LEAN INTO LENT DAY 23
(Philippians 4:4-6) Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
This is one of the most well-known assurances in the Bible that God is in charge of the world, and that we have access to Him. And how is it that we should pray? With thanksgiving. Because we know He hears our every prayer, we can pray with confidence that our prayers will be heard and that, according to His will for us, they will be answered. There are few guarantees in this world, but in God’s world, we have the guarantee that we deny his power by worrying or being anxious.
PRAYER: God, I thank you that I can approach You in prayer, whether whispered, when I don’t really know how to pray, or written in my most perfect language, or when I simply mutter, “O Jesus, be with me,” that You listen. I merely need to thank You for listening and I rejoice when I find the answers I seek. My walk with You, Lord, will be known by others, when I am confident in You, for You are faithful and a very present help in time of trouble. Amen.
From my book Restore My Soul Psalms, A Lenten Journey, My Psalm 337
MY PSALM 337 STRENGTH FOR NEW CHALLENGES
Heavenly Father, Lord and Master,
There is a balm in Gilead where the sin-sick
And world-weary can go to find succor, healing and rest.
And beside those still waters You lead me still
To restoration and revelation of Your mercy and grace.
haps, when my weary feet can gain the altitude,
You’ll lead me once again to the hills
From whence comes my strength.
There glimpses of the horizon reveal hope,
Inspire me to continue climbing
Until I regain my composure,
Because You lift me up, You let me see Your glory.
And when I am ready, when You know I can bear
To learn the teachable lessons You have prepared
For my soul to learn, You will lead me where I dare not go:
Where the path is rocky, the borders jagged,
The twists and turns terrify.
New trials I fear considering,
Confusion, defeat, and despair
Bring dimming tears to steal my vision,
And I tread with fear that I will stumble.
I may fall, and lose my precious dignity.
There You will tell me again of Your love and mercy
When I most need You to reach me where I am.
Your grace will be sufficient for that day
Even as it is for this day’s troubles.
I’ll once again know Your Eternal Presence,
Close up and personal, when I get myself out of the way.
I will find comfort in Your healing balm
When I stop feeling sorry for myself and look only to You.
I will once again rest in Your loving arms,
And in truth experience the true balm of Gilead.
For as the old spiritual says:
“There is a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead
to heal the sin-sick soul.
Sometimes I feel discouraged
and think my work’s in vain,
but then the Holy Spirit
revives my soul again. Refrain
If you cannot preach like Peter,
if you cannot pray like Paul,
you can tell the love of Jesus
and say, “He died for all.” Refrain”[1]
Because of Your eternal love and mercy
I can pray in the Blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.
[1] Spiritual. www.hymnary.org. stanza originally published in 1869 as “Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling” by Daniel March in the Lutheran Hymnal. http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/lyrics/lw318.htm
About the Author
