Prayer of 2019- A Tapestry of Faith

One thing that we started this year was a specific prayer filled with huge ‘God-sized’ requests.  We voiced it amidst our daily prayers for His activity and favor in our lives and announce, “Now this is my prayer request of 2019 that I don’t see any evidence of it happening on its own…”  Then comes the fanfare!  We start out with instruments and their coinciding hand gestures:  trumpets- bapada-bap-bap-bap-bap-bap-bap-baaaap!!  Trombones- beeeuuuheeep!!!  Flutes- whistle something!!!  Then comes the tympani- bing-bong-bing-bong-bidlidlidlidlidlidlidlid!!!  And finish with a cymbal crash- pishhhhhhhh!!!  (I’m pretty sure God likes the fanfare).  Then we lay specific prayers before Him that we want to see happen in that year.  I’ve done this before with friends and neighbors and some answers and events have already happened, some have yet to come- 7 days left!

There are so many things we can’t see.  That’s why it’s a prayer!  We trust in the One who sees all and knows the perfect timing.  What will we do if He doesn’t answer our Prayer Requests of 2019?  Trust Him, celebrate ones we have seen Him answer, and enlargen our eyes to pray for more of Him in our lives.  How else do visions expand, passions purified, and lives engaged with His holy presence?  In the tapestry of faith that our prayers create, I love inviting God to write stories that my kids can look to for their own edification throughout their lives.

I hope this encourages others to seek more from Him and have fun with their prayers.  God bless!  Merry Christmas!!!

 

7 Words that describe God- ‘V’

7 Words that describe God- ‘V’:
 
Valiant
Victory
Vigilant
Vision
Vivid
Voice
Vulnerable
 
You are the Valiant One. There is no one more courageous and determined than You. Your bravery to face and submit to a lesser foe is a little, I mean way beyond, my understanding. Many try their best to be like You, myself included, but if we knew our efforts would only scratch the surface of the path You walked, we might not be so “Holier than thou”. I know I can be more than brazenly indignant when even a hint of the stench of injustice reaches my nose. Who submits themselves to ants, to mosquitoes? Do we not with one stroke defeat our foe? Yet You did just that. You bravely faced the only future that would bring us back to You. 2 Samuel 17:10
 
Heavenly Father, I know that normally I ask You first what word I should use to describe You with for the day, but today I want to talk about Victory. You have it completely. There is no one else who does. All bow to You. All submit before Your holy Word. You may have come vulnerably the first time, but mountains will melt like wax and the stars will fall from the sky when You return Lord Jesus. Everyone who stands will crawl. Everyone who speaks will choke. Everyone who laughs will groan. For the Day will come and has already been set to bring this world to its end. All those who do not call on Your Name will hide, but the rocks can not cover their hearts and minds. You hold the Victory, that word has no meaning otherwise, except for madness. 1 Corinthians 15:57
 
You take up my cause and are careful to attend to me. You, the maker of the stars, You, who holds all things together, You, are Vigilant over me. Nothing surprises You. Nothing catches You off-guard. The plans of the wicked come to naught though they try to strike me down. They know which way I am going for I seek to follow You. Whatever can be done to trap me in the pit of legalism or in the prison of indulgence, they are quick to mislead. These ditches on either side of Your path are trivial to You, for Your Love is quick to extend Your hand to pull me from both.  Psalm 121
 
Lord, with You as my Vision, I see people as Your children. When I see them with Your eyes, I am able to serve without prejudice, without need. I am able to see others as Your creations filled with Your Spirit to accomplish great things. If I were a thief, I’d see them as marks- targets for me to steal from. If I were a salesman, I’d see them as customers- potential buyers of my product. If I were a doctor, I’d see them as patients- those in need of medical attention. If I were a superstar, I’d see them as fans- my faithful audience who values what I say. If I were a professor, I’d see them as students- sheep in need of a shepherd. But when I see them as Yours, we are all equal under Your love, in need of Your grace. I can’t see anything like that without You as my Vision.  Joel 2:28
 
