CHOOSE: FIVE FOR FRIDAY

Choosing 5 fave marginalia prayer quotes for my Friday focus. Often the source is not listed, so my apologies to all those folks not cited.

1. The purpose of prayer is NOT to change God, but to change us.
2. Puritans say, "Pray until you pray."
3. Talk to God about men before you talk to men about God.
4. During times of prayer, cultivate faithfulness, not feelings and sensations.
5. Praise is Christ's address. 

Today, I choose to heed the truth found in these tidbits written in the margins of my Ryrie NIV study Bible.

CHOOSE: TO DANCE

Dance Lesson to follow...............

Sometimes its hard to even take that first step on the "Dance floor of Life" especially if the tune is unfamiliar or the lyrics to the song are ones you don't want to hear.

If first step hard to take, just hold out your arms and your dance partner will meet you more than halfway because He is already on thence floor. He can give clear direction----more than once, if needed. Many dancers have to revisit this first step often in order to clearly learn the lesson the Lord has for them.

But....when the "Lord of the Dance" is your partner and you are allowing Him to lead your steps, it's easy, not only to choose to dance with Him, but to be the first one to hit the dance floor.

CHOOSE: TO LET GO

Many little girls know the Idina Menzel lyrics from Frozen's, "Let It Go."

"Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know." "Let it go."

But....do they understand the importance of letting go of control, rather the semblance of control which so many females seem to cherish. Fear of losing control that smothers them. Control which they never really had anyway.

Things change all around them. Changes they have no control over. That "fear of no control" controls them. 

What can they do?

Let go of the fear. Change their own focus, rather than trying to change others. 

Focus on things they can control. Look to Him who is their peace. Keep their heart, mind and eyes on Him.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in Thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

The answer---Choose to let go and submit to God. He's the only one who can truly change us or others.
He's the only one in control anyway!

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CHOOSE: THIS DAY

Sharing with friend, Melody about "choose" as "My One Word" for 2017, she immediately began quoting Joshua 24:15.

Choose you this day whom ye will serve....as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

That's getting right back to the basics of choosing. Once one chooses the Lord today and every day, everything else just falls into place.

Choosing Him over self makes even the struggles and the hard places more palatable. 

Choose to "start today" this very day----to serve Him and NOT self. 

CHOOSE: TRUTH

Truth is defined by Merriam-Webster as "sincerity in action, character and utterance."

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life...." (John 14:6)

Jesus is truth and His word is Truth. "The sum of your word is truth,..."(Psalm 119:160)

Too often when people voice their own opinions, in morals or even the politics of government, the world loses its basis for absolutes and thus truth, as we have known it, has become irrelevant.

It's as if the world no longer sees God's sovereignty or His power at work. 

He is risen---that's an absolute truth. Truth to count on!

Happenstance or coincidence or stars aligning are a few of our culture's reigning philosophies.

CO-incidence (CO=Christ Ordained) is my preferred view.

Coincidence is a messenger sent by Truth. (Jacqueline Winspear, author) I appreciate that Ms Winspear capitalized truth in her latest book.

As a manner of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth. (T. Aquinas)

One who chooses truth chooses life and that life is manifested as one walks in truth and speaks truth.(Psalm 15:2)
So...to "CHOOSE TRUTH" seems like a "no-brainer" to me.

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CHOOSE: TO PRAISE & SING

As I shared with little Lucy, there is much to thank God for each day. 

We called them our "thank you, God" prayers.

Sometimes one can even sing her thanks which becomes a song from the heart. AKA praise.

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come. (Song of Songs 2:11-12, NIV)

Some seasons make choosing to praise and sing easy---for me, springtime is that season.

CHOOSE: TO BELIEVE

In the beginning God said..............and it was so.

And God said, "Let there be light : and there was light." And God called the light day and the darkness He called Night. (Genesis 1:3-4)

...God made the firmament, and divided waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. (Genesis 1:7)

And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together....and let the dry land appear: and it was so. (Genesis 1:9) 

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind,.......upon the earth: and it was so. (Genesis 1:11)

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days, and years....and let them be for lights to give light to the earth: and it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15)

And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creature after his kind,.......:and it was so. (Genesis 1:24)

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed.....;to you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the field, ...every fowl of the air....everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green plant for food: and it was so.  (Genesis 1:29-30)

AND IT WAS SO----SO...CHOOSE: TO BELIEVE!

**A BIG Thanks to Ron Man and the worship choir at First Evangelical Church for a glorious Palm Sunday service! I don't have a clue how "AND IT WAS SO" was illuminated on the cross as the service drew to a close, but it spoke to my heart and raised the hair on my arms all at the same time!!! 

CHOOSE: TO KEEP KNOCKING

ASK. SEEK. KNOCK.

Three imperative verbs....as in a command implying "you." (unspoken second person, singular or plural)

Don't just do it once, Dotsy. 

(You) Keep on keeping on.

(You) Keep on Asking. 

(You) Keep on seeking. 

(You) Keep on knocking.

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you. (Matthew 7:7)

Even sample prayers can help when one desires a powerful prayer but  is wavering in persistence.
One of Susie Larsen's (Powerful Prayers p. 206) can be used to help one keep on knocking.

Precious Lord, here I am again lifting up my loved ones to you. Jesus, drew them near, by the power of your Holy spirit. Heal their deepest wounds. Make their crooked ways straight....open their eyes where they are blind....drive a wedge between every person and circumstance that the enemy is using to send a lying message to them. Line their paths with people and circumstances that speak life giving, soul restoring truth until they're totally free!May a revival break out over our nation!...., may the weary be restored, and the broken be healed.....

Choose to keep knocking with words that reflect your heart.

CHOOSE: TO CONTINUE

CHOOSE: TO CONTINUE.....in prayer that is!
Even when life seems to be suffocating you, PRAY!

It's important to "keep on keeping on" in prayer even if you feel as Elisabeth Eliott did (Twelve Basket of Crumbs, p.63) when she quoted the psalmist, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue clings to my jaw; thous doest lay me in the dust of the earth..." (Psalm 22:14-15) The prayer she uttered as she felt like shattered, broken pieces of pottery---"Lord, have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us."
Elliott expressively used the words of the psalmist in her prayer. Spurgeon called Psalm 22, the "Psalm of the Cross." How appropriate for this Holy Week of 2017 for the Lord to bring me back to the truth of the One who suffered great affliction for me and my miserable condition----when my spirit seems to have melted away and I feel devoid of energy in my prayer life.
Lately, I haven't even been able to find scripture to pray for a deep wound in my heart.
But God....turned me to the prayers of others. The prayers of the Puritans...

• May His comforts cheer me in my sorrows, 
• His strength sustain me in my trials, 
• His blessings revive me in my weariness, 
• His presence render me a fruitful tree of holiness, 
• His might establish me in peace and joy, 
• His incitements make me ceaseless in prayer, 
• His animation kindle in my undying devotion.

Send Him as the searcher of my heart, to show me more of my corruption and helplessness

that I may flee to Thee,

cling to Thee,

rest on Thee...(Valley of Vision, p.23)

---until the Lord leads me to His Words to pray.....I continue to pray Elliott's prayer, "Lord, have mercy."

CHOOSE: PRAYER

Prayer of a righteous man availeth much....(James 5:16, KJV) or as HCSV renders it...."is very powerful in its results."

To be continued.............