With Prayer and Thanksgiving

Not Good Enough

For weeks I agonized about how to launch this blog. I wrote dozens of draft articles, but couldn’t choose a single one for a “take-off” post…none seemed good enough. I revised topics and formats, researched and wrote some more with the same result. Doubt and anxiety was taking over my mind when God gave me an answer in someone else’s prayer.

Changing Direction

For my morning worship I use a devotional titled The Valley of Vision – A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotion. I read a prayer there recently titled *Choices* that totally changed my direction. The author (all are anonymous) starts the prayer with praise and confession and then he asks God to help him to choose to do five specific things, including:

• place myself under thy guiding and guardian care;

• deem it an honor to be employed by thee as an instrument in thy hands, ready to seize every opportunity of usefulness and willing to offer all my talents to thy service.

God showed me clearly in these why I was failing with this project.

Jesus, the Answer

This blog is God’s plan for me to do at this time in my life and I should have placed myself and this work under His “guiding and guardian care,” but I didn’t. I forgot all about John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” I didn’t abide quietly in the Vine (Jesus) and allow His Holy Spirit to teach and feed me (the branch) what I needed to bear “much fruit.” My own frantic efforts bore results that were tasteless and without substance.

Wrong & Right Prayer

I had prayed about this, but the wrong way. I laid out my plans and asked God to bless them when I should have asked Him to reveal to me His plan for His work. How arrogant and prideful of me? Even so, God, in His infinite mercy, came to my rescue. He will not forsake the work of His hands.

For His Service

The highest honor God bestows on a person is to have them lead others to Him who can experience His goodness, mercy, peace, grace, love, faithfulness, compassion, and so much more that is perfect in God alone. With humility, I must acknowledge that I am just an instrument for the Mater’s use to do any work He chooses for me (2 Tim 2:21). All that I have and am I must offer for His service with neither reservation nor selfish motive. I am but “a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1) doing His good, pleasing and perfect will, and never my own.

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father, I cast myself at the feet of the Lord Jesus and yield, trust and wait there in confidence that He will work out Your good pleasure in and through me. Thank you for reminding me that I can do nothing on my own, but everything in your will is possible through Christ whose power is made perfect in our weakness. Thank you for faith to trust your Word. Father, I offer thanks also for every person who will visit this page. I pray that all will know the love of Christ that is wide and long and high and deep enough to meet every need and restore every soul; let all be comforted by the Holy Spirit and the knowledge that your plans for your people are perfect and lead to good success.  To you, Father, be dominion and power for ever and ever, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

By God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

*If you own a copy of The Valley of Vision devotional, see page 105.