I’ve heard how many see Heaven as a place of color so vivid it blows the mind. I once stared at a flowering bush that almost hurt my eyes. The deep green of grass below looked almost black and made the bush’s color even brighter. I stood there shocked, my wonder prevented me from leaving that place, but I had to. We are still where Time reigns, where flowers wilt, where friends and family die. This life here will end, either Jesus comes back or we go to Him, but to think of a time without time, I could continue to stare and be lost in Your Beauty. I know I am not Moses and the bush was not lit by flames, but like the fire that did not devour, the colors on the bush are a permanent fixture of You- so Vivid, so entrancing.  Luke 2:19
 
May I be ever attentive to Your Voice. May I heed Your call. May my ears strain to hear it as my soul yearns to obey it. If at times Your Voice is stern, may I be quick to repent. Your voice over me sings of such resounding mysteries. May I dance to Your song for You give voice to greater things than I know. The voiceless find their voice in You. The oppressed and the downtrodden find solace in the Voice who made the earth and sky. Kings learn to abide beneath Your tones. Their voice bows to Yours. Your mouth uttered the Word that gives life and aligns all to Your will. Your voice teaches me to obey Your Word. As I submit to You, I am placed among the stars. May I treasure Your whispers. Your Voice is everything to me.  Hebrews 3:15
 
One of the great mysteries is that You made Yourself Vulnerable to us. You came here as a baby, not as a mighty warrior. They laid You in a manger in a barn surrounded by shepherds, not in a palace surrounded by guards. They wrapped You in a baby’s clothes, not a fine royal robe. You grew to be a man, a carpenter by trade, not a prince soon to be king. You were surrounded by the untrustworthy and traitors, not by faithful stewards. You showed them how to serve, not how to command. You came to give, not to take. You loved instead of lorded. They arrested You when they should have honored you. They beat and ridiculed You when they should have worshipped and revered You. They gave You a crown of thorns when they should have given You one of gold. They sentenced You to die when they should have praised You for Your life. They nailed You to a cross when they should have seated You on a throne. You died a sinner’s death though You knew no sin. Who knew Your path from swaddling clothes to the cross, Your trail of vulnerability, would come to this?  Luke 6:27-29

Spiritfire, Proverbs 21:10, “Cravings”

“The wicked man craves evil;
his neighbor gets no mercy from him.”
 
As has been our practice for Spiritfire- our family devotion time with God, we began with prayer, gave our intros, and then looked at the wisdom inherent in the verse for that night.  Proverb 21:10 has the form of a ‘this-and-more’ proverb.  In this case, it made a statement and then furthered the point with an example.  What one craves is what makes them.  Why would a neighbor of Folly’s house seek from them the fruit of Wisdom’s?  If mercy is what they seek why would they live next to the wicked?  Maybe it wasn’t on purpose.

When I asked my family, “Where is Jesus in this proverb and how does He fulfill it that we may be made into new creations?”  They saw Him in the proverb’s reflection on the pools of Living Water below, and Betsy said:
 
“To imagine what Jesus went through: the false testimonies, the whipping and beatings from the soldiers, the mockery of the crowds, the shameful stripping of his clothes, his criminal crucifixion… He was surrounded by those who were craving evil against Him in every possible way.  Even His closest “neighbors,” His disciples, showed no mercy and abandoned Him.
 
Then to think of Jesus, as an earthly man – He was a righteous man who craved Love.  When dying for us, He called out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:35).  When Jesus’ neighbor who was hanging on the cross beside Him asked for mercy, Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43).  Jesus craves love and His neighbor gets ultimate mercy from Him.”

7 Words that describe God- ‘U’

7 Words that describe God- ‘U’:

Ultraviolet 
Uncontainable
Understanding
Undomesticated
Unifier
Unstoppable
Unveiled

You move beyond what I can see. My eyes often stay focused on the physical plane, but I know it doesn’t limit You. The laws of the world where I function do not bind You. I pray for more than what I can see. With my imagination, I can go there. Beyond the dimensions of Buckaroo Banzai, farther away than the furthest star, closer than a beating heart, deeper than the grave, you are there. Ultraviolet light shows us there are rays we can’t see. I’ve seen things that are hard to explain, but they are still bound by laws. You walked on water and through walls, You open prison doors and feed thousands with food that wasn’t there. Help me to see Your wavelength, the wavelength of faith, for You are Ultraviolet.  2 Corinthians 4:6

