Glorious Grace

Gracious Lord,
Grace falls like gentle rain, steady and sure. Grace pours over us like rivers of light, faithful and full. Grace floods our hearts, spilling over and rushing free. We cannot capture or explain or contain Your generous offering. Yet, every day, we simply find more Grace lavished upon our souls. Gentle Shepherd, Faithful Father, Holy Spirit - You come to us with unmeasured love that is undeserved, and You show us unmerited favor.

Our praise comes with Thank You, sincere and simple. Our praise shouts with Hallelujah! and Amen!, grateful and rich. Our praise overflows with To God be the Glory, great things He has Done!. We cannot adequately celebrate or applaud or adore your Magnificent Power. Yet, every day, You graciously accept meager gratitude scattered within our words. Everlasting Light, Holy Father, Spirit of the Living God - we come to You with imperfect words that are unworthy, and, still, we find more offerings of Extravagant Grace.

Gracious Lord, how do we offer thanks for such a Gift? ~dho

Psalm 84:11 (NKJV):
For the LORD God is a splendid shield;
The LORD will give glorious grace;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.

God's glorious grace and our inferior, imperfect offerings merge in stark contrast; our temporal, finite human mind is perplexed. This gracious, generous God accepts our frail, feeble attempts to praise and worship Magnificence, Majesty and Mystery. In return, He gives Extravagant Grace!

For me to seek the answers that only Mystery knows, to choose the gift that only Majesty offers, to know the grace that only Magnificence gives, implores Yahweh's splendid shield and glorious grace. The world is full of contradictions. That Perfect Love would pay the ransom for my perfected iniquity remains the greatest one. Gracious Lord, how do I offer thanks for such a gift? ~dho

God's Ways

God's glory is on tour in the skies, . . .

Their words aren't heard,

their voices aren't recorded,

But their silence fills the earth:

unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. . .

That's how God's Word vaults across the skies

from sunrise to sunset,

Melting ice, scorching deserts,

warming hearts to faith.

The revelation of GOD is whole

and pulls our lives together.

The signposts of GOD are clear

and point out the right road.

The life-maps of GOD are right,

showing the way to joy.

The directions of GOD are plain

and easy on the eyes. . .

The decisions of GOD are accurate

down to the nth degree.

There's more: GOD's Word warns us of danger

and directs us to hidden treasure.

Otherwise how will we find our way?

Or know when we play the fool"

Clean the slate God, so we can start the day fresh!

Keep me from stupid sins,

from thinking I can take over Your work; . . .

These are the words in my mouth . . .

Accept them when I place them on the morning altar. . .

Psalm 19 The Message

Spirit of the Living God,

I long to discover the inner workings of the
Father's Plan for me. In these times of waiting,
grant my soul peace, my mind discernment, my
heart patience. How I can feel Your presence
and sense the power of Your Ways! Yet,
sometimes I can only watch You work. In
these times, I must trust You.

Prepare my heart with Your Desires. Prepare

my mind with the wisdom I will need. Prepare

my soul for the path You choose. Holy Spirit,

whisper the mysterious and wonderful things the

Father has for me. Praises for His Endless Love

and Unmeasured Goodness - it overwhelms me day
and night! The applause of ten thousand angels is
not enough! Jesus, hear this prayer! Amen.
~ dho

Wait Expectantly

I pray to GOD - my life a prayer -
and wait for what He'll say and do.
Psalm 130:5 The Message

The Living Bible uses these words ~ I wait expectantly, trusting God for help, for He has promised. When we wait expectantly, that is called hope! In A Long Obedience in the Same Direction Eugene Peterson writes this about Psalm 130 and hope:

Hoping . . . means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions. . . It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulations, of scurrying and worrying.

[Hope] is imagination put in the harness of faith . . . a willingness to let God do it His way and in His time.

Is it our lack of trusting in God's faithful promises or the our cynicism towards hope that binds us to despair? Do we worry more about not being able to control circumstances than confindently going about our assigned tasks? Allowing God to work in His way and in His time often requires us to wait. By studying the Scirptures and through prayer, our relationship with God grows; our understanding of His character increases. In His presence we find a peace within the uncertainty; we are embraced by His peace through the waiting. We must wait expectantly on God ~ Who is Faithful, Who is Promise, Who is HOPE! ~ dho

Gracious LORD,
I come to the altar shouting praise for
all the blessings in my life. You are the Light
that writes the words of my soul-song. It is
You that gives my heart its desires. You are Hope!
Faithful Father, I am God-strong; my blessings
abundantly exceed my needs. Creator, gather the
details of my life, take Your holy threads and weave
a tapestry of Your design. . . You transcend all
circumstances, expose all evil, reveal all love but
never measure Grace. I am God-strengthened! ~dho

Hope Endures

I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall still praise Him
For the help of His presence. . .
Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:5,7-8 NASB

The soul must remain willingly unguarded in its struggle with suffering, not for the lessons of despair, rather hope. It is Hope that reaches into the chaos and rescues us. Lindbergh's description of suffering is more about hope than despair. If hope prevails, God must have access to our suffering souls, and it is only in our willingness to remain vulnerable that He can offer lessons on mourning, understanding, patience and love. While not bound by time, His Grace is released in our praise, released by His presence, released through His unfailing love, released with our prayers. Hope in God endures. ~dho


