Salutations to Our Lord, God and Father

How do you pray?  I guess the question I am really asking is....

To whom do you pray?

I don't mean 'what god do you pray to', but how do you address our God?

I have many salutations I use when opening up my time of fellowship with God.

• Father God
• Lord
• Lord God
• Heavenly Father
• God
• God of all
• My Lord and Savior
• Father

Why do I ask? 

I'm glad you asked! *grin*

Does the salutation you choose increase your sense of intimacy with God or is it just a jumping off point in to a time of prayer?  

I have to say that for me it has been a jumping off point for the most part. I really didn't give it much consideration.  Well, I suppose I gave it a little thought since I change it up (as noted in my list above).  But really it was never a place where I paused and reflected, and definitely not a part of my prayer that increased my awareness of just how intimate that time with Him is.  

Until today.

I'm walking through some painful experiences in my personal life right now and many days all I can do is fall to my knees, cry and ask God to please help me.  This week in particular there was a day when I came to Him and all I could say was 'God, I'm tired and scared.  Help me.  Just help me.  I don't know what else to say'.  And then I just sat there and let Him catch my tears.  

In the 24 hours following that prayer, God brought 2 people into my life to comfort me.  They can't fix what is breaking my heart nor can they give me the answers I need to understand the 'why' and 'how long will this go on', but they were just the comfort I needed to feel less scared and less weary.  

God. Is. Good.  

So today, as a situation arose that I knew the enemy wanted to use as arrows to pierce my heart and cause me to lose sight of God's promises, I stopped and prayed.  Because...HE. ANSWERS. PRAYERS!

And my salutation was this...

"Father, as your child I ask You to please help me......"

The rest of the prayer is not as important as what happened as those words came from my heart and out of my mouth.  I was lifted up with a new sense of intimacy that I had not felt before.  

This wasn't God Almighty to whom I was bowing before as an unworthy servant...seeking mercy or blessing from my King and Lord.  

I was a child, coming to my Father, with tears brimming, a heart hurting and just wanting to be held and comforted.  I was immediately consumed with the kind of comfort I remember feeling as a young girl that came from my earthly father when he would give me a hug and tell me it would be o.k.  

It will be o.k.

As a child, we often would hear those words from a parent or care taker and while we didn't know how it would be ok, just knowing they said it would calmed us and comforted us.  'If they said so, it must be cause they love me and take care of me'.  

He loves me and takes care of me.  He is my Father.

He is an Almighty God, Lord and King and all those titles that represent His Holiness, for sure.  But He is also my Father, from whom just need to hear sometimes... 'it will be ok.'

So how do you address our Creator, Lord, Savior, God Almighty, Everlasting Father... when you come to him in prayer?  I know I will continue to 'mix it up', as I find my salutations of choice are usually driven by what is sending me to my knees.  I tend to use an exalting title when I come primarily to recognize Him for who He is and praise Him with a sacrifice of prayer; or a title that describes His attributes of grace and mercy when I am on my knees for forgiveness and repentance.  But going forward, I know many of my prayers will simply begin... 

"Father" 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on prayerful salutations, or your experiences of new found intimacy in your prayer life.  It would bless all who come to join us today to hear a word from others for further edification of the body.  I'd also love to be inspired by the different ways you all begin your prayers.  So please take a sec, click the comment link below and just leave a word or to for us all to enjoy and connect with.

God Bless and Keep You,
Tami

The Perfect Meal

1 Peter 2: 2-3 ~Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (niv)

It all starts with good eating habits. Everyday God is sitting at the table, a table He has set just for you. He is in His chair and your chair is pulled out, just waiting for you to come sit down. The table is set with a meal created with you in mind. He knows the events of the day you are about to journey into. He knows exactly what kind of soul nourishing meal you need to face that day and He has prepared JUST FOR YOU.

The Word is opened and on the table, He is sitting there to guide you through it and fill your soul with the ‘food of the Spirit’ you need to be fruitful that day. What fears are you going to need power to overcome today? What distractions are you going to need to be blinded from today? What surprises are coming your way that have the potential to rock your world if you are not prepared? Think of the many days you have set out for the day thinking you knew what to expect and found it was a completely different day altogether. Were you prepared? Did you respond to those days in the flesh or in the spirit? Do you know what this day holds? We cannot know. We may think we know, but we don’t.

But He knows.

And so He sits and waits. A reservation for 2 that never expires.
But the meal cannot be served until the entire party is seated.

How long will I keep my Father waiting?

When I am tempted to skip a meal with God, this visualization helps me readjust my priorities. The thought of God sitting there at a table for 2, all alone breaks my heart. And then I remember that His heart aches for me even more. The thought of not partaking in the meal that was prepared just for me reminds me of what I will be missing. And then I remember that He prepared that meal for me because He loves me so much.
1 Peter 2:2-3 tells us that we should crave His word so that we may ‘grow up’ in our salvation. I can’t help but think of parents here. Our parents begin feeding us from day one with the sole purpose of helping us grow up big and strong. Each meal is prepared with nutrition in mind.

