I've had something weighing on my heart lately, regarding some doctors' appointments scheduled for one of my children later this week. Nothing life-threatening, but potentially serious nevertheless.
So, I was very grateful when I opened my Magnificat prayer book this morning, and found many Bible verses, speaking about how The Lord will care for me -- for each of us.
"Draw your strength from The Lord and from His mighty power." (Eph 6 :10)
"As for me, I will sing of your strength and each morning acclaim your love for you have been my stronghold, a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn, for you, O God, are my stronghold, the God who shows me love." (PS 59: 17-18)
"God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you will be able to bear it." (1 Cor 10:13)
"O Lord, my strength, my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress!" (Jer 16:19)
"I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me." (Phil 4:13)
"Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God." (Is 41:10a)
How can I take this worry upon myself? How can I give in to fear -- when the Lord has taken it upon Himself to let me know again, and again, that He is God. He cares for me and will protect me. He will be my strength, even if it feels like I have none.
The Old Testament reading was about Moses and the burning bush, and I noticed something for the first time about this familiar story: "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharoah and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?' He (God) answered, 'I will be with you...'" (Exodus 3: 9-12)
God ignored Moses' question, "Who am I?" Because yes, Moses is weak, and sinful, and could never accomplish this on his own. (It does seem significant, though, that when he was first approached by the Lord, Moses' answer was a prompt, "Here I am.") What matters most is, as God says, "I will be with you." It's God being with Moses that will bring about his people's escape from Egypt.
It's God being with my child, my family, and me, that will enable us to face whatever tomorrow's tests reveal. (Although I'm still hoping the answer is, "Nothing to worry about!")
The best I can do in the face of my fear is to rest in God -- to "be still and know that I am God." (Ps 46:10)
So, while it would have been easy to feel like I didn't have time to spend time with our Lord, or to read His word, this morning, what if I hadn't? How much more time would I have spent today, trying to find something to replace the fear in my heart? Would I have surfed the Internet? Called friends? Yelled at my kids? Could any of those things have covered over my anxiety like the comfort of these words: "I will strengthen you, and help you" (Is 41:10b)?
I know how important it is to spend time with The Lord each morning; and I know how small my window of time is before I can no longer set aside the demands of my children and home. But still I find myself drawn to my email, and Facebook, when I'm waking up with my coffee, rather than turning to God first.
What claim does anyone have to my time that is greater than His? What word does anyone have to share that is more nourishing than His?
My spiritual director has recommended spending the first part of my day with God -- giving Him my "first fruits." And indeed, while turning to The Lord at any part of the day is beautiful, sitting silently with Him in the morning does seem to grant Him the most opportunity to be with me during the whole day.
I'm currently reading Jacque Phillipe's "Time for God" -- a book I cannot recommend enough! Regarding finding time for prayer, Phillipe writes: "As a contemporary author remarked, no one has yet starved to death because they didn't have the time to eat. We always find (or rather take!) the time to do what really matters to us. ... In learning to give time to God, we will certainly become more able to find time to be there for one another.... We should make an act of faith in Jesus' promise (about anyone who leaves their family for His sake receiving) 'a hundredfold now in this time.' (Mk 10:29) It is legitimate to apply this to chronological time as well: whoever gives up a quarter of an hour of television in order to pray will receive a hundredfold in this life -- the time will be returned to them a hundredfold, not in quantity but in quality. Mental prayer will give one the grace to live out every moment of life in a much more fruitful way."
Yesterday morning I took my husband's Adoration hour. When the next man walked in -- a family friend -- I smiled at him. "Oh, did you hear the news?" he asked. I hadn't, so he explained. His daughter, a dear friend of mine, is pregnant. After years of believing she could not get pregnant, after adopting three children and experiencing heartbreaking losses of two other children they had hoped to adopt, she is pregnant!
I cried. And when my friend asked me later in the day what I thought of it, all I could say was, "God is awesome!"
This was another example of the Lord comforting me; I took time to be with Him yesterday morning, and He took the opportunity to remind me that He can do anything, even those things we believe impossible. Whatever answers we discover this week, He will be with us in them. He works wonders in ways we cannot imagine. I carried the joy of that news with me all day; I still do.
Of course, we do not always see this type of answer to our prayers. Sometimes the Comforter seems to elude us; but in that too, we must trust. Phillipe makes that clear -- when it comes to prayer, we must persevere, we must trust, and we must hope. Seeds may be getting planted, or growth may be occurring, that we cannot yet see.
Our prayers, if we are able to persevere, and their fruits, all come from God. He created the universe; that should be reason enough for us to turn to Him. And yet, He also waits for us. He has so much good He desires to pour into our lives -- so much of Himself. But if we do not take the time to listen, how will we know He is there? If we do not hear Him speak, how can we respond?
What claim does anyone have to my time that is greater than His? What word does anyone have to share that is more nourishing than His?
My spiritual director has recommended spending the first part of my day with God -- giving Him my "first fruits." And indeed, while turning to The Lord at any part of the day is beautiful, sitting silently with Him in the morning does seem to grant Him the most opportunity to be with me during the whole day.
I'm currently reading Jacque Phillipe's "Time for God" -- a book I cannot recommend enough! Regarding finding time for prayer, Phillipe writes: "As a contemporary author remarked, no one has yet starved to death because they didn't have the time to eat. We always find (or rather take!) the time to do what really matters to us. ... In learning to give time to God, we will certainly become more able to find time to be there for one another.... We should make an act of faith in Jesus' promise (about anyone who leaves their family for His sake receiving) 'a hundredfold now in this time.' (Mk 10:29) It is legitimate to apply this to chronological time as well: whoever gives up a quarter of an hour of television in order to pray will receive a hundredfold in this life -- the time will be returned to them a hundredfold, not in quantity but in quality. Mental prayer will give one the grace to live out every moment of life in a much more fruitful way."
Yesterday morning I took my husband's Adoration hour. When the next man walked in -- a family friend -- I smiled at him. "Oh, did you hear the news?" he asked. I hadn't, so he explained. His daughter, a dear friend of mine, is pregnant. After years of believing she could not get pregnant, after adopting three children and experiencing heartbreaking losses of two other children they had hoped to adopt, she is pregnant!
I cried. And when my friend asked me later in the day what I thought of it, all I could say was, "God is awesome!"
This was another example of the Lord comforting me; I took time to be with Him yesterday morning, and He took the opportunity to remind me that He can do anything, even those things we believe impossible. Whatever answers we discover this week, He will be with us in them. He works wonders in ways we cannot imagine. I carried the joy of that news with me all day; I still do.
Of course, we do not always see this type of answer to our prayers. Sometimes the Comforter seems to elude us; but in that too, we must trust. Phillipe makes that clear -- when it comes to prayer, we must persevere, we must trust, and we must hope. Seeds may be getting planted, or growth may be occurring, that we cannot yet see.
Our prayers, if we are able to persevere, and their fruits, all come from God. He created the universe; that should be reason enough for us to turn to Him. And yet, He also waits for us. He has so much good He desires to pour into our lives -- so much of Himself. But if we do not take the time to listen, how will we know He is there? If we do not hear Him speak, how can we respond?
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