A little Monday morning toe - stomping courtesy of A.W. Tozer

This is the National Day of Prayer "prayer" for the week and the reading that comes with it. Better pull out the steel toed boots. It definitely stomped on my toes.

"I would rather live in your house than anywhere else. There is nothing on this planet that can compare to the majesty and grandeur of your Presence. Help me Father, this day, to dwell with you. I have plenty to do today, but nothing that will be better than experiencing the joy of your house."


Reading for this week
"Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late - and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience." - A. W. Tozer

I attended the funeral of Josiah Johnson this past Saturday. He chose Joel Chapter 2 as the text for the message at his service. It was his greatest desire that God be honored not only with his life but also in his death. He wanted revival of the saints and salvation of the sinner. I know Josiah belonged to God or He would not have wanted those things. Those two "wants" only become priority in your heart when you are seeking God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength and loving others as yourself. Josiah did that to his earthly end. Here are the verses from Joel 2:12-17.

"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing - grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

I posted this in the NIV, but the translation used by the minister at the service used the words "tear your heart and not your garments". That is dead on to where I need to be personally. I need to stop with the outward appearances of grief over my sin - saying I'm sorry, attempting to fix what's been broken, trying to reconcile with someone I've alienated. Those are all actions taken to FIX what's been done by my sin. I need to STOP SINNING. That would solve the problems! My heart needs to be torn. I need to tear my heart. I need to grieve, not over the death of a friend, but over my sin and the deaths it causes in my life: death of trust, of friendship, of respect, and worst sometimes the death of a new believers faith or the beginnings of an unbelievers' faith. I need to grieve over myself being a stumbling block to my children. I need to tear my heart. How about you?

Psalms 119:1-8
Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart.
They do nothing wrong; they walk in His ways.
You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all Your commands.
I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws.
I will obey obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.