Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever! Praise be His holy name! Praise God who was, is, and ever will be! Praise Him alone for all that He is: holy, perfect, mighty, knowing, merciful, loving, good!
Thank You, God, for all Thy benefits. Thank You, God, for the smiles, the tears, the joy, the sorrows. Thank You, Lord, for the graces You shower upon us – grace to accept Your gift faith, grace to forgive others as we would desire You to forgive us, grace to humbly rely on Your provision. Thank You, Lord, for the whispers to our hearts, reminding, consoling, disciplining us as a good Father and gentle brother.
Forgive us, Lord, when we lose sight of You, when we become distracted, when we take our focus away from You. Forgive us, Lord, when we forget all that You have done for us. Forgive us, Lord, when we lose heart and doubt Your great love and care for us. Forgive us, Lord, when we think we need to understand our trials to find peace. Forgive us, Lord!
It is Lent! This means many of us have chosen our sacrifices or fasting practices, and many of us have had them chosen for us! Thus far, it seems this Lent, for me, will be one of surrender. Surrender is something that is not “one and done”. It is a constant renewal of willingly presenting our needs to God, and trusting He has a perfect plan. That is difficult for many of us controlling perfectionists, and so practice is continually required!
Because I often feel called to intercede for those God places in my life, I have lots of practice surrendering. Let me tell you, it is so much easier to surrender and trust when there is some separation between you and the situation, but it does not seem to relieve the heaviness that often accompanies trials.
A few weeks ago, on my designated day of prayer and fasting, I felt as if I was “carrying” the weight of so many who I hold in my heart. When that heaviness is with me, I try my best to thank Him and praise Him! So that is what I did. Before I can surrender, my praise and thanks is essential because it reminds me of the proper order of God as God and me as His child. It brings back to my mind and heart all that He has done and provided. The weight of all I carry seems to dissipate!
After I praise and thank Him, I prepare to listen for that still small voice. It means quieting my mind and not ignoring any images, ideas, songs, scripture verses, or even words that come to me. On this particular day, I sensed God comforting me.
“You cannot see all that I am doing. You could not handle it. You would be overwhelmed by it all. Put on your blinders when it all gets to be too much – not for ignorance, but FOCUS. Just FOCUS on Me! You are Mine and I am yours. I will grant you what you need when you need it! Do not think for a moment that I do not know all that you hold in your heart. I know it all, and I AM in the midst of it. I AM God of all. I do not tire nor grow weary of pursuing my sheep. Not ONE goes without my knowing. Trust in ME alone!
After I listen, I often turn to scripture, and so, I opened my bible. There, I found a St. Joseph prayer card. God was not finished consoling me, for He was even teaching me how to pray! The prayer said, “I place myself and all my concerns under your care and protection.”
He is so good! My heaviness was no more after these words of surrender! Someone you know just may need to hear how your Lent is progressing and how God has been leading you through it. Share, share, share!
Photo by Stefan Cosma on Unsplash