You cannot be put in a box. There is no easy ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme with You. No “Now that I’ve done this…” whether it be healing, signs/wonders, exorcism, resurrection, baptism in water and/or the Spirit, there isn’t a quick path that says “It’s done, now I’m a Christian. I’ve got my ‘ticket’, my proof”. Faith in You isn’t defined that way. You aren’t defined by those things. Yes, You give us power to do those things, but as soon as we take our eyes off of You and what You’ve done to look at ourselves and what we’ve done, we sink under the waves that were never meant to hold us up. Thank You for not being contained to a time or a place for we would weaken our confidence in You outside of each. You are Uncontainable.  Psalm 92:1-2

You more than know me, my Lord, You understand me. You have the most intimate knowledge of who I am and You ‘get’ me. Your Word says You know when I sit and when I rise. Well, so does Google, Siri, Amazon, the F.B.I. etc., but it’s what You do with that knowledge that’s the rub. They give me links to stuff that fades, shipments of packages tied up with strings. They might be a few of my favorite things- digital worlds where I’m more than healed, where I have the power to affect my surroundings, where I determine the outcome, where I am king. But it’s fake, merely a video game. I know it is. You call me ever beyond this place. No matter what ‘they’ know, it fades. They know the fading me. Only You know my secret name. You’re the One who gives it to me. It is eternally more important for me to understand You, than for You to understand me. I am a piece of dust- here today, gone tomorrow, but You are eternal and You do understand me.  Psalm 8

A dog’s domestication fulfills a need and gives it purpose for survival in humankind’s world. If left on its own, it becomes wild and is a danger to all who come near. A veterinarian can give it shots and do check-ups for its health when it is domesticated. But You need no such things. You are Undomesticated no matter how comfortable we try to make ourselves in Your presence. You are love, so we are not in danger. You are kind, so we trust in You. But to think we can train You to behave in a way that fits our culture, Whose blessings fit our schedule, that is folly. We think we know, but who can domesticate the wind? A fire? An earthquake?  Romans 8:6-9
 
I have spoken with and met a lot of people who would have nothing to do with each other outside of You. Sports team rivalries, Alma-mater rivalries, family feuds, etc., bitterness has a strange way of twisting things. I’ve met with people who would die for You but would never extend the hand of fellowship to another believer. I have worshipped You alongside many who hold Scripture as sacred. They sing the same songs, read the same verses, dedicate their lives to You and yet would prefer to demonize each other than see that they will be enjoying heaven together. Politics and titles aside may we see how Your heart is to unify us to be closer than brothers.  John 17:20-21
 
You are unstoppable as a runaway train, like an avalanche nothing can slow you down. You break through any wall, any boundary. Your enemies have tried to stop You, to halt the progress of Your Kingdom. Their plans are to steal, kill, and destroy Your people. But they are stoppable. Their day is short, their time limited. You are patient, but they should not take Your patience as permission. When Your Day is at hand, they will be silenced, but the voices of those who worship You will ring out. You are unstoppable! Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.  Job 42:1-6
 
You’ve kept hidden Your plans, though they were told about long ago as if behind a veil. You allowed things to be separate. Wisdom had its day. You warranted us to the understanding of barriers, sacrifice, and holiness. You kept us in fear that we may one day follow our forefathers in their disobedience. You permitted us to know the folly of perfection. You tolerated within us the hopelessness of earning our salvation. Then You came. At the right time, You revealed Your plan. To fulfill all things, You took away the veil. The separation was torn, the barrier broken. The price was paid and we were made into new creations. You brought us into Your presence washed white in Your holiness, redeemed in Your righteousness, saved by Your blood.  2 Corinthians 3:18
 


Spiritfire Proverbs 21:9 “Avoidance or Breakthrough”

“Better to live on a corner of the roof
     than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”
 
When I read this proverb to my kids, my wife and I tried to explain to them about the need to choose their spouse wisely.  That led to an interesting conversation 10+ years in the making.  What is it like to be married to a quarrelsome spouse?  This proverb says it all.
 
