Our Father's Business

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
~Psalm 19:14

We begin this Tuesday Together with the above words, which really express the prayer of my heart, as I write this post and look ahead to the rest of this week. Lord, You are my strength and my Redeemer. Please let my words and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable to you. Speak through me. Allow me to be used as a vessel of Your love to the people I encounter. What a humbling privilege it is to serve our faithful Lord.

And, another beautiful prayer comes from Proverbs 4:23 - 27:
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

It is a powerful thing to pray God's Word, and I have been so grateful for the Moms In Touch organization for teaching me to pray scripture over the lives of my children and in my own prayer life. I joined this special group of prayer-warrior mamas when Timothy was in Kindergarten (ten years ago!). It has been a blessing that I cannot describe. I have seen mountains moved as these faithful mothers have joined their prayers together weekly. What a gift it has been to form a bond unlike anything I can describe to intercede in prayer beside these women. This week's scriptures are perfect to use in my prayer devotions this week, both for my family and myself.

Some of the highlights from Acts: Of course, Saul's conversion. This part always cuts to my heart and moves me to tears. I love how God chooses the unlikely to show Himself even more. He chooses one who persecuted the church. And what a mighty conversion...it reveals not only God's grace that He would save one such as Saul, but reveals His power and might that He is able to so completely transform and redeem someone that was so passionately against Jesus that he killed His followers and took pride in His conquests. And, it is that one that God chooses to spread the gospel. (See Acts 9)

Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. ~ Acts 11:12 It went against what Peter knew to follow where God was calling him to go. But the Holy Spirit said go, and he should obey, doubting nothing. How many times has God called us to walk a path we don't understand? To reach out to one we can't imagine relating to? To let go of something that we held tightly? How many times has He called us to do "a new thing"?

When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. (speaking of Barnabas) ~ Acts 11:23-24Once again, I am thoroughly excited and inspired by the men and women of the early church...their zeal, their fervor, their adventure as they serve the Lord. I can't help but wonder what it would be like if I spent my days just "being about my Father's business". I long to be free from some of life's distractions and entanglements so that I could wholeheartedly spend my time serving the Lord, hearing His call, going where He leads, speaking of His faithfulness and love, offering His comfort to those who are hurting. And, yet, here I am...living a busy life that sometimes feels full of things that have nothing to do with "my Father's business". I am reminded of the "purpose of my heart... to continue with the Lord" and encouraged to follow that purpose with renewed energy.

Which brings me to Psalm 20:4-5: <em>May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. When you are walking with the Lord, in prayer and spending time in His word, the desires of your heart are no accident. Many of them have been placed there by the God who made you uniquely you. He gives us the desires of our heart to fulfill His purposes, and the blessing overflows from our lives to the lives of others.

May He bless and keep each of us this week. May He guide us on the path He has chosen for us, fulfilling the desires of our hearts, keeping our feet straight that we may not wander to the right or to the left. And, where ever we are...whatever busyness of life fills our days, may He strengthen us to be about our Father's business. Establish our ways, Lord...establish our days.