want to fight them, or do I want to accept their attacks and meet it with love? Do I want their defeat, or do I want to comfort them? No, I make the same mistakes French describes she made. I get defensive. I get angry and then let that anger become something destructive instead of constructive.
Father, the nations are raging, but our nation is raging too. French described the difference between a Republican campaign rally in 2012 vs 2016. The anger and hate in 2016 vs 2012 was apparently remarkable. People arguing with security guards that they should be allowed to bring their guns in. Yelling at the press. Of course, chanting awful things about their opponent. Yes, right now, our nation is raging. Sometimes with real bullets. Sometimes with barbs of hate, superiority, and dominance. Even Rich Mullins, in a live performance of this song threw a barb at the Clintons (Rich died during Bill Clinton’s second term, so he was President when the song was recorded). It made me uncomfortable. I wondered if Rich could watch that now if he would regret it.
Father, I might have to take a principled stand at some point about political issues, whether they be local, national, or international. And it might cost me. My prayer is that, if it costs me, it be for a reason that glorifies you and sees me honoring you in my response to it. And while I’m here talking about the nations raging, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, China and Taiwan, etc. Oh, Father, please bring peace. Please bring solutions. Raise up your leadership to guide your will to be done. And be in our current elections from local sheriff all of the way up to President. Let nothing happen outside of your will, Father. And while you do that, I will worship you and not look to any outcome that I prefer as my idol.
I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
James 5:13-15
Dear God, this passage reminds me of the Rich Mullins song “If I Stand.” I heard him say once that he wrote it thinking about calling on you in the bad times and thanking you for the good times. Worshipping and celebrating you always.
I’ll confess that I feel a little flat this morning. It’s a Saturday morning, and while I have something planned to do at 10:30, I don’t really have anything planned today. What will I do? Will I take time to worship you? Or will I waste the day? Will I take time to thank you for everything you’ve done for me, or will I just be self-indulgent? Will I bring my hurts worries and concerns to you, or will I just feel sorry for myself?
Father, “if I stand, let me stand on the promise that you have pulled me through. And if I can’t let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you. And if I sing, let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs. And if I weep, let it be as a man who is longing for his home.”
Who am I that the highest King would welcome me? I was lost, but He brought me in Oh His love for me Oh His love for me
Who the Son sets free Oh, is free indeed I’m a child of God, yes, I am
Free at last, He has ransomed me His grace runs deep While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me Yes, He died for me
Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I’m a child of God, yes, I am In my Father’s house There’s a place for me I’m a child of God, yes, I am
I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am
I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am I am who You say I am
Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I’m a child of God, yes, I am In my Father’s house There’s a place for me I’m a child of God, yes, I am
In my Father’s house There’s a place for me I’m a child of God, yes, I am
I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am
I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am
I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am Oh I am who You say I am Yes, I am who you say I am
Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I’m a child of God, yes, I am In my Father’s house There’s a place for me I’m a child of God, yes, I am
Songwriters: Reuben Timothy Morgan / Benjamin David Fielding
Dear God, I was visiting my parents’ church yesterday, and this was one of the songs they sang. I kept the program just so I would remember the song so I could look it up and use part of it this morning with you.
It was the bridge that struck me while I stood there and sang yesterday:
I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am
There are some people whom I love dearly who feel they are forsaken. They feel like you are not their friend. You are against them. One person, in particular, really feels this way. He truly feels forsaken, by you and by others. He truly feels like you are against him and not for him. And there is seemingly nothing I can say to convince him otherwise. So I want to pray this over him this morning. Him and the others who are on my heart.
Father, you are for this man, not against him. You are that you say you are. You chose him. You have not forsaken him. In fact, you forsake Jesus on the cross so you wouldn’t forsake him. Oh, I pray this truth over him this morning. I pray that your Holy Spirit will pour over him and that he will feel the truth of these words. You have never forsaken him. You have always been for him. You are not against him. You chose him. Help him to find that and find joy in that. Pierce through the lies he has heard or thought of himself. Help him to see your truth. And for the woman I am thinking about as well, help her to embrace this. I know she knows it in her head. Help her to absorb it into her heart. Holy Spirit, love her well. Heal her wounds. Give her the fullness of your presence and help her to be the woman you have for her to be. And for my part, help me to really internalize all of this today as well. I am going to be leading a fundraising dinner for our nonprofit tomorrow night. Prepare my heart for the moment so that I might truly channel your Holy Spirit into that place. So that those who are there might feel chosen and not forsaken. So they will know you are for them and not against them. Let your Spirit just flow through that space tomorrow night and turn hearts towards you.
