Salut,
I've conveniently forgotten about my blog over the past 9 months. It could be from a general lack of enthusiasm to remember my password, from my dissatisfaction from the appearance of my site or from my inability to journal consistently in my own time with the Lord let alone craft something up to post. I have resolved, however, to use this as an outlet to write as an overflow in worship.
Approximately 29 days ago I began a journey to dig into the Bible and read it cover to cover with my best and dearest friend, Rachael. Anticipating big changes in the coming months in our lives (she is getting married (07072012) and I am moving to Paris in the Fall to pursue short term missions) we were both compelled to accept the challenge of a 90 day Bible reading plan. I have always been mesmerized by the Bible in it's entirety, but all too often I push of my interest in a family-line or a Jewish tradition or an OT reference in Paul's letters with the expectancy that it will be mentioned and explored in some sermon or blog post or in conversation with friends. Additionally, I have lacked the obedience to discipline myself in spending quality quantities of time meeting the Lord through Scripture. The discipline I was challenged to learn in the Fall needed to be pushed and I needed to learn to hunger for Truth and to be wrapped up in God's marvelous and mysterious plan, from the beginning, and to push through finding the meaning and relevancy for my life.
Since April 1 I have been overwhelmed by YHWH's wrath and mercy, his providence and his distance, but ultimately by his withstanding and radiating Glory as evidenced through Scripture and I am so excited to press on.
In reading in 1 Kings 8 tonight, I was struck by a particular passage.
(Background note: King Soloman had been given the task of building a permanent dwelling place for the Lord to replace the tabernacle of the wilderness. So he had it built, in 7 years, and is dedicating it before the House of Israel (HoI in my shorthand journalling!))
1 Kings 8:54-61
"Now as Soloman finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying
'Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses to his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers, May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel as each day requires that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Let you hearts therefore by wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statues and keeping his commandments, as at this day."
Now, this isn't the first prayer that has struck me in my chronological reading of the Bible, but I especially love this one. (I bolded some phrases that struck me)
"that he may incline our hearts to him"- acknowledging that it is the Spirit that reigns in our hearts
"I have pleaded before the Lord"- a mighty King humbling himself before YHWH
"may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people as each day requires"- it is God who maintains and sustains our work
We must have servant hearts, but it is God who sustains and validates our work. He inclines our hearts and his love compels us. We plea before the Lord for his will to be done and pray that we walk boldly and worthily with him that all peoples of the earth may know that he is God.
With an inclined heart,
mw
