Last evening several friends, wives of the elders and deacons of our church, met to pray for our husbands and for the heavy responsibilities they’ve undertaken in leading Covenant Church. It is always a time of rich fellowship at the feet of Jesus, the Source of our strength and the Savior Who leads His people. When we pray, we ask for His guidance, for His will to be done in our lives. We ask for, and receive, assurance of His abiding relationship with us, and His intercession with us, through the Holy Spirit, to the very presence of our Sovereign Lord God. What a privilege it is. A recent song I heard on the radio says it well:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRJZQFRyZ6s
You’ll worry your life away
Oh don’t worry your life away
You can’t change a single thing by freaking out
It’s just gonna close you in
Oh don’t let the trouble win
But you’re not on your own
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
Everything can change
When you make it His
Oh He wants to carry it
Carefree in the care of God
When you let it go
You’ll find that He’s enough
Oh you never leave His love
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
There’s nothing broken He can’t remake
If you long for hope when you’re afraid
Oh look at the sparrow
Look at the sparrow
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
Even the sparrow knows
He holds tomorrow
I now live in Florida. Tropical paradise. Overgrown plants that take over, seemingly overnight. Tangled undergrowth our ancestors had to root out with machetes, sweat, and determination.
This may be a metaphor for the clutter that invades my life if I’m not vigilant, if I do not deal with it daily. Every once in a while I see overload, and in spite of the heat of the moment, in spite of the perspiration and strength it takes, I need to take the machete to my soul.
When the clutter of everyday becomes dense, when the dust settles over my prayer life, when I sense the weight of sin, busyness, the good rather than the best, it’s time to prune; no, it’s time to hack it away and return to basics.
In the north, is there anything more pristine than the morning after a snowstorm, when the dazzling sun shines from a blue sky, and all the “junk” is covered by God’s cloak of newly fallen, pure snow?
I know, it’s a nuisance, and it means shoveling and traffic nightmares, but with the Psalmist, I always enjoyed the first moments when the earth was refreshed and pure. There’s a metaphor there.
In the absolute quietness, the insulated quietness that snow brings, sounds dampened, sight refreshed, it’s a good time to return to the cleansing renewal in prayer, thanking God for purifying our lives ones again; thanking God for giving us new perspective, and inviting Him to get us back to the very basics. In other words, renewal.
Prayer Dear Heavenly Father, Abba, Father,
We thank You for the privilege of coming to You in prayer, confessing our sins and shortcomings, and finding You ready to forgive. Show me once again today the cleansing power of Your Spirit. I sense my need to clean house, to get rid of the “stuff” that clutters my life, my soul, my walk with You. Will You today use the water of Your word, the fire to purge, the new-fallen snow to renew my mind and heart that I may see clearly what You want me to be, how I can best serve You, and to feel Your very Presence as I walk this life. Thank You for loving me enough to discipline me, to set me straight, and to experience a clean heart and right spirit. In Jesus’ Precious Name. Amen.
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