Day 2

Another rich time with the Father this morning.  Psalm 39:5 in the Amplified Bible tells us that’s God’s favor (grace) is for a lifetime. It also puts it this way, “His favor, grace is life …”  I love that.  It’s proven true for me, His grace is life to me.  And then in verse 10, the psalmist offers a short prayer,

“Hear, O Lord, have mercy and be gracious to me.

O Lord, be my helper.”

I would end those sentences with an explanation point. Smile.  How I need the mercy and grace of the Lord.  How I need Him as my helper.  In His grace is life, and even in my asking I am desperate for His grace and mercy for there, in my asking, I find impure motives , selfishness, fear, pride, self-pity and more.  I am reminded of the angel of the Lord who spoke to Zerubbabel and told him to cry out or “SHOUT GRACE” to the mountain of human obstacle (Zechariah 4 Amplified Bible). I follow this wise instruction.  I shout, cry out loud in desperation for God’s unmerited favor to the people and situations that weigh heavy on my heart.  People I know personally, and otherwise. 

Hearts and relationships broken seemingly beyond repair.  Healing of body, soul and spirit.  Those who've not yet tasted the salvation of Jesus.  As I listed in my journal those things that concern me, I prayed that His goodness would be the solution in each life and circumstance. In mine and in theirs. 

• My heart weighs heavy for my mother who is like an invalid and longs to say her final goodbye on earth so she can take up residence in her heavenly home.  But her heart beats on and we wait with her for the Lord to call her home. 
• I choke up when I read the blog of friends who long for the children of their heart yet unknown to them, to come home and snuggle safely in their beds, and in the arms of their parents while the Ethiopian government makes decisions affecting that choice.  I can't quite get over the hope and faith their hearts display nor the longing and heart wrenching sadness in their story.
• How do we wrap our heart or head around the unfathomable needs of those in Japan who are suffering the devastation of the earthquake and the tsunami? Lives lost.  Dreams shattered. Hope hanging by a thread.
• And the dear young friend I know who resides out-of-state in a rehab doing the hard work of reflecting, regrouping and rebuilding.
• Or the other friend whose paraplegic brother took his own life and now the family longs for him, and for their questions to be answered. 
• So many friends whose adult children seem lost and are slowly becoming strangers to the parents they once knew and loved. 
• And on and on and on …. the list could go. 

The cry of my heart is that of the Psalmist for those who need a savior, a healer, a counselor, a deliverer and a friend. “Hear, O Lord, have mercy and be gracious to them!  O Lord, be their helper!”