Prayer from the Bible

       You can read books and hear about how you should pray from the Bible.  Funny thing is, there are certain scriptures that you never hear people use when they pray.  Maybe this is one that we should pray for…  often.  I’ve got three versions in case you don’t believe the first to be accurate.

Ps. 141:3

Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed. TLB

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. KJV

O Jehovah, set a guard to my mouth; keep watch on the door of my lips. TIB

       Why would David pray to keep his mouth and his lips closed?  It seems redundant.  Let’s break it down a little.  David asks God to place or appoint a guard for his mouth.  Guards are meant to protect the innocent or keep the criminals locked up.  In other words, David wants the guard to keep the door from opening inappropriately and allowing ‘evil’ out and he wants it to protect others from his vile tongue.

       David then asks the Lord to protect the ‘swinging’ of his lips.  It sounds to me like he wants the Lord to keep him from saying the wrong things.  We all say the wrong thing sometimes whether intentionally spoken or in the heat of the moment.  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. (Jam. 3:6)  Our words can injure others.  The second commandment is to love others; that means we shouldn’t use our mouths to injure them.

       Or maybe David thought he just needed to speak less often.  Sometimes I wonder if I speak too much.  I certainly speak far more than when I was a very shy youth who hardly spoke to anyone!  We should listen more to others and really hear them… ah, but I digress.  David prayed that the Lord would help him to guard his mouth and words.  Shouldn’t we all do the same?

Dark Places

       Hearing bad news of tragedy and death is not a good way for me to start my day, as happened this morning.  So it was with a lingering sadness that I drove my son to his bus stop.  Returning home, I watched as the cars passed me by and wondered how many of the people driving by me are headed for hell and don’t even know it.

       We don’t like to talk about that place because it is a horrible place of unimaginable torment, so we don’t even like to think about people going there.  Still, scripturally speaking, those who do not intimately know God, and whom He does not intimately know- as in a personal relationship- will not be going to live with Him in Heaven.  The only other place to go for all eternity is hell.  So as I drove I had a feeling of inability to change their destiny and a strong desire to do something about it, but what?  I am just one person doing whatever I am able with the people that surround me.

       It was a dark place for me to be when I got home and pondered these deep thoughts.  It tears at my heart to think of one person suffering, let alone hundreds or thousands, and I wonder how God survives the painfulness of these kinds of thoughts.  The Lord was helping me hang on when in the midst of my dark place the telephone rang.  My friend was calling to give me some ‘disappointing’ news.  But the call was no disappointment for she ended up reaching in to my dark place and helping me get back to a better place.

       I’m sure given enough time the Lord would have achieved the same results, but He put us here on the earth with some pretty remarkable people who are able to touch our lives if we allow them to.  He used my friend’s fingers to dial the phone, He used her heart to give understanding, He used her voice to comfort me and her arm to reach out to my dark place, and I’m sure when she called, she had no idea what her call would mean to me.

       We aren’t meant to be alone in dark places.  Our Creator is with us at all times. (Heb. 13:5)  He also meant for us to have others like us in our lives.  From the beginning Adam had God.  Then Adam had animals around him.  But still, God made someone like Adam to be with him.  Jehovah did not mean for us to be alone.

(…God said, It is not good that the man -lit. human being- should be alone:… Gen. 2:18) Think about the two most important commandments: to wholly love God, and to love others as ourselves. (Matt. 22:37-40)  It is not good for us to be alone…

       Let each of us be the arm of God reaching out into the community, into the lives of those around us, reaching into the dark places of one another’s lives to show our love and the love of Jesus Christ.  Let us remind them, every one, they are not alone for we understand and struggle too.  Let us bring comfort as we have been comforted. (2 Cor 1:3,4)  Let us not become weary in well doing. (Gal. 6:9)  Lord, let us never fail to love for when we love, the dark places aren’t so dark anymore.

Sunday Morning

       It’s Sunday morning and I’m running on a lack of sleep- totally my fault of course.  It was busy yesterday, a festival in the morning out in the county and a different one later in the evening locally.  Lots of candy, lack of healthy food, a lot of walking, and opportunities to visit with some people I haven’t seen for a while.  It was a good day, but I’m paying for it today.  A slightly upset stomach (all that sugar, not too good) and unable to go to sleep (did I mention the sugar?)  But it’s all good.  It really is.

       When I contemplate at what time I started liking life again, actually enjoying it, it has just been the past couple of years.  I’m almost afraid I’ll jinx it by writing it in plain sight.  There haven’t been too many times I’ve felt this content in my life.  Don’t get me wrong, my life isn’t that perfect; far from it as a matter of fact.  When you look at my life with natural eyes, you would think, ‘with all that is a physical issue (finances, health etc) how can you possibly be content?’  It’s so difficult to answer that question.

       I know that at this time I understand my Lord more than ever- realizing the second I type that, I am still so very far from really knowing Him the way I want.  The peace and joy I live in has never been stronger.  He is more amazing to me everyday, and in His presence- well, there is just no better place to be.  Living life with Him is the greatest freedom I have ever experienced.  I am truly content in Him.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Php. 4:11 

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.  1Tim. 6:6-8 

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Heb. 13:5

       And yet there is one thing of which I am never satisfied.  There is a part of me that cries out to know my Love, my Lord, my Life, my Breath all the more.  It is like I am always grasping for yet never attaining the complete understanding of Him, and life with Him, which I desire.  I want more of Him in my life.  I want to be more like Him in my life.  I have this never ending hunger to understand fully who He is and to be as close as humanly possible, completely living in the Spirit while doing His will here on earth.  Total surrender.  I hope it’s possible, because it’s what I’m aiming for.  Meanwhile, I plan on enjoying where I am in Him right now.

For today, I think I’ll behave myself a little more by eating much healthier  J

                       …maybe…