“Prayer – The Grinding of the
Grit. He Himself has said, "I will
never leave you nor forsake you." —Hebrews 13:5 - If I have not truly
heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again. “I will never…forsake
you.” Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that
makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to
overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful— just the everyday
activities of life— do I hear God’s assurance even in these? We have the idea
that God is going to do some exceptional thing— that He is preparing and
equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His
grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment.
If we have God’s assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours,
and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of
life. Father, In
the extraordinarily
difficult times in our lives, we are desperate to know that You will never
leave us, that we will not face immense challenges without Your presence, help,
and strength. And it is in just these trying times that many of us say that we
were most aware that You were there with us.
Sometimes, though, we have more difficulty connecting with You in the
drudgery of life, in the ordinary times, when there is no vision, nothing
terrible, but nothing wonderful either. Our fear is not that You will leave us,
but more that You will not join us. That You will be generally present should a
crisis arise but that You are not fully invested in the ordinary moments in the
same way. That You are on reserve to mediate the terrible but not on hand ready
to create the beautiful. Perhaps this
comes from our understanding of You as our Savior, our rescuer, our strong arm
– which You are. But You are more than that, more than an ever-present help in
time of trouble. You are an
ever-present creator in seemingly ordinary times.
And You have just as much passion for that. Your strong arm to save is also a
strong arm to grow and create and delight. To be passionately present in the
mealy mundane. In the grinding of the
grit of this world. For those of us in
ordinary times, help us to know not only Your presence but Your activity – Your
desire to enter in and build with us, to celebrate with us, to exercise Your
creativity in conjunction with ours and be the great mediator of meaning,
purpose and vision when there is no great crisis and no great cause. Remind us
that these ordinary times are where some of Your greatest gifts are hidden and
Your greatest work in and through us is done. To You be the glory, Amen.” Julie
Powell Caldwell --Leaping for JOY and flying towards You during ordinary and extra-ordinary times, I thank You for restoring my mind with Thy peace. AMEN
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