Pen and Paper
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” - Psalm 51:7-12 NIV
When was the last time you just sat down and wrote a prayer out to God… if you ever have?
Sometimes it’s hard to find the words to say and pray… and that’s when the Holy Spirit takes over and moans on our behalf. Sharing our heart and our greatest need.
Sometimes, at least for me, the pen and paper (or the keyboard and blank page), allows me to just get the words out of me… the thoughts, prayers, the fears, the sin and shame, the anger and pain, the love and joy, the mercy and grace.
Sometimes it just flows out… and the cool part is, God can read just as well as He can hear.
And as I think about those moments and times of written prayer, I think about our Bible Heroes, who often wrote down their prayers to God… as in today’s passage from Psalms.
And I think about our worship songs and the old hymns. Songs that are not just songs about God, but songs, even prayers, that are written to God.
Take a moment today or this weekend and write out a prayer to God. Just take a moment and let your thoughts flow out from the pen on to the paper. Write out your thoughts, your prayers, your hopes, your concern, your fear, your joy, your praise…. Write out your request for forgiveness, for grace, for mercy. Write about His great love.
O Lord, cleanse me like the days of old, forgive me, and wash me clean as snow. As David once plead, “create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore in me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” O Lord, help me be the man, the person, the husband, the father, the leader, the follower of Jesus that you have made me to be. Be glorified in all that I do and say. O Lord, guide me down the right path and help me choose the right direction. Lead me, as you’d have me be led. Use me, as you’d have me be used. Thank you, Lord for your grace and mercy. Thank for your love and forgiveness. Thank You for the cross, for the blood, for the resurrection. Thank you, O Lord, for the victory! In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
