In honor of Easter Week, I will write three posts over the next seven days more focused on Christ and the Bible. Here is the first.
When I came to faith in Christ back in college, my mind was rough, to say the least. It was packed with rapid fire emotions and thoughts of aggression, anxieties, lusts, and everything else which vie for the mind of men.
One of the practices I came to was a simple, yet profound act for me. I decided to physically kneel down in my room and pray Psalm 19:14 every night. There I was, hunched over a musty brown couch, in my tiny, dank room, on the second floor of my beer and sweat soaked fraternity house, praying nightly for the Lord to simply take over my thought life.
Thankfully my roommate was ALWAYS out way past my bedtime, so I was safe from him awkwardly walking in during this time!
Today, many years later, my prayers look and sound similar. This is my prayer today, but my heart for everyday…
Lord Jesus, please guide me this your day. You have given me this day as a gift, so please direct it at every turn. Please control my sinful urges, but unleash my God-given desires and passions. Both are vying for my heart today.
Grant me the courage and strength to simply “do the right thing” each minute of this day, for my weakness is palatable, but your strength and ability is limitless. Lord Jesus, “my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.” Please strengthen my spirit by your graciousness to carry my flesh.
My prayer this day is simple, as it is the same as David prayed in Psalm 19:14 – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Lord Jesus, you are truly my rock and my redeemer. I praise you, for you have risen, and with your conquering of death, life is made possible in you. In this, you can and do redeem even my fleeting thought life.
May I celebrate this with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength during this Easter week!
In Christ’s Name I pray,
John
Just beautiful, John, thanks. It is so true that our prayers will fold back on themselves sometimes, to the ones we prayed in the very beginning. Which is a good thing (Ps 51 …. “restore to me the joy of your salvation”).
Is that you on the steps of the fraternity house?
You are right, Scott. Definitely a wonderful element of the stability and consistence of our faith.
That pic was taken off Google images. You will notice that the Greek letters are missing. Our house got the boot last year for stuff. Should be back in a few years, but I did notice the absent letters.
Have a great Easter!
Bulls eye – thanks, brother.
Thanks Walter. . . hope you and JennO have a great Easter!
Amen!
I wish WordPress had a “like” symbol as does Facebook. . .
I really needed this today. Thanks, John.
Thanks for letting me know, Amy. . . have a great week!
JOHN, Your prayer is mine too. as someone said we are beggars telling another beggar where to find bread…JESUS. the BREAD of LIFE &HE nourishes HIS Sheep every DAY. He is FAITHFUL PSALM 86 HAVE A BLESSED EASTER
Thanks for sharing this, Mrs. Clarke. I’ll read Psalm 86 before going to bed. Give Mr. Clarke my best. . . love you both!
Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing. Hugs!!
Thanks Jane. . . have a great Easter week!
Wow, your faith is so encouraging. Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed by my job. So good to remember that we are called to simply be faithful – take the next step. Not to worry about tomorrow because each day has enough trouble of its own. And what a wonderful celebration – Jesus’ death and resurrection! Take courage, Brother! Jesus is Your Shepherd!
Well said; thanks for chiming in here!
I love that prayer. If our hearts are in tune with HIS and our minds are set on HIM then everything else will fall into place. Bless you John. You mean so much to my family.
Thanks Suzanne. . . I miss having them here so much (and also your occasional trips to visit)!
Amen! Beautiful reflection for this Easter week,John!
“May the God hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Rom15:13
Grace & peace…
Thanks Alexis. . . have a great Easter week!
John, there is so much transforming power in simple daily rhythms. One of the most powerful talks I ever heard was “Five Things I Do Every Day” by Ney Bailey. She mentioned praying the Lord’s Prayer, praying to be filled with the Spirit, prayerfully putting on the armor of God, etc. Thanks for giving us a peek into your devotional life and interaction with Christ. Very encouraging!
Hey John. . . great hearing from you. We/I have been praying for you guys constantly. I have not wanted to contact you guys, as I’m sure you are overwhelmed. Please let Ian know we love him and are praying constantly.
Thanks for chiming in here. You have forgotten more about all of this stuff than I have ever known!