• “Drink your milk so you will grow big and strong”

• “Eat your broccoli, it’s good for you!”

• “Eat the rest of that orange, it will help you fight that cold that’s going around”

The meals that God prepares for us at His table each day are planned according to our nutritional needs. Whether it’s an ‘orange’ to fight off something that is going around, a ‘glass of milk’ to make us stronger for what is coming our way or some ‘broccoli’ just because it is good for us, God knows exactly what meal to plan for us and He delivers it through the reading of His word.
No one can force you to take that first bite. God calls you to the table, God puts the spiritual milk in front of you, but you have to sit down and partake.

I recall a day recently when I kept putting that table time off. I had no intention of skipping the meal, but I kept pushing back the reservation to tend to tasks that morning. Of course, morning became noon, but I still had intentions of sitting down. God called to me many times during that morning and each time my heart responded with ‘just a sec…I need to do this one thing first and then I’ll be able to sit down without distractions’.

And then the phone rang.

It started out innocent enough. A harmless conversation with someone who had good intentions and wanted to give me some advice. At some point though, the advice turned into accusations that wounded me deeply. Accusations based on false information. My hungry soul was weak and under nourished, but my flesh was ready for the fight. You know the rest of the story. My flesh took over and that conversation ended with angry words. Now let me share with you the devotional that was sitting on ‘the table’ waiting for me to consume.

‘…I am with you to deliver you’, says the Lord

(Jeremiah 1:8)
The devotional written for this particular verse went on to talk about how we are to depend on God for our deliverance in situations and avoid the temptation to ‘defend ourselves’ in the flesh. It drew on lessons from the Sermon on the Mount to emphasize this point, showing how Jesus said for us to not seek personal justice because it leads to personal self pity or self righteous thoughts (“how dare you say that to me”).
As soon as that phone call was over, I ran to His table, weeping and wounded. And then I read those words. I was deeply convicted by the truth of those words in 2 ways.

1. Yes, Lord, I need to let go of my need to be right or defend myself from these false accusations.

2. Most importantly though…Yes Lord. I realize You had been calling me to Your table all day because You knew this call was coming and You wanted to prepare me in advance.

Oh Lord, how differently that conversation could have played out if I had responded to Your calling instead of putting You off.

What meal has God prepared for us today? Let’s go to the table daily to find out, for we know it is good!

Our recipe today is Growing up in Our Salvation.

The ingredients are from 1 Peter 2:2-3.

The directions are to pull up a chair and spend time with Him. Let Him feed you and know that the Lord is good!

PRAYER:

Father, make this word fresh in my heart today. Give me a craving for Your word, Your will and Your presence. Forgive me Lord, for the times you have prepared a meal for me and I never showed up to share it with You. Thank you God that my reservation for 2 never expires and the meal is always fresh and prepared just for me. Thank you Lord for first loving me so much so that You desire to prepare a soul satisfying meal just for me. I am amazed and humbled at the thought of this. As I take this time with you today, let me fall deeper in love with You, increasing my craving for Your word , Your will and Your presence. Lord, give me eyes to see the things that keep me from coming to your table daily so that I may confess, repent and be healed of it. Use this scripture, Father, to remind me daily that You desire me to grow strong in my salvation, so that I may walk in Your will, to Your glory.


I come to you in the name of my precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Can you recall a time when you realized the time spent with God prepared you for things you had no idea were coming?  Or maybe you can recall a time when you faced an issue of the day with an under nourished soul?  It would be a blessing to hear from you, even if it's just to say 'hello' or 'amen'! And it's easy ~ click the comment link below and leave us a short word!  You can even do it anonymously *grin*. 


God Bless and Keep You,
 

CLICK HERE to find a printable, Food for the Soul recipe card with today's verse as the ingredients and directions for daily application.  Use the back of the card to write personal words of application.  Ask God to show you what He is feeding you today with His word and write those directions to remind you how God is wanting to work in your life today.

Memory Verse 2 ~ Delight of the Lord

I have committed to memorizing 2 verses a month, so twice a month I'll share the verse I just memorized, how it spoke to me and the the verse I am memorizing next.  I'd love for you to join me, memorizing whatever verses God lays on your heart.  Share your verses in the comments section and we can inspire each other with God's words!

Over the last 2 weeks I memorized Psalm 147: 10-11
His pleasure is not found in the strength of horses, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. 

When our children are young, they want you to see what they can do.  "Look at me mom" they cry out, showing off their new found skill or ability.   As toddlers, they learn the phrase "I do it myself" to show us they don't need our help and they are strong and able on their own. 

