It’s a prayer I pray nearly every Sunday before I begin to speak from the pulpit. What weighs heavy on my heart is I am speaking from God’s Word. I want others to hear God, not me. While I may be the deliverer of the message, my prayer is based on the message coming from God. I have my own ideas, but God’s plans and purposes are higher and more powerful. I want them to be from God. So my prayer is usually the same. My children know it by now and can likely recite it for you – they have heard it for so many years. Those who listen to my messages on a regular basis expect it. Yet, for me, each time it is just as much of a plea as it was the time before. The more urgent the message, the more I cling to God speaking. It is the only way forward. The prayer is the focus scripture for today. May my words and my heart be pleasing to God. It is simple but powerful.
I am working on bringing this into my life every day, not just on Sunday prior to delivering the morning message. I want this to spill over into the remainder of my week. I want this to become a part of my speech and thoughts every single day. I want my words to be pleasing to God. I want my heart, my thoughts, my life to be an offering to him. If that is truly what I seek, I will carefully consider what I say. I will proceed with caution, understanding that what I do and say should be pleasing to God – not necessarily to the people around me. I will strive to speak peace, love, and joy. I will avoid hatred and gossip. I will cling to truths, even when the truth is so very hard to hear. At the end of the day, it really is about living for Christ and spreading his love to all.
May we all seek to speak peace. May we all seek to show love. May we all seek to spread joy. And in the end, may it all be pleasing to God.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 19:14
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
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