So why do I care who you are? Because I do. Because it helps to have a “face” in my mind when I sit down to write. When I try to send a little inspiration, encouragement, or challenge … from My Place to yours.
I realize you never know what you’ll find when you stop by here for a visit. Guess what? I don’t always know what I’m going to give you. But one thing I do know: Although we meet in this place of “virtual reality,” we are both real people living in real world circumstances … experiencing real world feelings. Sometimes the real world threatens to overtake us … and we try to stop it on our own.
Perhaps, on this traditional day of worship, it’s time we refocus.
God our Creator, here we are — people easily distracted. We come with realities that range from joy to sadness … devastation to hope … healthy minds and bodies to ones compromised by illness, disease, neglect. And yet so often, no matter our circumstance, we are quick to say that we trust You.
But I wonder… Are we like the children of Israel? The Psalmist said they flattered you with their mouths (saying what they thought You wanted to hear), but they lied with their tongues. Their hearts were not loyal. They tried to fool their Creator.
When we do that, I guess we’re lying to ourselves, too.
On the outside — in public — we’re trying to act like we’ve got it all together; like we truly trust You. But on the inside … if we’re honest with ourselves … we often don’t. You already know that, don’t you? Instead, trying to be responsible, we get up each morning with the weight of the world on our shoulders — and we try to fix things all by ourselves … and it’s not working!
But You tell us that if we will acknowledge You in everything — if we trust with every part of our being rather than leaning on our own limited understandings, You will straighten out the maze that we’re lost in. You will make our path straight.
And so today, I pray, oh God, that you will forgive us as a people for being so arrogant. For thinking we are smarter than You. Even now, may we admit to ourselves that without You, we are nothing. May this be the moment we stop living the lie and choose — right now — to trust. With our families, our health, our jobs, our money. May we trust You to go before us … to level the mountains of our uncertainty, to break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron that imprison us. At this moment, may you receive from each of us the thing you desire more than our time, our talents, our money. May we offer to you our trust.
In time — because of the choice we make at this very moment — may we be able to look back and say, “God, I gave you a chance to prove Yourself … and You were faithful beyond anything I could have ever imagined.”
Father, in advance … thank you.