Now, when I asked “Where’s Jesus?” for this one, my wife (who is awesome!) was the first to speak:
 
“In Proverbs, it talks about a wife that is so quarrelsome in their home that her husband is better off living away from her on the roof.  But with Jesus, it’s just the opposite.  People wanted to be with him so desperately that they tore the roof open to lower their crippled friend into the home that Jesus was in (Luke 5:19).  Instead of a wife that the husband wants to avoid, Jesus is the husband that the church bride wants to be with.”
 
The Spirit spoke through her to me again about Wisdom’s theme of ‘avoidance’ that we saw in 20:19.  Again we saw how Jesus fulfilled wisdom’s call and flipped it to be an invitation.  Jesus didn’t avoid.  He draws us in.  Or as my wife concluded:
 
“In another way, just as the husband is escaping from his argumentative wife, more-so Jesus is the husband who “stands at the door and knocks” (Rev. 3:20) and He will come in and eat with us.”

7 Words that describe God- ’T’

7 Words that describe God- ’T’:
 
Taxi
Teacher
Testimony
Therapist
Three
Trailblazer
Truth
 
You are my ride, my Taxi from this life to the next. In desperation, I called to You. By faith, I entered Your door. Because of the price paid for me, my ride is free. You paid my fare knowing it wasn’t fair. The traffic of guilt, regret, and condemnation were blasted away with one honk of Your glorious horn. Your Son made the way for my destination. Because of His divine invitation, I am brought before His seat in Your throne room. I hear there’s a mansion on the way, take Your time my Holy Cabby. Crank up the tunes! The worship of angels fits this place. Jonah 1:17-2:10
 
You are the One whose lessons guide in the way of righteousness. Your class is one I can’t afford to skip. A seat in the front row is my place. Your Word open in front of me, Your curriculum is holiness. Your homework adds to my life. My dog cannot destroy it, no matter how I’ve trained it. I can’t take enough notes, for the blessings they give to me are countless. When it comes to test time every bit of studying counts, every time I value Your teachings over my desires prepares me for victory. The apple I put on Your desk is my submission of the one Adam and Eve took in disobedience. May I learn from Your first students and even more from Your Son who fulfilled the class requirements for the rest of us. You are my Teacher so perfect and wise. May I remain Your student to the end of my days. John 13:13
 
Because of You, my story is worth telling. If not for You, my story would be no different from the world’s. I’d be doomed to repeat the fading tale of hopelessness. I’d be left in a panicked frenzy to grab all I can on my way to finality. I would be among the lost, stealing from each other and clawing as we’d fight to be at the top of this muddy hill. If we make it to the top, our prize fades even as we hold it aloft. Our laugh of victory has the limit of our breath. Before we know it, our time is over and another is at the top. We are forgotten as the game continues. This ‘king of the mountain’ is madness. But You give us a new name. You save us from repetition, from our doom. You are the King and Your mountain is holy. You are my Testimony. 1 John 5:9-12
 
You know me completely. If I have an issue or a problem, You know how to untangle the mess in my head. I trust You. You know the end before the beginning. You can not be fooled or mislead. You can not be manipulated or bribed. I’ve seen when liars win, when cheaters break the system. I’ve witnessed the ‘innocent’ card played to perfection. I’ve heard the stories of wickedness acted out on the helpless. I’ve learned of oppression so stark it crushes people beneath its weight. Their victory is short-lived. They do not hold eternity. Their effect on the mind, the soul, leaves wounds only You can address. I wait on You, mighty One. You are my Doctor, my Therapist. You know how I’m to be saved. Hebrews 4:12
 
741-852-963, You are my 7 and my 3. You fulfill all things, every jot, and tittle. 3 in 1, how am I to understand? Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Are You like an egg- shell, egg white, yolk? Or like water- ice, water, steam? Perhaps You are more solid like a mountain- mountain, rock, sand? Or airier like a storm- cloud, thunder, lightning? A tree- trunk, branch, leaf? Are You like the speed of a car- fast, slow, park? Or even a computer- screen, tower, keyboard? However I am to understand You, my own roles reflect Your triune state- son, husband, dad.  I see You in every way and in everything. 1 John 5:1-6
 
