The Plumbline

Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always. (Romans 12:12) How many times are we less than delighted with the plans we see being laid out before us? We might be a little 'okay' with them, but in the long run, they aren't what we really 'wanted', so we end up going along with them, but not whole-heartedly. God isn't always going to lay out plans we are going to jump with joy about. Some of the stuff he asks us to walk through will give us an opportunity to develop trust in his direction, while other stuff will be easy-peasy. It is the stuff we walk through that will eventually develop our character and a deeper trust in his ways that we struggle with the most. Why? It requires us to be patient and that isn't always the easiest reaction to things that give us a little 'trouble' along the way. In fact, we want to either bypass the trouble, or get some kind of instant 'faith boost' to make it through with...

Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar. (William Wordsworth) Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” (Psalm 27:7-8) Come and talk with me - these are God's words to each of us. Somehow, we think prayer is some art form we must master through recited phrases, but it is nothing more than talking with God. He calls, we respond. That is prayer - just talking plainly with him. We might not think he needs to hear everything in our heart, but when we speak those truths to him, he is assured we know what is in our heart! I hope your heart's response to God's beckoning call is "Lord, I am coming."  We always want to 'soar', but before we soar, we must 'stoop'. Why do you think we kneel or bow our heads when we pray? Most will say it is an action that reflects us humbling ourselves before him. I would submit that it just gets us...