Today's prayer is one that I penned during one of my studies through Elizabeth George's life-changing book,
Loving God with All Your Mind. This is the first one of Elizabeth's books I ever read -- over 20 years ago now -- and it truly did change my life. I have read through this book countless times and worked through the study guide several times, including once with my ladies' Sunday School class. If you don't own this book, or if you have the book but not the study guide, I highly recommend getting both and working your way through the study. It will truly help you to look at life in a very different and more biblical way. Right now, with the "pandemic" still very much a reality in our world, this study can be an incredible help to us. You can find the book and study guide not only at the link I've shared, but also on Thriftbooks or Amazon as well.
Here is the prayer I wrote after my study of the chapter
Accepting the Unacceptable:
"LORD,
I am so thankful for Your deep, unfathomable wisdom and knowledge! Truly, I can take every inexplicable situation in my life and file it between the bookends of Your wisdom and knowledge. Lord, Your judgments are unsearchable, and Your ways are untraceable. They are so far above my ways!
Lord, You know all about the most unexplainable events in my life. I can't understand them, and I have reached the conclusion that I will never understand them. And that's okay -- I don't have to understand them and I don't need to understand them, because You do. I have not asked 'Why?' and I don't feel that I need to know why. I can let You be God, realizing that these hard situations are part of Your unsearchable judgments and Your untraceable ways.
I understand that the people in these situations are part of your plan, as well. You can and do use even the most difficult and abrasive people to achieve Your purposes, and so I can thank You for them, although this does not come easily for me.
Lord, I thank and praise You for all You have taught me from Your Word, and how powerfully it has impacted my life. I pray that You will continue to teach me to love You with all my mind, and that Your perfect will is accomplished in my life. I love You, Lord.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen."
If you are struggling with a difficult trial today, or if it's "just the pandemic" that's getting to you as it is to me, this study can surely help you. I hope that even this simple prayer can encourage you today.
This reminds me of the tapestry that Corrie ten Boom often spoke of. We can trust Him to be at work in our lives. From our perspective, it may look like a royal mess; from His a beautiful tapestry.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much going on every single day that one can't keep it all straight, but then, we don't have to, it's not our job.
Hope that all your plans for travel are ironing themselves out. Praying, too!
Thank you for praying, Vee! You may keep us in prayer particularly today if you would -- and if I can, I will keep you posted as we go along.
DeleteYes, the tapestry illustration. So very true. I have thought of it so often over the years. It fits too with the idea of our trials being "diverse" as James puts it. The Greek word actually means "variegated" which makes me think even more of yarn, thread and tapestries.
And you are so right, we cannot keep everything straight. I know I need to remind myself every day that that's not my job!
Thank you so much for this beautiful prayer. My husband and I are going through a difficult situation, mostly affecting my husband's job. This prayer couldn't have come at a better time.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Sandra
Sandra, I am so thankful that you found this prayer so meaningful. I hope that you will be able to pray through it as often as necessary and I will pray for you and your husband in your times of trial.
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