You are the Trailblazer in the wilderness of my soul. Everything is so loud here, it screams for our attention. Yet You remain true. Your compass is always right. No matter the obstacle, You make it to Your destination. Let the world scream, it hated Your Son and did what You knew it would. They gladly fulfill their lot. They call from the pit to lure those who have ears to hear. May I not even hear them, but have compassion for them that they might be saved. May my eyes stay focused on putting one foot in front of the other. May I follow the trail You’ve left us and fulfill what You have for Your followers. You blazed this trail and paid for it in blood. John 14:1-4
 
Thank You for being the Truth. No matter what I do, my version of the truth is always jaded; it is always one-sided. I’d need a persuasive lawyer to manipulate everyone to see things my way. My innocence would then not be determined by an actual examination of the facts, but by another’s interpretation of the facts. I can understand why then we are to remain silent when they falsely accuse us. You did when they accused You, Lord Jesus. But because of You, Truth is not silent; it is not void. You stand no matter the jade, no matter the persuasive argument. The jury may be convinced, but there is no courtroom here whose judgments are higher than Yours. You break their bank filled with the currency of lies. If not for You, everything falls and we are lost. Thank You for being the Truth, my Lord, and my God. 1 John 5:20

7 Words that describe God- ’S’

7 Words that describe God- ’S’:
 
Sacred
Seven
Shepherd
Shield
Ship
Stone
Supernatural
 
You are Sacred, oh Lord. When I am with You, the ground beneath my feet becomes holy. My life becomes more than just the sum of accomplishing my desires. My life, because of You, becomes sacred. If I were to be martyred like many before me, even my death would be sacred. I wouldn’t just come to the end of my days like a bird and fall to the earth as do the leaves of a tree. If even my death would give You glory, may my lips be girded with praise to my last breath. Why waste time with anything else? I am sacred because You are sacred.  2 Timothy 3:14-17
 
369-258-147, You complete all of me. You are my 7. There isn’t any aspect of me You don’t know. My family, friends, or even enemies have no understanding, no knowledge, of what You have done within me. I myself have no clue of the depth You have reached within me to bring salvation to my door. “Who am I?” is a question left for mockers but all must ask. “Who are You?” is the question that answers all others. The Mystery who revealed Himself, Maker and Fulfiller of Space and Time, the One who knows me, You have done all to make me fit where I don’t belong but was made for. Revelation 3:1
 
You are the Good Shepherd who cares for His flock. You lead us beside quiet waters to restore us. You know the wolves hunt us. You know they spend all their energy tracking us down. They fill our nights with terror. We may sleep with one eye open, but our focus is on You. When it is time to run, You do not lead us into a trap. You show us the better path. You deliver us and scatter the wolves. It is their turn to run. There are no quiet waters to restore them, for You did not lead them there. At the right time, the wolves had thought they had killed You leaving Your flock unprotected. But then You rose again, Lord Jesus, and filled Your sheep with power. Who has ever seen a sheep in armor wielding a sword?  Psalm 23
 
You are my Shield, my protection from attack. Whether it be from friend or foe, You block their attempts and protect me from harm. Though many attacks seemed to have gotten through, I’ve found You do not protect my pride, my vanity, my selfish gain. You let those attacks strike true for I must leave all such things behind. Your shield over me teaches me what is worth protecting. In this way, I gain from the attacks I’ve suffered, for it prunes me. It helps rid me of that which You will not bless. You are my Shield, and as such- the crucible of attack and protect fashions me according to Your will.  Ephesians 6:10-18
 
This life is hard, like a raging sea, but You are the Ship that travels me through each day. Though I have lost much over the years to these waves, You’ve kept me on board. You alone know how many times I’ve wished for everything to just stop. The loss is too great. I thought I had made it to where I belonged, to where You wanted me- such a mighty castle in the sand, then the tide came and washed it all away. “I can’t do what I used to do, but I’m holding on to You,” is my banner now. You keep going and pressing me onward. To where? Wherever it is, the sea may take it, but You will keep moving me onward.  Acts 27:22
 
