Praying the Psalms- Psalm 17

Jenny has begun a journey of praying her way through the Psalms that I have decided to join. Each weekend, we will pray through one psalm and post our prayer and/or meditations on that psalm as the Lord leads. Check out her journey and join us in Praying the Psalms.


Psalm 17


I am involved in a small group of women from my children's school who meet every other week to discuss issues of faith.  The purpose of the group is to provide a safe forum for discussions about God and Christianity.  From what I have gathered from these discussions, there is a mix of women who are believers, non believers and women who are seeking God in this group.  It has been a wonderful experience for me as I have gotten to share my faith with mothers from our school whom I have known for years now but with whom I had not yet had opportunity to discuss the things of God.  Right now, we are going through Phillip Yancy's DVD series on Prayer.  In yesterday's session, Philip spoke of a friend who was an alcoholic that had been sober for some time.  However, every morning when he woke, his first experience was a desire for  Jack Daniels.  This man had been praying fervently for God to remove this desire from him for some time.  In frustration, He cried out to the Lord and asked Him why He had not done so.  This man then heard God clearly tell him that He had not removed the desire because it was precisely that struggle that caused the man to stay in constant communion with Him!  


I was blown away.  I have been thinking much lately about why God has not given me complete victory in some areas- areas that I have been praying fervently about for some time.  I will be posting more about these things soon so I won't get into detail here but the idea that God leaves us with some of our faults and temptations so that we will continue to depend on Him and seek Him out spoke volumes to me.  


It was in this frame of mind that I came to read Psalm 17 this morning.  I love the fervency and desperation of David's prayer.  

Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
       listen to my cry.
       Give ear to my prayer—
       it does not rise from deceitful lips.May my vindication come from you;
       may your eyes see what is right.

I love his raw honesty, how he reminds God of His promises, 

I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
       give ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show the wonder of your great love,
       you who save by your right hand
       those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
       hide me in the shadow of your wings

how He reminds God how he has been faithful in following His ways, 

As for the deeds of men—
       by the word of your lips
       I have kept myself
       from the ways of the violent.
My steps have held to your paths;
       my feet have not slipped.

how he points out the evil of his enemies. 

from the wicked who assail me,
       from my mortal enemies who surround me.

They close up their callous hearts,
       and their mouths speak with arrogance.

They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
       with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
       like a great lion crouching in cover.

I believe God loves David's prayer, too.  He loves when we come to him honestly- pouring out our hearts to Him without trying to hide or gloss things over.  He loves to commune with us.  He knows that often we will only come to Him faithfully and fervently in prayer when we are in desperate situations and so He will leave us there for a season.  Not to harm us but to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future.  


Lord, help me to come to You in prayer in honesty and fervency and faith.  Help me to accept the season You have placed me in, knowing that You are doing a good work.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Setting the Pace

My big boy has been sick this week.  He was home from school both Tuesday and Wednesday.  As is my usual response to unexpected changes in my schedule, I was anxious, at first, about how I was going to get everything done this week.  My calendar for Tuesday and Wednesday was filled with running to and fro.  As it turns out, these two days at home were a complete blessing!  Those things that were left undone that were outside of the home must not have been so important after all.

In addition to taking care of my little man and my girl, I got so many little things done around the house during those days.  And I had time to think, to write, to begin to plan our summer, to read more of the 550 page book I am trying to finish.  It has been so refreshing!  I've had such a peace all week.  It's inspired me to be intentional about scheduling in at least one day a week (Monday-Friday) when I am home most of the day.  The day may vary week to week, depending on my work and school volunteer obligations and, of course, I will do some routine household chores and paperwork on that day.  But, I intend to spend most of it in self care with time for exercise, and for thinking, writing, planning, dreaming and reading.

I know the Lord has been calling me to do this for some time now.  I've written about it here a few times already.  Frankly, though, I have not been sure how to put it into practice with all my responsibilities, so I have hesitated.  After thinking about it and talking with a wise sister and friend, the only way to do it is to do it.  So, I opened iCal and scheduled one day next week for Self Care.  And I've committed myself to do that each week.

How about you?  Are you already taking care of yourself?  Do you need regular times alone to slow down?  Time to think, write, plan, dream?

People Are People

***We interrupt this Unscheduled Summer Planning Bloggy Bonanza to bring you my musings from the school carline!***


O.k., if you are a child of the 80s you'll remember this refrain from the Depeche Mode hit People are People.  Sing it with me!  

People are people so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully? 

I found myself singing this to myself as I waited on carline to pick up my Kindergartner Tuesday afternoon.  You see, there's this mom, who without fail, parks her car on carline, gets out of said car to greet her child, spends time looking at and commenting on every last bit of artwork her child has created that day, slowly loads said child into said car, safely buckles her in and slowly pulls out of carline.  She does this in clear and flagrant disregard for the repeated requests of the school to not get out of the car on carline but instead allow the teachers to load your child and all of his/her precious artwork into the car and pull away quickly to keep the carline moving.  I see her almost everyday and I wonder at how someone could be so rude?!?  There is a long line of cars behind her filled with moms or dads who are just as eager to greet their children and gush over their artwork and get off the carline for Pete's sake!  

"Some people!"  I muttered angrily under my breath today as I watched her antics Tuesday.  And right away the Depeche Mode refrain flooded my mind.

People are people so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully?

And it occurred to me, for the first time, that that is such a silly lyric.  Yes, people are people and that is precisely why we get along so awfully!  We are self-centered and prideful and fleshly.  I was feeling pretty self-righteous in that moment of Depeche Mode epiphany.  After all, I would never so flagrantly disregard school rules!  I would never be so rude as to hold up an entire carline of people!

