Comfort and joy...
13 Then maidens will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,"
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:13-14
We received a letter today from a sweet young man who asked for a devotional calendar and also one for his mother. He apologized for asking for two, and said if only one could be sent, to please send it to his mother, because he had no other Christmas gift for her this year. Okay, see, I'm a real softie, and I cried like a big old baby when I read this letter. I really have no idea whether the sweet young man is sweet or if he is young. Because he is incarcerated, he is unable to buy anything for his mother, but his understanding that the request he was making was costly, that he was asking for something that might be too much, is what touched my heart.
We ask for too much all the time, and don't even realize it. We stomp on the gas and expect that people will get out of our way, we leave work early and expect to get a full paycheck, we bark at our spouse or children and expect their love in return, we pray for forgiveness, and then we go out and do the same stupid things again. We are unreasonable, yes, its really too much. Sometimes we need to step back and look at what wonderous gifts we have been given, and stop taking for granted that bounty. Because God's love is incredibly abundant, and his capacity to love is limitless.
Lucky for us.
*****
Dear heavenly Father, you provide for our needs in abundance. But we often ask for more. Thank you for reminding us that while you are generous and forgiving, that there is still a cost. Help us keep from forgetting the price your son Jesus paid for our lives. Help us to gain wisdom in the living of these days, bought at such a precious price.
We pray, our Father, for those who feel abandoned, who feel trapped, and who have been forgotten. Please send them a ray of light to guide them out of the darkness. We pray for those who are in prison. Help them find their true authentic selves, to reject the path to death and destruction, and to seek instead the path of peace and truth. Today we lift the names of your children: Pam Reed, who's father now rests in your company, bring her comfort from mourning; we lift up Francisco Torres and his mother Maria and brother Luis, create a unified spirit within their family; for Tiffany Inghram and Florence Berneron to find their way and to strengthen them for their journey; for Debbie, Skip and Mike, show them the way to help; and for Joyce Stanley and her family. Let us be their neighbor, and show us how to bind up their injuries and bring them to a safe place.
We lift ourselves as our offering to you. Make us in your image, and bring us the hope of a savior for our lives. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,"
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:13-14
We received a letter today from a sweet young man who asked for a devotional calendar and also one for his mother. He apologized for asking for two, and said if only one could be sent, to please send it to his mother, because he had no other Christmas gift for her this year. Okay, see, I'm a real softie, and I cried like a big old baby when I read this letter. I really have no idea whether the sweet young man is sweet or if he is young. Because he is incarcerated, he is unable to buy anything for his mother, but his understanding that the request he was making was costly, that he was asking for something that might be too much, is what touched my heart.
We ask for too much all the time, and don't even realize it. We stomp on the gas and expect that people will get out of our way, we leave work early and expect to get a full paycheck, we bark at our spouse or children and expect their love in return, we pray for forgiveness, and then we go out and do the same stupid things again. We are unreasonable, yes, its really too much. Sometimes we need to step back and look at what wonderous gifts we have been given, and stop taking for granted that bounty. Because God's love is incredibly abundant, and his capacity to love is limitless.
Lucky for us.
*****
Dear heavenly Father, you provide for our needs in abundance. But we often ask for more. Thank you for reminding us that while you are generous and forgiving, that there is still a cost. Help us keep from forgetting the price your son Jesus paid for our lives. Help us to gain wisdom in the living of these days, bought at such a precious price.
We pray, our Father, for those who feel abandoned, who feel trapped, and who have been forgotten. Please send them a ray of light to guide them out of the darkness. We pray for those who are in prison. Help them find their true authentic selves, to reject the path to death and destruction, and to seek instead the path of peace and truth. Today we lift the names of your children: Pam Reed, who's father now rests in your company, bring her comfort from mourning; we lift up Francisco Torres and his mother Maria and brother Luis, create a unified spirit within their family; for Tiffany Inghram and Florence Berneron to find their way and to strengthen them for their journey; for Debbie, Skip and Mike, show them the way to help; and for Joyce Stanley and her family. Let us be their neighbor, and show us how to bind up their injuries and bring them to a safe place.
We lift ourselves as our offering to you. Make us in your image, and bring us the hope of a savior for our lives. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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