In Your Word, You are described as a Stone- whether capstone or cornerstone and truly You are such a Stone to me. You are the keystone for this life setting us up for the one to come. All without You crumbles and falls, for all things fail here. They all return to the dust from which they were made. You are also like the stone that fell the giant. Against impossible odds, by the hand of Your servant David, a stone slew that which many feared and were about to be destroyed by. You are akin to that stone, for like it, You have defeated sin and its destroying power over me. You slew that giant setting free all who were doomed to die and You give eternal life to all who believe. 1 Peter 2:4-10
 
In a post-scientific age, when we’ve answered enough questions to realize answers aren’t enough; when we’ve finally dug deep enough to awaken the Balrog and find that the data says whatever we want it to say; when we see the answers have always been lust and greed, those bottomless twins that devour our time and energy; when we’ve conquered all we can with the tools we’ve created; when ‘meaningless’ becomes our only and just reward; it is then that we meet the hunger that has always been. It is then that what is awakened is ever more than the Balrog. You, oh Lord, are our desire, for You walk in ways we’ve always known and distractions only have power if they can keep our attention, but we are eternal people. They were never able to keep us. We see past the facade to where You dwell, for You are Supernatural.  Acts 1:8

7 Words that describe God- ‘R’

7 Words that Describe God- ‘R’:

Relentless
Remarkable
Requiem
Rescue
Rhyme
Rhythm
Righteous

I would say this world’s ability to constantly demean and devalue is unbelievably constant, relentless even. Yours is the only voice that builds us up. As we turn to You all of the self-righteous candor is silent, the pompous proclamations pruned. We speak and act in ways that make us matter against the onslaught from others. But You, Your goodness is what is the source of the world’s angst. You are Relentless in Your love for us. So constant, so dependable, what else is the world to do but think of new ways to hate us or make us hate ourselves? It is because of You and Your Relentless love that their attacks continue. Regardless, I would not walk away from Your downpour to stand in their doomed sunshine.  Psalm 23:6

You are Remarkable, oh Lord. Your heights, no one can climb. Your depths, no one can fathom. Your thoughts, no one can understand. Your flame, no one can extinguish. Your light, no one can dim. Your peace, no one can disrupt. Your love, no one can escape. Your joy, no one can steal. Your hope, no one can disappoint. Your kindness, no one can refuse. Your grace, no one deserves. Your favor is my desire. Your pruning is my daily need. Your voice, I long to hear. Your wisdom is my prayer. Your presence is my comfort. Your strength is my salvation. Your goodness is my shield. Your faithfulness is my hope. Your truth is what binds me. Your holiness is my fear. Your glory is my light.  You are Remarkable, my Lord.  Psalm 34:8

You are my Requiem- my trading of lesser things for that which is greater, a dirge of my selfish ways. For I am to die to self to gain that which I can only receive from You. Though I’ve known You since my youth, to follow You is a daily decision. I am marked by You and seen by others with a cross on my back and a song on my lips. To sing of the dead, to use my breath of life to sing of what I have left behind is my joy. Every step I take with You is a verse, a phrase. May You be my Requiem and my Hallelujah. Hebrews 4:10

You are my Rescue, my Lord. When the waves of this life toss me to and fro, I look to You and am saved. The strength You give has led many through incredibly difficult times. Mass graves hold those who looked to You and were rescued beyond the reach of those who put them there. You have the final say, not the oppressors, not the storm. A storm does not rescue, a wave does not save. Only You bring peace, only You are stability. Rocks can not deliver no matter how deep we dig, only You can. Mountains will crumble, but You remain, and Your Word stands forever. Thank You for rescuing me from myself.  2 Samuel 22

You are my Rhythm, my common time. I want to keep pace with You, my Lord. I want to be in step with You though the world is against You, though the mockers do what they’ve been given and mock. Gossipers spread their jaded message to the undiscerning. Slanderers jump in and try to steal Your beat misleading all who follow them. They try to make foolish those who walk Your paths. They belittle their faith for it is not as compromised as theirs. Beware the drummers that march to their own beat. It looks right, they say the right words, but they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They lead far from Your perfect Rhythm. Amos 3:3

