1.Blessed are the poor in spirit
*Father, I need You. There is nothing I have apart from You. You are my everything. By You I can do anything.
I love thinking about how much Christ is our strength. Psalm 27 says the Lord is my light and my salvation. When thinking about Jesus as my light I think of Him guiding my paths, showing me what to do. I know there are a ton of other applications to Jesus being the light (Jesus the way, truth and light.) but this reality strikes my heart. I am not abandoned.
*Do not let me be offended. Not offended at one ounce of the worlds impenetrable darkness (Job 23) but forever appreciative and grateful that I am not receiving much worse. It's a state of humility in discovering how well off we are for what we deserve. Jesus said in Matthew 11:6 Blessed are those who are not offended to John's disciples because John was in prison due to living for a man who came to release those from prison. Jesus only did what He was led to do by the Father. And God never led him to go release John from prison. Then there are a lot of cross references in my mind about seeking joy in the midst of trial/persecution but I am getting ahead of myself.
*Make me a vessel for Your glory. That's all I want to be. Come live Your life through me. This is totally inspired by a Merchant Band song but I love it. Christ is our life line and only true satisfaction and freedom come from doing God's will. I think it's vital to pray for God's glory to completely posses you.
*I'm not going to inventory what I do not have, but ask You to bless and use what You have already given to me. I did not choose God. He chose me. God has already given me the gifts I need for my ministry. It is my responsibility to contend for help in developing and using those gifts. It doesn't do anybody any good to inventory what you do not have. This is so hard with finances. Especially when you've got rent due and the Lord wants you to give money in a totally random matter.
5.Increase my faith. Draw near to me as I draw near to You. Give me more of You as I give You more of me.
I heard someone say once that every time we say to God 'I want more of You', He replies with 'I want more of you'. If something is not glorifying God is it holding unnecessary room within your heart? (1 Corinthians 12 You may say, "I am allowed to do anything." But I reply, "Not everything is good for you." And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything.) When it comes down to it is anything actually worth doing if it's not for the glory of God? If it's not pulling you closer to God then there's a 100% chance that it's pulling you away.
6.Let me fully rely on You. I only want to think of You in what I do. Give me dove's eyes. Devotion for only You.
Ouch! This one is by far the hardest to rend my heart towards. I find so much fascination in so many other things. Or in other people. Lord Jesus my heart is for You and You alone.
7.Help me today. It's not by my strength but by Yours that I can do anything.
I have a feeling once I get to heaven I will be completely in shock about how often I thought my own strength and endurance pulled me through a situation but it was really the Lord's.
8.I desire intimacy with You through covenant. To suffer as You suffered along with fellowship and satisfaction. This is a partnership. I could write 5 different books on intimacy through covenant. It is why I love to take communion. It's a reminder that this is a partnership. John 5-6 is what hits the hardest when focusing on Christ as our best friend and under evaluating suffering.
9.Let me only see what You see, let me only hear what You hear. Let me only do what You do and say what You say.
10.I'm not okay without Your presence. Never let me be alone. I listened to a message once where the speaker talked about the nature of faith and how it is not the nature of faith to be okay with not experiencing Gods presence. If your best friend who you talk to every single day suddenly decided to not talk to you for a whole week. You would not be okay with not finding out reasoning for why they stopped talking to you. God always is talking to us. It is us who go a few days without encountering him and get the delusion that we are okay. I believe that's where thoughts of thinking we have something to offer God come or can do things on our own come from.
