Thursday, June 7, 2012

Show me the way

Psalm 143: 8, 10 (NIV)

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
   for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
   for to you I entrust my life.
Teach me to do your will,
   for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
   lead me on level ground.
I wrote earlier this week about the “God, help” prayer. About a month ago I wrote about the way I tend to pray these days and my affection for The Lord’s Prayer. Today I am feeling blessed by the Psalms (and I guess this one in particular) for giving me words and thoughts for prayer when my mind is otherwise vacant.

Today was a perfectly average day. Make breakfast for everyone, wash dishes, shower, work, grocery store, dinner, play with the kids outside, bath and bed. The boys were not on their best behavior, nor were they incorrigible. They were not wild about getting to bed, but it did not descend into a four-way screaming match. There were no mountaintop moments where I felt as if my life was the picture of perfection, nor was I in the valley questioning my ability to fulfill the role I’ve been chosen to play.

I’m fond of saying my life is beautiful in its simplicity, and I kind of feel like Thursday was a pretty good example of that reasoning. I like the things I did today, they give me a sense of purpose, albeit it without any shred of glamor. But there’s nothing wrong with being practical.

So on these days, when I have felt neither the intense desire for help nor the glory of sunshine on my soul, I do consider it a blessing to come across a particular passage that turns my focus to God. When there is not a prayer ready on my lips, the Word provides.

I do put my trust in the Lord. I want to be shown the way to go. I need to be taught to do the Lord’s will — every day. I want to raise my children in the same manner. Hopefully if they trust me, they will see it fit to trust God as well. If I am doing the Lord’s will instead of my own, and if I am wise enough to know and explain the difference, perhaps the boys will be able to make the same discernment. May the Spirit lead us all on level ground that we may walk together the path the Lord intends.

A prayer for June 7:

Lord, you have blessed us with your love. I will never be able to thank you sufficiently, nor am I worthy of your grace. Please continue to open my heart to follow the way I should go, to do your will. Help me teach my children to do the same, and help me start today. Amen.

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