You are my perfect Rhyme. You line me up and further my meaning from a simple phrase to revelation. With You, I can see beyond the stars. My thoughts are unbound and unlimited as I consider eternity amidst the temporal. Because You are with me, I can scale the loftiest thought. Because You are near, I can traverse through the deepest depth. My rhyme becomes blessed with You as my meaning. I am not left with awkward words that contain only death with You as my muse. No, with You as my Rhyme I have Life! Psalm 18

Lord, You are the Righteous One. Without Your absolute righteousness, how does anything stand? The very order of the universe depends on it. Morality would not exist without it. Discernment would only rest on social, historical and cultural relativism. You, the dweller and maker of Wisdom’s house, would only be a location of personal conviction instead of the flagship of reform. What is the need for accountability if You are not Righteous? How can we make straight Your way if You are crooked? Because of You, I know what is right, just, and fair. Proverbs 2:9-11

7 Words that describe God- ‘Q’

7 Words that Describe God- ‘Q’:
 
Quality
Quarterback
Quest
Question
Quiet
Quilt
Quirky
 
Your Quality is unquestionable. Your life is our meaning, our hope, our joy. Nothing compares to You. You are greater than the combined quintessence of all things: earth, water, air, fire, and the heavens. I am not greater. I am under You. You sit on a throne ever higher than mine. My quality is questionable, but You raise us up. You give us Your Quality. Who does that? Who can even try, let alone make it stick? Only You. This is not some replacement of royalty- when the king is tired of his throne and trades his life with a pauper’s for a day. No, You still remain. You- our King and Pauper, You paid for us in blood to remain with You eternally.  Romans 1:20
 
You are with me in the thick of this life. You are not on the sidelines. You direct me and set me up for victory. Your plays are always the best and if I obey we advance down the field. Sometimes You hand me the ball when I wish You would run it. At others, You pass me the ball when I’m in deep. The enemy has me covered, but Your throw is too perfect. I just need to open my hands and it nestles in untouched by the foe. With You as my Quarterback, what can they do? 1 Corinthians 12:26
 
You are my heart’s Quest, my Lord. To get to know You more is my only aim. You bid me to love, which is a great mystery and is an element of eternity. Nothing lasts here. Even love dies. But Your love never dies. You seek me to extend it to those who have hurt me. You are there. Your love is the only bridge that leads to hope. All other roads lead to places only You can walk and not be destroyed or marred in some way. With You as my Quest, I cannot remain unchanged. You renew and transform me from a caterpillar to a butterfly. If I didn’t long to fly, what would I care? But I do.  Psalm 25
 
You are the Question many want to ask but fear the answer. For You are both the Question and the Answer. Many live their lives to a standard, either given to them or by conviction. They judge themselves to be either acceptable or not based on how they measure up to that standard, but where did such things come from? The law. They understand punishment for breaking the law, though many hide behind excuses to cover them. Grace is something they don’t understand. Call it pride or vanity, but they would rather deny Your existence and embrace their fallenness as their only hope than accept Your love. The End is coming and is now near. Without Your grace, Your answer to our question, we have only rocks/excuses to cover us. We either seek the refuge of the dead and bury ourselves beneath the rocks, or we accept Your love and are risen again with You.  Judges 6:13-14
 
In Your silence, I learn to wait. In Your whisper, I learn to listen. I am too loud, too impulsive. When I enter a room I go to my goal. It is why I came there after all. Things that detain me from my goal, whether it be people or other priorities, I treat as distractions. In Your Quiet, you present me with paths. If I am open to Your leading, doors to wonderful things appear. If I am receptive to Your quiet, I avoid traps of pride and vanity. If I am obedient to Your commands, I would realize I am unfit for glory and praise. Only You are. You are the only One they would not mislead. Help me to listen, help me to hear. When I do, I gain the discernment between what is truly a distraction and what is Your plan.  Acts 16:19-31
 
You are more intimate than a picture or a tapestry. You wrap me in Your presence like a blanket and You comfort me. Even more, as one knitted by loving hands. A divine Quilt of Your love beckons me to recline in Your care. So soft is Your tenderness toward me. So strong, it cannot be torn. Thicker than the thickest robe, You protect me from the change of circumstance. You keep me close to You. I seek to draw nearer than even my faith would allow. “This close and closer,” is my banner’s call. May it be so, my Lord, may it be so.  Titus 3:7
 