And then God wiped the sanctimonious smile from my face.  "No," He agreed, "You would never do those things.  But you would, and sometimes do, greet your precious children with a barking 'get in and get buckled! we're holding up the carline!'  You would, and sometimes do, shush them as they enter, eager to show you a masterpiece, so you could finish an 'important phone call.'"

Yes, Lord, people are people.  Fallen and in need of Your grace.  Myself very much included!  Thank You for Your long-suffering with me, for Your forgiveness and Your mercy.  Help me, Lord, to be the hands and feet of grace to people- to freely give as I have been given!

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23

More About Summer

For accountability's sake, I thought it would be wise to get my summer schedule ideas out on "paper."  At this early date, my goal is simply to have an idea of how we will structure our days.  Having a preliminary plan decreases my anxiety and frees me to get me excited about what's coming.  As the summer draws nearer, I plan on involving my two older children in the process of brainstorming activities in each area our theme verse describes.

Summer Theme Verse:

"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."  Luke 2:52

Growing in Wisdom Ideas

• Work through the Summer Reading List from school/ A. works on concepts (i.e., letters, colors, etc.)
• Work on the Summer Activity Packet from school/ A. works on fine motor (i.e., coloring, cutting, etc.)
• Tapestry of Grace Reading and Activities (might borrow a unit from a homeschooling friend)

Growing in Stature Ideas

• Swimming
• Bowling
• Playground
• Baseball

Growing in Favor with God 

• Memorize a Scripture verse every week
• Morning and evening devotionals
• Gratitude Journals

Growing in Favor with Men

• Picking a friend or family member or neighbor who has a need we can meet and doing so
• Sending cards/verses/pictures to a loved one in the mail
• Blessing a friend or family member or neighbor with a meal or cookies

The schedule that follows will be how we start out our summer but it will almost certainly change to fit the natural rhythm of our days.  Of course, it will also change to accommodate special events we may be able to attend, the week of camp we have signed up for and (hopefully) getaway plans.  We have done schedules like this in the past and my oldest has even created some on his own.  My children really seem to enjoy them!

Daily Summer Schedule

7       Media Time (Wii, Computer or TV) (30 minutes each)

8       Breakfast and Family Devotional

8:30  Morning Chores

9       Outing (Emphasis on Physical Growth) OR

         Tapestry of Grace (TOG)/Five in a Row (FIAR)

12     Lunch (Study Weekly Verse together)

1       Quiet Time for Boys (Gratitude Journals, Reading)

          Nap forA.

         Mom works

3        Service Project (Weekly)

4       Summer Activity Packets OR TOG OR FIAR        

         Mom's chores

5       Cook Dinner- Kids will alternate cooking with mom

         Dinner (Study Weekly Verse together)

         Evening Chores

6       Media Time (Wii, Computer or TV) (30 minutes each)

7       Baths, Books and Evening Devotional at Bedtime

7:30  Lights Out for A.; Boys can read on their own until 8:30 p.m.

How about you?  Are you thinking about the summer yet?

Summer's a comin'!

A few weeks ago, the summer camp brochures began arriving in the mailbox.  Simultaneously, the e-mails describing the fun-filled summer days my kids might enjoy at camp began flooding the inbox.  In the past, we have done a few weeks of half day camp with our two boys.  For our family, it was a good balance- lots of family and free time as well as some structured time with friends for our two older children.  This year, our financial situation is limiting our camp options to one week each for the boys.  We are also scaling back our vacation plans this summer, so it looks like the kids and I will be spending lots of time together close to home this summer.  I must admit that I have been feeling a bit anxious about how to make the summer a fun time for all of us while continuing to fulfill my household and work responsibilities.  Recently, I came across a series of blog posts on Inspired to Action about planning a summer of purpose.  I was happy to see that I'm not the only one thinking about summer already.  I wanted to share this post of Kat's in case you're ruminating about summer plans, too.  I was so inspired by the verse and the advice that was shared that I decided to make it our family's theme verse for the summer and the focus of our planning!

"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."  Luke 2:52

Multitude Monday

Here are some of the things I was thankful for this week:

• 
  
• 
  
• • 325. Serving in Sunday School
  • 324. Leading children into worship
  • 323. Date night!
  • 322. A warm and sunny weekend
  • 321. A stack of books to enjoy
  • 320. Enjoying His presence
  • 319. Prayer with and for others
  • 318. Being still and hearing Him speak
  • 317. Beautiful reminders of Him
  • 316. Lots of time ALONE with Him
  • 315. Corporate worship
  • 314. Fellowship
  • 313. Three days with NO chores :)
  • 312. A safe journey to and from the retreat
  • 311. Joyful expectation for what He is going to do in the next few days
  • 310. Peace in leaving after placing my family in His hands
  • 309. A retreat

You can find my running list of 1,000 gifts in my sidebar and read why I got started here.

Praying the Psalms- Psalm 16

Jenny has begun a journey of praying her way through the Psalms that I have decided to join. Each weekend, we will pray through one psalm and post our prayer and/or meditations on that psalm as the Lord leads. Check out her journey and join us in Praying the Psalms.

Psalm 16 

I have set the LORD always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Psalm 16:8

Sometimes, He speaks so clearly to me that I am sure He wrote the words only for me!   During my retreat this week, God gave me a strong desire to commune with Him as closely in my daily life as I did those few days, when all the cares of the world were on hold.  He reminded me of the all consuming grip I allowed Him over my heart and mind when I first came to Him.  He told me that if I seek Him in every moment, if I abide in Him, I will bear much fruit.  Those sins that  seem to still ensnare me will lose their power if I allow His Spirit to work in me.   Then, today, I read this psalm and the words of verse 8 seem written just for me- to remind and confirm.  I receive them as part of His personal love letter to me.  Lord, help me to set You before me!