Ps. 19:14

Things to Pray…

So many things to pray for…

So many things to praise for…

Today there are so many things on my heart to pray for, some for jobs, others for healing, a few for peace, and numerous others for clarity and guidance…

Today is one of those days where everything I do has left me with more things to pray about and more moments of silence and stillness while talking to my savior.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14

If you feel inclined here are a few things on my list of prayers:

Prayers for processing and approval to move quickly (as in today).
Prayers for peace and guidance tonight.
Prayers for healing for two different women’s fight with cancer.
For friends waiting to hear back from the courts to finally bring their son home from Ethiopia.
For healing for a friend’s relative.
Salvation for a couple friends.
Jobs for a couple friends and relatives.
Clarity and guidance for a few different people.

God’s Gonna Do His Ditty…

“God’s gonna do His ditty..”

It’s a quote from a good friend of mine that was hit and killed by a car while he was out walking exam week Senior year of college… I was reminded of this saying yesterday while I was out running errands, and then again when I was talking with a great friend over coffee last night… The thing that I always liked about this quote is the understanding that regardless God is going to do His will.. and we need to be ok with that.

While I was talking with my friend for HOURS over coffee, (which lets be honest the coffee did not last a fraction of the time we talked) I was reminded of several things that I had sort of forgotten, and I was able to talk through various other things that I had been praying and thinking about, but needed the chance to flesh out that I do in fact firmly believe these things… 
Such as, my God is GOOD.. but that does not mean He promises a safe and easy life… However, if I truly believe He is good, then I need to stop worrying about what is coming. I need to completely and totally trust that He has great things for me, even if I cannot see them right now.
I have a list of the type of woman I want to be, and several things on this list have been things that have eluded me.. especially to the degree that I want them in my life. So, last night I got the chance to talk about some of those things, and really just get the chance to solidify in my mind the type of things that I want to do, ways I want to act/re-act, and things I need to let go of. 
The neat thing is, I did not have to detail everything out for her, we sorta just allowed our conversation to include and leave out whatever we needed, but at the same time we were both able to just admit that life is hard.. and sometimes it sucks.. but ultimately, we are very glad and very thankful for where we have been and the things we have learned.
One of the things I touched on and have been thinking since.. I want the “Words of my mouth and meditations of my heart to be please to you my Lord, my rock and redeemer.” .. And, that I do not want to just SAY things, but truly believe and think them inside. Because, lets be honest.. I can fake a whole heck of a lot if I choose to… But, I do not want to fake it, I want it to be genuine, I want to truly and honestly be full of grace, patience, love, and portray and exude kindness as a woman of God.
I also realize that I need to actually be patient if I believe my Savior is good.

Suck It Up…

Sometimes I have these days where I just feel like whining about everything.. Whining about how frustrated I am at being tired, waking up late, the tasks I have for the day, the things that are not going my way, the muggy rainy weather, my lack of motivation to do anything… Just pretty much anything I can think of I want to whine about… 
On days like this it is like I am suddenly made aware how much of a complainer I can be, how much I need my Savior to help me today, and even when no one else hears me complain because it just goes on inside my head, God hears me and knows… And, in the midst of all of this, I am reminded:
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:1-5

“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…” – Romans 8:24-26

And then in the midst of all of this I am gently reminded of what I truly want beyond my current emotions and feelings:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
         Be acceptable in Your sight,
         O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14


So, on days like today where I just want to complain about anything I can think of… or when I have absolutely no motivation, my God is here to remind me that He has my life, and I just have to rely on that knowledge with unwavering certainty that the plan I am living is not haphazard, but a carefully crafted, intimate, and personal plan laid out specifically for me… 
Now, if I can only be found faithful.

Heart Meditations…

So, today I spent pretty much the whole day reading my Bible or a book called Lies Young Women Believe. I’m reading this for a class I’m teaching some of our girls at work. It’s a super easy read, and has pretty good material. Various parts in it stick out to me, and a couple times I realized I also tell myself whatever lie it is.. and then there are times when I realize I have overcome a lie.. (woohoo.. seriously thank you Jesus). But, in one particular section they were talking about garbage in garbage out (basically.. but that wasn’t their term), and they popped this verse in and it just struck me.. I mean seriously made me pause, even though I’ve seen it a million times and have it memorized…

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14

That to me is a heart cry. I want to be sure that my focus is correct, and that I’m paying attention to the things I’m supposed to be. I want to be pleasing to my Savior. I want to know that my mouth, my thoughts, and my heart are what they are supposed to be, not just something that I deal with or try not to let others know… But, truly me. I want them to reflect who I am at my core. I hope I do that at least to some degree now, but I don’t want it to just be happenstance that it comes out that way. I want to try and work towards that, so that in everything I do I am pleasing to my Sweet Jesus.