Faithful Father ~
I come into the Holy of Holies! On my knees, my head
bowed in reverence, I ask for wisdom and understanding.
Sometimes my faith seems weak as circumstances crowd
around me and threaten to come between You and me.
Forgive me when the noise of the world drowns out Your
voice, when the chaos inside my heart closes the door to
Your beauty, when the ramblings of my thoughts interfere
with Your desires. In my weakness, I need You more than
ever. Let me love with a tender heart. Fill me with hope.
Come with me - wherever I must go. Remind me of Your
unforced ryhthms of grace. In Your loving arms I can always
find rest from the world. In the name of Jesus, Amen! ~dho

Promise Keeper

Nehemiah 9:1-15 The Message

They stood and confessed their sins. . .
read from The Book of the Law of the LORD their God
. . . confessed and worshiped the LORD * (NKJV)

Blessed be Your glorious name,
exalted about all blessing and praise!
You're the one, GOD, You alone;
You made the heavens,
the heavens of heavens, and all angels;
The earth and everything on it,
the seas and everything in them;
You keep them all alive;
heaven's angels worship you!

You're the one GOD, the God
who chose Abram . . . signed a covenant with him
. . . kept Your word because You are righteous.
You saw the anguish . . . heard their cries . . .
amazed Pharaoh . . . with wonders and miracle-signs.
. . . You split the sea before them . . . their pursurers . . . sank.

. . . by day You led them with a Pillar of Cloud,
and by night with a Pillar of Fire
To show them the way they were to travel . . .
You spoke to them . . . gave them instructions . . .
You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
You sent them water from the rock for their thirst.
You told them to enter and take the land
which You promised to give them.


In his devotional book The Power of His Presence, Ray Stedman describes this prayer in Nehemiah as a great model. God is more than Creator and Protector, He is compassion and provision, sustainer and redeemer. God knows our needs before we do, hears our pain's depth, provides for our hungering and thirsting souls. Stedman writes God sustains us momemt by moment.** Forever offering manifold mercies, God is the Promise Keeper. ~ dho

** Where To Begin, August 18, The Power of His Presence; Ray Stedman
http://www.raystedman.org

O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance
and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 NKJV

Time after time, God has provided, and I know He continues to be with me. I don't have to look very far to know how richly blessed my life has been. Would I have choosen less tears or easier circumstances? My human heart wishes for simple and good, idealistic and benign paths, but a spiritual journey is challenging. The human mind questions God's answers and proposes contradictions. We are so finite that mystery escapes us, sometimes bewilders us. However, in between the "what if's" and inside the "why not's", His Grace flows so abundantly that I find my soul secure and in pleasant places - one with the Father. So, I will wait for His plan to be revealed, Word by Word, prayer by prayer, moment by moment, opportunity by opportunity, person by person, possibility by possiblity.

Father, my heart gives You the Glory for my good deeds. My offerings are simple compared to Yours - a prayer, a Scripture, a hope, a gesture - just tokens of kindness and love. You touch my soul with words written centuries ago. Oh, Lord, Your Grace pours over me like a gentle rain, refreshing and renewing. In the stillness of this moment, I accept the portion and cup You have assigned me. In my obedience, use me to reach beyond, around and through circumstances to be a witness to Your Grace. Amen. dho

Tapestries of Love

LORD, You have examined me and know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. LORD, even before I say a word, You already know it. You are all around me – in front and in back – and have put Your hand on me. Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand
. . . You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
. . . God, Your thoughts are precious to me. They are so many! If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand. . . God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any bad thing in me. Lead me on the road to everlasting life.
Psalm 139:1-6 (NCV), 13-16 (NLT), 17-18, 23-24 (NCV)


Faithful Father,
What makes me think I can hide my doubts from You? How can I pretend to be strong when You know I am not? Why would You listen so intently to my prayers when You already know my needs? When am I ever alone?
You know all about me and love me still. I am never alone – You are all around me. You listen to the groans of my soul with mercy and tenderness. You are my strength; You make me bold, for I am nothing without You. LORD, even before I say a word, my heart’s desires, my anxious thoughts, my hurried spirit, my silent fears – all are known. You are too marvelous for me!
You create magnificent designs, each one unique. Your thoughts are like threads of gold and silver and cotton and silk, in colors of every shade, while our moments are like remnants of fibers with varied hues and textures and patterns. Your thoughts and our moments are woven and spun into holy tapestries of love. With majesty and grace, You weave them together for glory-purposes that exceed my abilities to know or understand. God, examine me . . . lead me ~ in all things, at all times! Amen. ~dho

Glory

Bravo, GOD, bravo!
. . . angels shout, "Encore!"
In awe before the glory, in awe before God's visible power.
. . . GOD's thunder sets the oak tres dancing
A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches.
We fall to our knees - we call out, "Glory!"
Psalm 29:1, 9 The Message

God's Splendor and Power reveal His character ~ Steadfast Love and Faithfulness. And my response? It should be to fall to [my] knees and call out, "Glory!". The problem often lies in not noticing God's mystery and majesty; the problem lies within me.

Holy Father,
Glimpses of Your glory escape me because I hurry past or rush between or skip ahead. Your best moments are hidden in my eagerness, my enthusiasm, my certainty. Forgive the careless and egocentric attitudes that clog my days and blind my heart to the unmeasured blessings.

In the silence of the early morning, let me linger in Your presence, a fragrance fresh and sweet. In the darkness of the late night, let me sit with You, with wisdom strong and true. In the solitude of an afternoon walk or in the stillness as children lie sleeping, I desire to rest with You, a shelter safe and warm. Tell me where to go and what to choose. Help me know how and when and if. Oh, Father, as I wait, give me patience to be still long enough to listen, quiet long enough to hear Your whispers of love. Amen. ~dho