The Real Me, The Real Him

Hey, Y'all,

Today we're checking out another thought of Yancey's on prayer...

"We must lay before Him what is in us,
not what ought to be in us."
C.S. Lewis

It occurred to me one day that though I often worry about whether or not I sense the presence of God, I give little thought to whether God senses the presence of me when I pray. When I come before God in prayer, do I bare the deepest, most hidden parts of myself? Only when I do so will I discover myself as I truly am, for nothing short of God's light can reveal that...Prayer invites me to bring my whole life into God's presence for cleansing and restoration... Underneath the layers of grime lies a damaged work of art that God longs to repair and restore...

Do I trust God with my real self? Foolishly, I hide myself in fear that God will be displeased, when in fact the hiding may be what displeases God most. From my side, the wall I erect seems like self-protection; from God's side it looks like lack of trust. In either case the wall will keep us apart until I acknowledge my need and God's surpassing desire to meet it. When I finally approach God, in fear and trembling, I find not a tyrant, but a lover...

"He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are from the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear Him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him;
for He knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust."

Psalm 103:10-14

You've been prayed for today...