Tuesday 27 May 2014

Get Over Yourself

Do you ever feel as if you are wandering around in life aimlessly without purpose, just trying to keep it together, jumping through the hoops of school, job, family and friends? Sure every once in while you get the glimpse of something more, someone greater, you see the vision for a better way, and you participate in the something greater, the bigger the better, the right and true. But then it fades, the glory dissipates and no longer can you see the majesty of the castle instead you are back in the desolate forest. 

Is this just me? 

I don't think it is.

Why are you here? What is the meaning of life? What are you doing with your life? What is the point of all this?

Jesus.

To him be all the glory and majesty forever and ever amen.

Many of you are not going to like this answer, not just because it's a "Sunday school answer" but because it's not a self help to do list, it's not about you, because guess what it's not about us! None of it! It's not about you and me, it's all about Jesus, He alone is worthy of all the glory and majesty. 

And this is our problem, hey I'm talking to myself here, we think life is all about us, what we should do, who we should be, me me me me... It's tough really really tough because as I have said before we can't seem to get away from ourselves, we go to bed with ourselves and we wake up with ourselves, I even meet myself in my dreams! And our self obsessed, self fulfillment, self seeking, self gratification, self centered culture only perpetuates the problem!

Oh who will save us from ourselves!?

Jesus.

Even as I prayed this morning, I came to the rude realization that my prayers were mostly centered around me!

What can we do!? Is there any hope? 

Yes, I believe there is. Pray the Psalms.

I just read Answering God: The Psalms As Tools for Prayer by Eugene H. Peterson. I want to encourage anyone who wants to pray themselves out of selfishness to read this book. But for those who do not have the time or the desire to read it I will give two recommendations: 
1. Get a prayer partner that you meet with regularly to pray, learning to pray in community
2. Start praying the Psalms, nothing fancy, just do it! Read one a day over and over again until all the worlds have sunken into your mind and heart, then pick up a pen and paper and let the words of your soul flow from that place of deep prayer, don't censor them, just let them flow...

Start right now...


Psalm 57
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
    Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

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