Contemporary Psalms

7-10-13

You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret 

place of thunder; I tested you in the waters of Meribah.

Psalms 81:7

Oh God Most High, I know You are guiding me to see a better way to carry the gifting You have given me, a better way to speak with others or another, without any edges of Fear.

You have graciously revealed fears I did not know were driving me. A fear that, if I didn't say something, no one would. This is not true! You can speak through anyone You choose! The burden does not always fall to me.

But when it does, I need to be led by Your Spirit into courage and boldness, unafraid of offending people or in some way displeasing men. Tact can be a form of hypocrisy and lukewarmness, and You hate lukewarmness. Help me temper my zeal for You with kindness and a preference for speaking "without a word." I now believe You are trying to encourage me that You can work through silence; that silence can sometimes speak louder than words.

I have been cruelly prodded to tilt against windmills, to put my head into the open mouth of a hungry lion. You are teaching me to listen to You, Who does not necessarily want me to do that. Therefore, I now see that the incident in May happened FOR me, not TO me. I have been able to resist going against that hypocrisy, pointing it out, hoping to correct it or fix it. That's Your job, God. And I leave it to You.

I pray You will point it out and correct it and fix it! And I thank You for relieving me of responsibilities I was way overly eager to embrace. I need to profoundly believe it will happen through You -- and that, if I am needed, I will answer Your call.

My willingness is not the issue! You are concerned about my welfare and my stewardship of this little earthen vessel. You are leading me into the paths of a new mountain, where I will be climbing with a descending motive. For me, this is tough climbing, Lord, but I gladly follow!

This photograph is from a Facebook page called Live Life in Color.