I offer this all to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
When your week feels like a beat down And you can’t tell the night from day And you’re tired of fighting battles When all you feel is pain, oh It’s a heavy weight There’s hope on the horizon ‘Cause the cross was not the end Let joy come in the morning And, child, lift your head Don’t you give up yet
Keep on holdin’ on There’s gonna be a breakthrough Keep on holdin’ on Don’t stay buried in that grave If He can roll the stone He can send the darkness runnin’ Might feel like Friday But your Sunday’s comin’ It might feel like Friday But your Sunday’s comin’
So let your soul start singing And dry those tear-stained eyes There’s a new life and you can breathe in You’re gonna see the light on the other side
Keep on holdin’ on There’s gonna be a breakthrough Keep on holdin’ on Don’t stay buried in that grave If He can roll the stone He can send the darkness runnin’ Might feel like Friday But your Sunday’s comin’ It might feel like Friday But your Sunday’s comin’
Oh oh, Sunday’s comin’ Oh oh, Sunday’s comin’
For the mama’s praying for their family Your Sunday’s comin’ For the daddy’s struggling to make ends meet Your Sunday’s comin’ And if addiction’s bringing you To your knees your Sunday’s comin’ Oh, if anybody here wants to be set free Your Sunday’s comin’
Keep on holdin’ on There’s gonna be a breakthrough Keep on holdin’ on Don’t stay buried in that grave If He can roll the stone He can send the darkness runnin’ Might feel like Friday But your Sunday’s comin’ It might feel like Friday But your Sunday’s comin’
Source: LyricFind
Written by Ethan Hulse, Nick Schwarz, Zach Williams
Dear God, I sat down to spend this prayer time with you this morning, but I didn’t feel like doing scripture. I felt like freshening things up a bit by looking at a song. I was going to do a worship song, but I came across this one on my “Christian” playlist. Then I thought that maybe I should spend some time praying for friends and family. My wife. My children. My parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. My coworkers, my friends. Our leaders, from world leaders on down to city employees. The patients at our clinic. The volunteers at our clinic. The other nonprofits in town that serve and love others. The churches in town, some of whom are seemingly struggling and some of whom are seemingly striving. My friends who are mourning the loss of a child or a spouse. I guess we can throw me on there as well, although it is always harder to know how to pray for myself except that I want to just be completely yours.
Looking back at these lyrics, I do think I take issue with this song in just one little way. Sometimes, I might never see that Sunday. There are some things that I want that might never resolve on this side of death. I just might have to learn to live through the pain, confusion, and ignorance of Friday and Saturday with faith in you and peace in the idea that none of this is about what I want, but about what you want.
Father, I’m holding on, and I am certainly expecting you to do amazing things. In fact, I expect you to do things that are beyond what I can imagine. And to me it might look like losing, just like the cross looked like losing to everyone who loved Jesus and lived through those two days. And I trust that one day, whether it is this side of death or the other, I will live to see the glory of everything you have done. Not that I’m complaining about my current reality. I have it better than I have a right to. I have so much joy in my life. And there is some success too that I attribute to you. I just don’t want to think that my life has to look like winning in my eyes to prove to me that you are winning in the heavenly realm and doing your will in this world. So I worship you. I praise you. I thank you. I ask that you lead the leaders, comfort the mourners, teach the ignorant (I’m in that camp), draw the rebels to you, and heal the wounded. Do all of this for your glory and the joy you have in communing with your creation.
I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
When the music fades All is stripped away And I simply come
Longin’ just to bring Something that’s of worth That will bless Your heart
I’ll bring You more than a song For a song in itself Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within Through the ways things appear You’re looking into my heart
I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship And it’s all about You It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it When it’s all about You It’s all about You, Jesus
King of endless worth No one could express How much You deserve?
Though I’m weak and poor All I have is Yours Every single breath
I’ll bring You more than a song For a song in itself Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within Through the way things appear You’re looking into my heart, yeah
I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship And it’s all about You It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it When it’s all about You It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship ‘Cause it’s all about You It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it ‘Cause it’s all about You It’s all about You, Jesus, yeah All about You
I’ll bring You more than a song I’ll bring You more than a song, more than a song I’ll bring You more than a song I’ll bring You more than a song (than a song)
You’re looking into my heart You’re looking into my heart You’re looking into my heart Into my heart
I’ll bring You more than a song I’ll bring You more than a song, yeah, yeah I’ll bring You more than a song I’ll bring You more than a song
Dear God, my thoughts are all over the place this morning. I sat down and wondered what I should pray about. Which scripture should I choose? What “great thoughts” can I think and pray through this morning? Then I had this song come into my head. You’re looking into my heart. I’ll bring you more than just my thoughts, ideas, and philosophies on life. I’m just coming to worship you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I have a couple of things on my calendar today that are very important to me. But my danger is to try to do this on my own. To rely on my own wisdom and intellect. To make it about me. Instead, my focus needs to be on tapping into your Holy Spirit every moment. To hear that whisper in my ear. What I should be doing. What I should say. What I should not do. What I should not say. To channel Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount” in everything I think, say, and do. To submit to you. To worship you.
Even now, I can feel my blood pressure going down as I sit here and worship you in this way. I can feel my thoughts becoming more still. I can feel the Holy Spirit calming me. I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about you. It’s all about you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s all about what Jesus taught me about worship (the Lord my God), love (my neighbor as myself), and then getting to know you better and better so that Jesus’s life seeps into me and becomes who I am more and more.
Father, it all starts with these moments. It all starts with me sitting here this morning and taking the time to get before you and pray to you. Thank you for bringing me to this place. Thank you for what you offer me. Help me to be exactly who you need me to be today in every situation I encounter.
I offer my life, my day, and this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Emails to God 