Two Years of This? Really?
This blog has limped along for two years already. Do I keep it or do I write the last post and close it down?

Strength and Weakness

Have you ever wondered why a positive experience is often followed by great difficulty? Hear what Paul said: "So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, for when I am weak, then I am strong." So, don't just put up with difficulties, as long as you know they aren't from undealt-with sin; don't just sigh, celebrate. Boast in God's strength and be content with your own weaknesses.

How Much More Strong is God
I wrote this several years ago when a friend was going through a major crisis. It seems pertinent to these days also, however, which is why I am posting it here.
How Much More Strong is God
How sad this crisis
Yet
How much more strong is God.
How emotional we mortals
Yet
How perfect is God's understanding of us.
How feelble we
Yet
How powerful He.
To whom can we turn
When with passions we burn
On whom can we lean
When weakness we keen
In whom can we comfort find
When we feel we are losing our mind?
There is only One but in that One alone
Will be all we need in our hurting zone.
There is no weakness in being weak;
His is the grace we must seek;
His the wisdom we so need;
Ask, He will not call it greed.
Ask, compassion He will proffer
From His everlasting coffer.
Ask, weeping, without strength;
His will take you the full length
Of each day;
Trust and pray.

Learning to Be Content
1.
Learning to be content,
To deal with change and
To be content,
Requires a lot of lessons,
Individual assignments,
And, sigh. discipline.
Learning to be content
Requires remedial work
At times.
Learning to be content
Calls for directing
Short term and long term goals
With/within God's parameters.
Learning to be content
Requires coming to grips with
And being gripped by
God As Sovereign,
As my Sovereign.
Learning to be content
Requires being conformed
To Him.
2.
Learning to cope with change
Requires commitment to
The Changeless One, and to
The Word given by
The Changeless One.
Learning to cope with change
Requires knowing and being known by
The Changeless One.
Learning requires a willingness to admit
I don't know/and to learn what I am to, even if it's not
What I prefer.

Prayer and Sin, or, Sin and Prayer
Last week I wrote about Psalm 19:12-14. Then this past Sunday, Pastor Don Green unpacked it in GraceLife. Of the three main points he made, the middle one hit me, for he pointed out that, as in Matthew 6:13a--"Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil"--in Psalm 19:13, David is praying for protection from potential sin. David asked, "Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me; then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression."
Well, I confess I had missed praying for protection from this committing of presumptuous sin, thus in fact committing presumptuous sin, being arrogant, vulnerable--slow to realize this. Even "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" is something I have seen differently since that morning, having heard that message.
Consider anxiety--besetting sin. Philippians 4 says, "Be anxious for nothing" but my mental retort: "Not for nothing, but for something specific, regarding something particular" compounds sin, adding arrogance, fear's mask, anxiety, unbelief.
Waiting for a ride recently, pacing, I realized as a dependent for rides, perfectionism is an issue of control for me--again indicative of unbelief.
Have you noticed how often sins can be traced to unbelief? How often discontent can be? Which I relate to anxiety--see also Matthew 6:32-34--and breaking the tenth commandment--"You shall not covet."
So while it is good and necessary to pray for forgiveness for sins we have committed [known to us and known only to God], it is equally necessary to pray for protection from sins we may commit, temptations God knows we will face, and to humble ourselves in advance. Then, with David, we can pray more confidently, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer" [Psalm 19:14].