So Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent - the period of time between this day and Good Friday where one fasts, or "gives something up", in order to become closer to God. But for me, I couldn't think of anything to give up this season, so I didn't do anything until today. I thought of what I could do instead.
Since this period of time is dedicated to giving something up so that we have more time to pray, or to do devotions, I have decided to take a chunk of time out of my day to meditate upon a verse, or a worship song and to blog about it. I have decided to do this because when I meditate upon a verse or the lyrics of a worship song, I find myself connecting to God more, and I am more aware of His presence.
I know that I am almost a week late in beginning my lent, but I am glad that I didn't just ignore it and not do anything. Prayer and devotions should be part of my day, but it truthfully hasn't been lately. I am hoping that through this time, I will develop a habit of making this a part of my life, as the point of me being on Earth isn't to please others, but to please God and do His will. If I am not trying to get closer to God and be able to follow Him, then everything else I am doing is not important, and I pretty much will have no purpose on Earth. In the end, I will be standing before the Almighty One, and He will be the one to judge me. Not society. Not the media. No one but Him.
This is the verse that I meditated on today:
" Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done."
It comes from Philippians 4:6, and I especially like it in the NLT version. If you look at the NIV version, it says, " do not be anxious in anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I stumbled upon this verse today, as I was walking to work. It is a 15 minute walk on a cold, snowy day, and I was just thinking about how I was stressed out about arranging my accommodations for next term, some problems my friends are having, and then thinking about how I'm going to survive the work day. Don't get me wrong; I like my work, it's just that I'm still getting used to it. I also need to get more sleep. I wasn't able to sleep last night because I kept thinking about many things, and I had a headache, and then I worried about not being able to fall asleep even though I was so exhausted. But somehow, I managed to fall asleep and when I woke up in the morning I was still so tired and groggy.
The funny thing is; that after I read this verse, I thought to myself that I although I have heard many messages about not worrying and giving it up to God before, I had never read this verse in particular. When I read it, it felt so simple. Why worry? Does worrying do anything to improve my situation? No. But prayer does. When I pray and tell God about everything that's going on in my mind, I feel like a burden is being lifted off my shoulders, and then everything just comes pouring out of me. I tell God how I am feeling, I tell Him why, even though He already knows, I let it all out. And it feels good. It's just like talking to a best friend. At first, you might not want to tell them because they might judge you, or they might not understand. But once you start talking, it feels lighter. Relief enters the body and then comes rest. You don't have to hold it in anymore. But what's even better about praying your worries to God is that He can help. When you don't think anyone can help - He can. God works in such miraculous ways, that when you don't expect it - something even more awesome than what you could hope for happens, and it just blows you away. God is someone who cares so much about me that when He hears me pray and ask for something, when I lift up my worries and burdens to Him, He will take them and help me get through it. And through Him helping me, I experience more of God's splendor and love. This is what my relationship with God should be like; trusting that He will take care of me, following His ways and commands, and then falling more and more in love with Him as I experience more of His unconditional love.
But just as you ask for something from God, we must thank Him. In the last part of the verse, it says "... and thank Him for all that He has done." God has done so many things for me. Sometimes I probably don't even notice it, or recognize it. In so many ways, God has taken care of me, provided for me, comforted me, taught me, and loved me - that I wouldn't be here the way I am if it wasn't for His saving grace. It is very important to thank Him. It's just manners, and respect. When I thank God, I find that I realize more of what He has done for me and how He has worked in my life. I find that a lot of things just start popping up in my mind, recognizing that it was God here, and it was God there. And then I can only think, "Wow. He has done a lot for me."
http://youtu.be/CvHMjILrSJ0 - The Valley Song, by Jars of Clay
"I will sing of your mercy that leads me through valleys of sorrow to rivers of joy."
Since this period of time is dedicated to giving something up so that we have more time to pray, or to do devotions, I have decided to take a chunk of time out of my day to meditate upon a verse, or a worship song and to blog about it. I have decided to do this because when I meditate upon a verse or the lyrics of a worship song, I find myself connecting to God more, and I am more aware of His presence.
I know that I am almost a week late in beginning my lent, but I am glad that I didn't just ignore it and not do anything. Prayer and devotions should be part of my day, but it truthfully hasn't been lately. I am hoping that through this time, I will develop a habit of making this a part of my life, as the point of me being on Earth isn't to please others, but to please God and do His will. If I am not trying to get closer to God and be able to follow Him, then everything else I am doing is not important, and I pretty much will have no purpose on Earth. In the end, I will be standing before the Almighty One, and He will be the one to judge me. Not society. Not the media. No one but Him.
This is the verse that I meditated on today:
" Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done."
It comes from Philippians 4:6, and I especially like it in the NLT version. If you look at the NIV version, it says, " do not be anxious in anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I stumbled upon this verse today, as I was walking to work. It is a 15 minute walk on a cold, snowy day, and I was just thinking about how I was stressed out about arranging my accommodations for next term, some problems my friends are having, and then thinking about how I'm going to survive the work day. Don't get me wrong; I like my work, it's just that I'm still getting used to it. I also need to get more sleep. I wasn't able to sleep last night because I kept thinking about many things, and I had a headache, and then I worried about not being able to fall asleep even though I was so exhausted. But somehow, I managed to fall asleep and when I woke up in the morning I was still so tired and groggy.
The funny thing is; that after I read this verse, I thought to myself that I although I have heard many messages about not worrying and giving it up to God before, I had never read this verse in particular. When I read it, it felt so simple. Why worry? Does worrying do anything to improve my situation? No. But prayer does. When I pray and tell God about everything that's going on in my mind, I feel like a burden is being lifted off my shoulders, and then everything just comes pouring out of me. I tell God how I am feeling, I tell Him why, even though He already knows, I let it all out. And it feels good. It's just like talking to a best friend. At first, you might not want to tell them because they might judge you, or they might not understand. But once you start talking, it feels lighter. Relief enters the body and then comes rest. You don't have to hold it in anymore. But what's even better about praying your worries to God is that He can help. When you don't think anyone can help - He can. God works in such miraculous ways, that when you don't expect it - something even more awesome than what you could hope for happens, and it just blows you away. God is someone who cares so much about me that when He hears me pray and ask for something, when I lift up my worries and burdens to Him, He will take them and help me get through it. And through Him helping me, I experience more of God's splendor and love. This is what my relationship with God should be like; trusting that He will take care of me, following His ways and commands, and then falling more and more in love with Him as I experience more of His unconditional love.
But just as you ask for something from God, we must thank Him. In the last part of the verse, it says "... and thank Him for all that He has done." God has done so many things for me. Sometimes I probably don't even notice it, or recognize it. In so many ways, God has taken care of me, provided for me, comforted me, taught me, and loved me - that I wouldn't be here the way I am if it wasn't for His saving grace. It is very important to thank Him. It's just manners, and respect. When I thank God, I find that I realize more of what He has done for me and how He has worked in my life. I find that a lot of things just start popping up in my mind, recognizing that it was God here, and it was God there. And then I can only think, "Wow. He has done a lot for me."
http://youtu.be/CvHMjILrSJ0 - The Valley Song, by Jars of Clay
"I will sing of your mercy that leads me through valleys of sorrow to rivers of joy."
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