When I think of ‘how’ You choose to do things- through the unqualified, You are odd to me. It is actually out of love that You do this. Somethings no one can claim, and should not. For Your wonders to be made known there is no better way. It magnifies Your goodness and separates Your ways from ours. When I think of Your creation- the platypus, You are strange to me. I can’t tell if it was a mad scientist’s experiment or not, but when love is shown to Your creatures, they respond in kind. You are Quirky, my Lord. You choose to be that way with us to show us we can trust You more than this place.  John 21:25

7 Words that describe God- ‘P’

7 Words that describe God- ‘P’:
 
Paddle
Path
Peace
Power
Preamp
Preeminent
Provider
 
With You, I’m never upstream without one. You provide me direction and by Your guidance, I can steer around any obstacle. Should I have gone the wrong way, I can turn around and repent. After my time with You, I see how far I’ve come and I’m not dismayed. Constantly abiding with You creates in me a clean heart, not one that is the product of this place. You enable me to keep moving beyond the pitfall, beyond the trap, to destinations that bless and strengthen my soul. I need You. If I am a boat, You are my Paddle, my Anchor, my Sail.  Isaiah 43:19
 
There are so many paths to be taken in this life, but Yours is the one I want to follow. Some people claim to be following You, but when you walk with them, you witness that the path they tread leads somewhere else entirely. You warn them, but they do not listen. You go as far as you can with them, then the hurt that their path causes becomes too great. Your call, oh Lord, echoes across the land, but they do not hear it. Your Path does not dance. Your Path holds its course. We who follow become shaped by it. We are to submit ourselves to Your direction. Lead on my Lord, lead on.  Psalm 25
 
You are my Peace. You cannot be shaken. You cannot be lost. Shame and regret attempt to toss the boat. They try to drown You out. The winds of my mistakes are mighty, the effects of my disobedience are astounding, but Your peace pursues me beyond their reach. They don’t love me and their strength fails to convict. But You do love me. The peace You give is not founded on favorable circumstance- here today, gone tomorrow. Your peace is founded on You, and Your favor is eternal. Your peace outlasts the storm, whenever it comes. Because of You, I will not be shaken. Philippians 4:6-7
 
You are very great, oh God, in glory and Power and majesty amen. We always have limits to how we understand You. To what should we compare with Your unmatchable power? Lightning? Earthquakes? Volcanoes? Babies? All of these are trifles when compared to You. Light and darkness hold a key, but here light loses its strength. Darkness merely waits for the inevitable and then overwhelms what comfort was had. With You, the Eternal One, there is no fade. You do not lose strength. Your power knows no limits as You move when and where You want. Psalm 71:18
 
You take my signal, my voice, and amplify it to accomplish Your will, Your purpose for me. My voice is too weak, hardly a whisper. You lift me out of the pit of self-destruction and place me on the heights. When I seek to boost my own signal, I end up with horrible feedback and damage listening ears. You balance my voice with others and make us into a choir singing in harmony for Your glory. With You, we are one sound, unified and strong. The enemy puts damaged chords among us. They weaken our signal, but You, my faithful Preamp, take us in stride as we are and make it enough.  2 Chronicles 5:13
 
You surpass all others, mighty God. There is no one equal to You, not even close. Yet somehow our desires ring louder. Somehow it makes more sense for us to obey our will over Yours. How do we rise above our mortal bounds? In our foolishness, it is by our existence we claim our authority to be greater. “Because I exist, I can” is ever and always less than Your preexisting state of “I am”. You are Preeminent, oh Lord. You were here before the world began, before time was born, and You will be after all is ended.  Colossians 1:15-20
 
You are my Provider, my Lord. You take care of my every need for You know them before I do. Not only for me but for my entire household. You set me to overflow that I may, in turn, help others. You are good to me, my Lord. I look to You and am not cast out nor forgotten. I am very needy and exhaust myself with my many requests, but You are so patient with me. In Your wisdom, You hold back that which I am not ready for. Blessings would turn to curses if not received in due season. Only You know when that time is. You are my Provider. May I live in constant thankfulness.  Genesis 22:13-14