Episode 48: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Transcription
Today’s verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.
Let’s pray together.
LORD, teach me Your peace. Teach me contentment. Let this supernatural representation of Your person flood my very being. I want to follow Your example and I want this to be the mark of my character. When troubles flow and sin abounds and grief overwhelms, I want them to be overshadowed by this deep, personal, true-self conviction, that You are with me and You care about me. This daily, hovering assurance of Your presence will be my guide and my motivation. Let the shalom of You be a shalom in me.
Because I need Your cleansing strength. I need You to lead the everyday footsteps and actions that I take. One thing after another, every minute, every hour, I need forgiveness, I need to repent again. I need You to wash me with Your word and fortify me with Your strength. Rid me of myself and present me to You, whole and clean. When I stumble, pick me back up, and teach me how to walk securely. I want nothing left in me but Your Spirit, but Your Word, but Your love. I am always so focused on how to do the best thing, but I need You to show me what that is. Protect me from my own ideas of perfection and control.
I want to be a whole person, Jesus, united with Your people, prepared for You. I want to reconcile the dividing nature that sin created in me. I am constantly at war with myself, with You, with others. Everything is a battle and a struggle and I am confused. I am a hypocrite, I am unkind, I am unfaithful. But You have the ability to restore what is broken within me. You can take the warring factions and bring them together under a banner of peace. Wave it over me, declare over me Your victory. Let us sit and be together, a slow weaving of hope and grace and mercy, directed from You to me. I want to be pure before You, worthy of being called Your child. I know You are the only one that can make me so. So I beg You to start without delay. As You knit me together in my mother’s womb, knit me back together now, forming me into a new creation, a bride exciting to Your love.
I confess that I do not always believe You can do it. I am prone to taking the reins and running forward in my own will, desiring my own way of bringing this about. I am impatient, believing Your way too slow. I am blind, refusing to see the ways that You are working. I am fearful, afraid that You don’t know how or that You refuse to do it for me, even when I see You working in others. I am rebellious, wanting my tight-fisted and limited method of control. Forgive me for all of these things and please help me to put down my pride and stop rejecting You, my wonderful Father and Savior and Friend.
Pour out Your faithfulness on me; show me Your mercy; prove to me Your unending love. Don’t ever let me doubt Your goodness. I need You to do these things because I’m not capable of doing it on my own. Thank You that You don’t give up on me and that You never tire of being my Good Shepherd. Help me to remember the mercies and the faithfulness of the past. Bring to my mind the stories of Your might and Your power. When I doubt, tenderly draw me back to Your heart. When I don’t trust, build it up in me, a foundation stronger than anything the enemy can tear down. Make me clear-eyed and firm-footed. I ask to rest in You and to believe in Your promises. Even when I don’t understand, help me to trust and hope.
Lay down today, my friends, whatever burden you are carrying on your own. Lay it before His feet. Rest there in His presence. Take the time to listen, to ponder, to reflect, to let Him pour into you all of Himself. Be overwhelmed by the wild and majestic God who made you. Be satisfied and content in the Savior who rescued you. Be comforted and strengthened by the constant support of the Spirit who sustains you.
Oh, LORD, do this in us today and every day forward. Let not another minute go by when we don’t rejoice in Your strength and Your will and Your plan.
I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
