And then the light...

Suddenly it occurs to me that I do have something to say...in fact I have quite a lot to say. The problem is more that I have been feeling "self-aware" and have been wanting to be very careful about whatever I say. And this is never good.

Each and every morning when I get up I compose an entry for my "prayer journal" (it's called that because it's actually more prayer than journal) and this is the thing that centers me.

I begin using the template that Y'shua left us, often referred to as "the Lord's Prayer" ..."Our Father, who art in heaven..." You know the one...a template because in same discussion He speaks of not doing the "praying just to be heard" thing and He also cautions against doing the "vain repetition" thing, so clearly He wasn't telling us to, "Sing along and say the magic words!".

In fact Y'shua was real down on magic words and kina stressed that we only speak the truth from our hearts. And the Bible in general is not real hip on magic anyway.

The idea here is not that we are to echo verbatim what Y'shua said, but rather that effective prayer looks something like this; begin by recognizing who we are talking to...and this is tough, because our natural inclination is to begin spewing selfish stuff, "I need", "I want", "If You could do something about them...".

But a clearer understanding of what we really ought to be requesting comes out of a clearer understanding of who we are really talking to.

By starting with, "Father God, my Creator, my Father, my Lord..." I establish our relationship, He is my Father, and I can trust Him.

Who He is not, is a cosmic toddler who has created the human race as His divine "play thing". His level of sophistication is so far beyond my own that the more I explore this idea and give Him the praise due as the One who has not only created all things, but demonstrated purity of His love, the more confident I am in bringing my whole heart before Him.

And as I'm bringing my whole heart, things are being revealed, because rather than playing that game where I bring what I have assessed to be the answer to my problem, I am more inclined to bring Him the "root cause" of my anxiety for Him to evaluate my situation and deliver an answer that addresses the "real problem".

Why do godly people have confidence in the midst of overwhelming odds?
Why do godly people seem to have a trust that goes well beyond reason?

When I recognize who God really is I don't hold back. I come to the realization that He is able to see what's really in my heart anyway...and despite this He still loves me! So the "cloaked" requests that are SOP when dealing with one another, indeed even dealing with ourselves, are exposed for what they really are and I become freed up to trust God with my deepest needs.

And because I trust Him, I am not afraid anymore.

Whether or not things turn out the way I would have hope they would, they will turn out in the way that it ultimately best for me, for He loves me and His mercy, grace and loving kindness are ever directed towards me.

Much of the problem is that we live in this fallen world and that in this world we will have tribulation because part of love is giving the beloved space and freedom to do what may not be good for them, and as a whole we haven't done a bang up job here with the earth.

In fact, just the injustice that we subject ourselves to is enough to make one despair...but, when the Kingdom finally reigns in all facets of life, and everyone is willing to surrender themselves to God's will (the rule of love) it will be a different place.

Thus, "...Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven..."

And as "someone" once stated so eloquently, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror..." that's a big part of my prayers. "Oh Lord, help me to get over myself, to humble myself, to become that man You desire me to become..." because this the Kingdom come.

When those of us who have received His Spirit choose to yield our lives to His direction the world changes and there are countless testimonies of this.

You see what I'm getting at don't you?

Take this prayer that He left with us and apply that template to your morning prayers.

And if you don't have a "morning prayer", consider making this a part of your life.

The reason that I do a "journal" is because I find it difficult to focus when I'm still groggy first thing in the morning. The exercise of writing it out, whether with a pen or typing, or whatever, causes me to turn all my attention to what I'm doing and I'm able to express myself more fully without loosing my train of thought.

I pray that what I have shared with you has been useful.