"Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease."
Psalms 85:4
This is an interesting verse where God is asked to turn us so that he can stop being angry at us. :) It sounds a lot like something a little child would ask, putting everything in God's hands and none in our own... but in a way, it echoes the real relationship that we have with God, because we sometimes can't do things ourselves. What we *can* do is open ourselves up and be willing for the Lord to change us.
Now, to be very clear, I am not saying that we can just do whatever we want and ask the Lord to solve everything for us. While that would definitely take less effort, it would also teach us nothing, and God is nothing if not a perfect teacher. What I am saying is that we can be willing to do as God asks, and open our will to his, and allow him to teach us and change our hearts. It won't be easy either, but if we really want it and are willing to do it, he can help us learn to love other people, and to want good things and not bad things. And when our hearts are full of anger and resentment, or we just don't know how to want God's way instead of our way, prayer can help change that. Doesn't mean we don't have to follow through on those new feelings that God will help us feel, if we are truly willing to accept them, but God is merciful and will help us get there. :)
Meanwhile though, we definitely have to be engaged in the process and work on turning ourselves. It's kind of like we're headed for an iceberg and we know that we have realized much too late to avoid it. Continuing to steer straight for it at full speed while we pray is not the solution. But if we pray *and* steer away with everything we have, then God has something to work with, and might be able to help us out with a miracle. :)
Today, let's work on turning ourselves to God, and ask God to help us as well. God never wants to be angry with us, or to have to prune his vineyard so dramatically to get rid of the bad fruit... but he will, as needed, to make it possible for the good to grow. Let's work on turning to the good before we ripen badly. :)
Psalms 85:4
This is an interesting verse where God is asked to turn us so that he can stop being angry at us. :) It sounds a lot like something a little child would ask, putting everything in God's hands and none in our own... but in a way, it echoes the real relationship that we have with God, because we sometimes can't do things ourselves. What we *can* do is open ourselves up and be willing for the Lord to change us.
Now, to be very clear, I am not saying that we can just do whatever we want and ask the Lord to solve everything for us. While that would definitely take less effort, it would also teach us nothing, and God is nothing if not a perfect teacher. What I am saying is that we can be willing to do as God asks, and open our will to his, and allow him to teach us and change our hearts. It won't be easy either, but if we really want it and are willing to do it, he can help us learn to love other people, and to want good things and not bad things. And when our hearts are full of anger and resentment, or we just don't know how to want God's way instead of our way, prayer can help change that. Doesn't mean we don't have to follow through on those new feelings that God will help us feel, if we are truly willing to accept them, but God is merciful and will help us get there. :)
Meanwhile though, we definitely have to be engaged in the process and work on turning ourselves. It's kind of like we're headed for an iceberg and we know that we have realized much too late to avoid it. Continuing to steer straight for it at full speed while we pray is not the solution. But if we pray *and* steer away with everything we have, then God has something to work with, and might be able to help us out with a miracle. :)
Today, let's work on turning ourselves to God, and ask God to help us as well. God never wants to be angry with us, or to have to prune his vineyard so dramatically to get rid of the bad fruit... but he will, as needed, to make it possible for the good to grow. Let's work on turning to the good before we ripen badly. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment