Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Fresh Work of God in Our Hearts

I love to read and reread Scotty Smith's Prayers.  They are so REAL and hit home nearly every day!  Reading his prayer for a Fresh Work of God in our Hearts spoke volumes to me this morning.

"heal me, Lord and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the One I praise." Jer. 17:14 NIV  "restore to me the joy of your salvation. Psalm 51:12 ESV    "Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fall, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever." Psalm 73:25-26  NLT

Dear Heavenly Father, for your welcoming heart, we adore you; for your daily mercies, we worship you; for your promise of renewal, we trust You.  (Wow, His heart welcomes me even when I am unworthy or confused; when I am down and out, when I am angry!   And daily you show me YOUR mercies - ME undeserving! Unworthy!!   I lift my hands and worship Your holy name! .. )

Your grace finds us where we are (good thing because my mind is not always in the right place!) but thankfully, it doesn't leave us there.  Today, we represent the many different ways its possible to get disconnected from vital and robust relationship with you.  But we all share in common a longing to get back on the dance floor of Your delight.  We long for the music of the gospel to fill the corridors of our hearts once again.  Gracious and loving Father, bring us home. Restore to us our first love relationship with Jesus.

Some of us are just worn out, spent and wear from lif'e's incessant demands. (me I am worn out from the pain!)  It's not that we don't love You, Lord, it is just that the joy of our salvation has been replaced with sighs of just getting by.  Breathe, O breath of God, and bring refreshment and renewal to our tired hearts. ( I feel so in a rut right now.  Unable to do the things physically that I need to do because of pain and weariness - in my mind I see them accomplished but I cannot bring my body to do them! OH HOW I NEED THE REFRESHMENT AND RENEWAL FROM YOU!)

Some of us are weighted down with broken relationship or old wounds showing up with fresh power, or new hurts, which have blindsided us and have buckled our knees.  We vacillate between sad and mad! Father, hold us close; give us the perspective of heaven; and send grace in the shape of our need.  If we're going to run, may it be in YOUR direction! 

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