I thought about these phrases as I was committing this word to memory. 

Look at me...I can do it myself!

God is saying, I don't care.  In fact, He is saying more than that.  He is declaring here that He isn't asking us to do it ourselves or to be proud of our abilities. 

God is asking us to remember that all He asks is for us to humbly submit to His will and walk in His strength. 

I found the most compelling call to action was to 'delight' the Lord.  Oh, to know that God finds delight in me!  Here are just a few definitions of this word "delight":

• please: give pleasure to or be pleasing to.
• a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction.
• joy: something or someone that provides a source of happiness;

As a servant of God, my heart longs to know that I bring delight and all that it implies above to my Master. 

This verse tells me that it is not by the things I do for Him in my own strength, but in my complete submission to Him that He is delighted. 

• When I come to Him weary from striving and seek His strength, He is delighted.
• When I let go of my own dreams and plans and seek His will, He is delighted.
• When I surrender control over my life and my circumstances and submit it all to Him, He is delighted.

When I stop seeking hope for my future in the things of this world (prestige, money, wealth, possessions, property, popularity, etc...) and find my hope only in the fact that His love did not fail me even to the cross...

I delight Him. 

When I bow down in worship, fearing a life without Him....

I delight Him. 

Prayer:
Lord God, to You I bow my knee.  To You I surrender.  You are my strength.  Without you I am powerless.  I may be able to acheive some symblance of greatness in the eyes of the world, but if I do not delight You, I have failed.  Forgive me Lord for the times that I have performed for You, asking You to be delighted in the things I have done for You, even though I did not seek to know Your will first.  I kneel before You Lord; worshipping You with awe and wonder.  Oh Lord, if Your love is so great that it would go to the cross for me, how could I ever question that Your love would ever fail me.  It is for this reason that all of my hope is in You and You alone.  I do not put my hope in the things of this world, but in Your unfailing love.  I trust You Lord.  I know Your love for me is the only future I need.  It is in the name of Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice proved Your unfailing love, that I pray.  Amen. 

Next memory verse: Psalm 143:8 NIV
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.  Show me the way that I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. 

I'd love to hear from you, so don't be shy.  Leave a thought or a word in the comments below!

Oh God of Second Chances, Here I Come Again

The story of Samson and Delilah is a familiar one.  Samson rules with the power of God, but is tricked by Delilah to tell the source of his strength so that his enemies can capture him. 

However, one really can't say Delilah tricked him, but instead we should say that Samson acted the fool.  The first time Delilah pried information out of Samson and handed him over to the Philistines, one could say she tricked him.  But the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time she repeated the same deceiptful ploy one can only look at Samson and consider him to be foolish.  Sure, he was wise enough to not tell her the truth the first 3 times, but even that proves his foolishness for not sending her away after first seeing her deceptive ways. 

It seemed Samson was blind to his foolishness.  Blinded by fleshly desires and blinded by personal pride.

His foolishness ultimately led to his humiliation and loss of his God given abilities. 

Stripped of his God given gifts, he was left with only that which he could do on his own.  In this state, Samson was fully aware of who he was without God. 

What lengths will God go to show us who He is in us and who we are without Him?

But the story does not end there.  In fact, inspite of all of this, Samson is listed as one of the faithful in Hebrews 11:32, along with great men of faith like Moses and Abraham.  Why? 

Our answer is in Judges 16:28
28 And Samson cried out to God:
Master, God!
Oh, please, look on me again,
Oh, please, give strength yet once more.
God!
With one avenging blow let me be avenged
On the Philistines for my two eyes!

Samson had faith that God would prevail.  Through his humbling, Samson's faith grew.  Instead of blaming God or holding a personal pity party for what had happened to him, Samson turned to God.  We are not told how Samson spent his time in captivity, but his actions in this verse gives us a clue that he spent it in self reflection and repentance. 

And so in this moment his faith in God resulted in the victory over the Philistines. 

It's never to late to turn to God!

When we stumble in our walk, the enemy wants us to give up.  But God wants us to return to Him.  It's never too late for us to use the gifts He has given to us for His glory. 

Prayer:

Father God, I am nothing without You.  All that I am able to do to serve You is done with the skills and abilities given to me by You.  Every gift, every ability was given with the sole purpose of glorifying You.  Forgive me Lord for the many times I have sought after personal glory using Your gifts.  Seek my heart and know that I desire to serve You and only You with the gifts You have given.  Thank You Lord, for your grace and patience.  Too many times I stumble and lose sight of the wisdom You provide; acting the fool instead.  And each time I come with a repentant heart You lift me up and strengthen me once more.  Thank You Father.  I kneel at Your throne and praise Your name.  I am here because of the blood of the lamb.  It is in the name of that lamb, Jesus Christ, that I pray.  Amen.