Prayer Requests

I'd appreciate prayer for a couple of things: Please pray that my husband would do well on a test on Friday. He has to pass the test to keep his job. Also, my daughter Amy is in China on a mission trip. Please pray for safety for her and her group. Thanks!

These concerns have caused no small amount of anxiety in my heart, and as I was trying to discover the root of it, it occurred to me that I just don't expect that the Lord is going to be there for me, or for my loved ones. As soon as I had this thought, the Lord reminded me of Psalm 139:9-10: "If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me." The Lord really is the hound of heaven! It's not like I have to beg Him to show up. Wherever I am, He is with me, holding me in His hand. That's faithful, constant love. Immediately after this thought, guess what song came on the radio? "You Lift Me Up". This line in the song is especially meaningful to me: "Your arms wrap around me/Your love catches me so I'm letting go.......I surrender to Your love." Abba wants me to receive His loving care, to trust Him to take care of me and my family. If I don't, I live in fear, needless fear, because I believe the lie that He doesn't care and won't help.

Another thing the Lord has been showing me is that I can share all of my life with Him, even the sinful stuff. I was reading in the book The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence. A friend said of Lawrence, "In the beginning, Brother Lawrence declared that a little effort was needed to form the habit of continuously conversing with God, telling Him everything that was happening. However, after a little careful practice, God's love refreshed him, and it all became quite easy." My thought was that it isn't that easy to talk to God all the time, because I'm afraid that He'll be displeased when I have a bad attitude and spew out complaints and criticisms. But Jesus wants everyone to come to Him, including:

-the weary and burdened --Matt. 11:28

-the predestined--Romans 8:30

-the arrogant and self-righteous son (or daughter)--Luke 15:28

-those who want to walk on water--Matt. 14:29

-those who love their wealth--Matt. 19:21

-the thirsty--Isaiah 55:1, John 7:37

-children--Mark 10:14

-the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and those in the highways and hedges--Luke 14:16- 23, Luke 18:40

-crooks and criminals--Luke 19:5, 23:43

-the lost-- Luke 19:10

-the fishermen--John 21:12

-the tax collector--Matt. 9:9

It seems that the Lord isn't picky about who he hangs out with. In fact, He is merciful and calls sinners to Himself. And to repentance, which I get tired of because it's so humbling. But "reproofs of instruction are the way of life." (Proverbs 6:23) And I want life.

So I need not be afraid to come to the Lord with my unholy frame of mind, because He is gentle and will heal backsliding and love freely (Hosea 14:4). Hallelujah.