John Baillie has a book entitled, A Diary of Private Prayer. I began using this book when I was in seminary years ago. It has held me in the palm of God's hands during the good times and the bad times. When folks ask me about a resource to help their prayer life, this is first on my list. The book has a morning and evening prayer for each day of the month. My wife, Mandy, bought her own copy of the book so when we are apart from one another we are together in prayer.
Different phrases of the prayers speak to me at different times in my journey. This morning as I was praying, I read this phrase, " Let the consciousness of holy fellowship follow me whithersoever I go, cheering me in my loneliness, protecting me in company, strengthening me against temptation, and encouraging me to all just and charitable deeds."
Mandy, my wife, woke up this morning at 3:30 a.m. Like most husbands, if the wife is up, I am usually up too. Our dog, Lisa, got up and looked at us with this crazy dog look saying, "What are you old folks doing up this early?" We had not been up five minutes when our phone rang. It was a dear friend of the family calling to tell me that my mom was at the Emergency Room with chest pains.
Now some folks would call this a coincidence. I know it is not. It is a God incident.
The fellowship of God, along with the church triumphant (those who have died in the faith) and the companionship of fellow sojourners in faith get me through the days that begin in the night. It is the God that is pro active in life that blesses my life in so many ways.
I do think that maybe there is a host of heavenly bodies who have been the task by God to be the cheerleaders. They do not need to pom poms or outfits to gather attention. They have God and God power. They encourage us all in the days and nights that we seem oh too lonely. It reminds me of James Taylor's song, "Do me wrong, do me right. Call me names but hold me tight.....just don't let me be lonely tonight!" In the darkness of my soul, the holy company of God's folks cheer me on.
The whole company of God continues to be present in my journey---for protection and strength. God knows preachers need protection and strength. The truth of the matter is we ALL need protection and strength especially when we do the right thing. Have you noticed that the right thing is most of the time a little more difficult? The protection and strength that God gives is not like the world's protection. Instead God walks through the valleys and through the darkness. The protection and strength is not in how life turns out, but in knowing God's presence and direction in all of life.
Some label all they want to do the will of God. It is as if God approves all of what is happening in their life--all their decisions. Let me discourage this temptation. The will of God is rarely known in a short stint of prayer. It is rarely known in a day of prayer. The will of God is known rather slowly with justice for others and charity for others more than ourselves. So God invites us to the long journey.
Maybe during holy season, words that we have read or said will take on new meaning as we experience God incidents. This is my prayer.
Oh, mom is having a heart cath--say a prayer for her!
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