Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was
a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed
clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in
prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or
sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not
do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Matthew 25: 42-45

Quote:

“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty,
suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it.”
“Well, why don’t you ask Him?”
“Because I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.”

Reflection:

God could take care of poverty, suffering, and injustice but
He gives humankind a role to play. God doesn’t need us,
but He wants us. He wants us to be His partners in bringing
love and holiness to the world and making the world a better
place.

God wants us to be His partner today and every day in
perfecting the world. What can we do today? What will
be our contribution, this week, this year, this lifetime?
Giving to God’s purposes is not a burdensome obligation;
it’s a wonderful opportunity and a privilege.

Prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . . hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . . joy
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . . as to console
To be understood . . . as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . . that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . . that we are born to eternal life.

Scripture:

"Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall
sustain you."   Psalm 55:22

Sometime ago I came across this often quoted prayer:
"God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot
change, the courage to change the things I can, and
wisdom to know the difference."  This prayer expresses
an important thought:  one I think we should all pray
and live.

Some things in life just cannot be changed know
matter how much we try, and of course some things
can  Some things God has given to us as fixed realities
that we must accept.  And some things He would have
us not accept, but, with His help, work to change.
If we fail to do both of these, to accept some things
and work to change others, we will end up suffering with
worry, undeserved guilt, and frustration.

Someone, I'm not sure who, said, "Worry is the interest
paid on trouble before it comes due."  Instead, God would
have us learn to trust Him. "Cast your burden on the Lord
and He shall sustain you"

Prayer:

Oh Lord take all the suffering, worry, guilt and frustration
from me.  Lord I give you my burden because I know
you will sustain me.  AMEN

How have you known the power of God's
love in your life?

No, despite all these things, overwhelming
victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Romans 8:37 NLT

O Love that will not let me go

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go,
GEORGE MATHESON (1842-1906)

George Matheson went completely blind when he
was eighteen years old. Still, he remained a star
student. He went on to become a great preacher
in the Church of Scotland, assisted by his sister,
who learned Greek and Hebrew to help with his
research.

This hymn was written on the evening of June 6,
1882. "I was at that time alone," Matheson later
wrote. "It was the day of my sister's marriage.…
Something happened to me, which was known only
to myself, and which caused me the most severe
mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that
suffering."

What was it that happened to him? Some think
he was remembering the time he himself was
engaged to be married and his fiancee broke the
engagement when she learned that he would soon
be completely blind. Or perhaps it was difficult for
him to have his devoted sister getting married. In
any case, he was led to ponder God's eternal love,
which would turn his "flick'ring torch" into blazing
daylight.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by
Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House
Publishers (1995), entry for March 8
Love is not something you feel. It's something you
do.      DAVID WILKERSON