A Prayer

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Psalm 31:1-6 in The Message reads like this: "I run to you, God; I run for dear life. Don't let me down! Take me seriously this time! Get down on my level and listen, and please--no procrastination! Your granite cave a hiding place, your high cliff a place of safety. You're my cave to hide in, my cliff to climb. Be my safe leader, be my true mountain guide. Free me from hidden traps; I want to hide in you. I've put my life in your hands. You won't drop me, you'll never let me down. I hate all this silly religion, but you, God, I trust."

That's how I feel today. Actually, that's how I feel a lot of days. I need a safe cave protected by a great God to climb into. Often, I walk into hidden traps--I really want to act in a way pleasing to Him, but I fall so abysmally short and feel woefully inadequate. It is very easy to play "church," but it is very difficult to live like a "little Christ." The older I get, the more I truly understand Romans 7:14-25, which relates doing the very things one doesn't want to do because of living in the sinful flesh. However, the encouragement comes after Jesus is acknowledged as the one who can set us free from this "body of death." In Romans 8:1-2, the encouragement continues with the words, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the las of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the laws of sin and of death." We are not yet perfect as Christ, but Christ in us has set us from the curse of sin and death, so we press on.

The girls have been studying I Peter for a while now in our Tuesday night group, and we have learned a lot about suffering through service. That is our example in Christ . . . but honestly, we don't really understand how to do this in America right now. We may feel tested and tried and frustrated at the end of the day (or week, or month, or year), but that is so often a reflection of the depth of our relationships with Christ. If we truly trust in Him, what He brings us will find us equipped to bring Him glory in the midst of it all. If we truly serve Him and live like this prayer in Psalm 31,  hungry for God to the point of running to Him and hiding in Him, we will find His strength instead of our weakness after fighting meaningless battles all day that leave us drained and empty; I mean meaningless in the sense of that fight not being eternal, but fleshly. So, I am sharing my prayer for my life today with you. I hope you find the encouragement in it that I have.

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