One of the greatest blessings our Father gave me long ago, was to be raised in the Church singing the timeless old hymns again and again. Last night,  I found myself in bed awake and struggling to get back to sleep.  Not too unusual for me, but annoying none the less.  It seems that in a little while, the words of these great old hymns proceed into my mind, transforming my racing thoughts into songs of prayer and praise.  One of my favorites songs to pray to the Lord is, “O Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

Meditate on these beautiful lyrics as prayer, at home or at work, and hopefully you will discover a whole new dimension to your prayer life.

O thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing they grace;

Streams of mercy, NEVER CEASING, Call for songs of loudest praise;

Teach me ever to adore Thee; May I still Thy goodness prove,

While the hope of endless glory, Fills my heart with joy and love.

O to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be!

Let they goodness like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee;

Never let me wander from Thee, Never leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart , O take and seal it, Seal it for the courts above.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day!

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How often are you “still”? Does watching TV count? Still for how long?

This morning, in our 6:30 Bridging the Gap group meeting, we discussed how often we practice Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We talked about “meditating on God’s Word”. We went around the table and told stories of  (rare) times in our lives when we pulled back and spent a few hours, maybe a day, just listening. Being God-centered, not self-centered.

The stories were inspirational because most of them were not huge sacrifices. They were intentional uses of time to seek God. Here are a few examples:

• Premeditated long drive after work. He fasted that day. He asked his wife if he could miss dinner with his family that evening. He drove to a secluded park. He prayed about an issue at work that was continuing to trouble him. He listened.
• He mowed a four-acre yard. He premeditated to use that time to “shout to the Lord” (no one can hear you anyway). He prayed about an issue dogging his Church. He received a clear message from the Lord.
• She spent 30 hours in a place she never expected to be. So she used that time for “intense” prayer. She “talked to God”.
• Driving to Oklahoma City, he premeditated not to listen to the radio. Total silence. All the way there and back. He did not receive a word from God that day, but he felt a sense of calm and peace he had not experienced in a long time. And, the issues he tabled that day were big issues…game changers. And since then? Receiving lots of directional signs, so he knows his time in meditation was very well spent.

We are all running so fast. Some of us manage a quiet time in the morning. But how many of us pull back and look for a window of time to seek God and listen? I have been inspired to do just that. I would covet your prayers as I spend the next 24 hours being still, and knowing that He is God.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

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