Task: Word Ambassadors: Prayers and Poetry

Task

How many doubts

crowded his mind

when the task before him

demanded all his strength.

Determined to meet

with trust all words given

commands laid down

hungry for fulfillment.

Reflection: Complete: Word Ambassadors: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     How do you prepare for overwhelming responsibilities?

2.     Have you ever stepped into a position that you had been trained for but still felt inadequate? What immediate decisions faced you?

3.     Have you been given a task with no training? What skills did it require that you had not used before?

4.     How did you cope with each?

Share: Has God commanded a task in your life recently? How did you react?

Complete: Word Ambassadors: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: Joshua 11

“As the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” Joshua 11:15

Entering new territory sometimes means accepting new responsibilities.

Joshua now faced several angry kings determined to keep their lands as well as multiple cities to overthrow. Most likely he never expected this role in his previous position as Moses’ assistant—and definitely knew it was not humanly possible on his leadership skills alone. Yet he obeyed. And he fully completed his task.

“So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allocations. And the land had rest from war.”

Jesus also gave His own disciples, and those to follow, seemingly impossible commands.

Repent—do the will of His Father in heaven—beseech the Lord to send out workers into His harvest—the last shall be first—abide in Me—forgive—love one another. All so humanly out of reach. At least where our hearts are concerned. How often do we do even desired assignments without some kind of hesitation, or grumbling, or perhaps skipping over some parts when fatigue and confusion creep in?

Like the apostle Paul, though, we really want to be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;” 2 Tim 4:7

Lord, thank you for staying with us and giving us Your Spirit, Your truth, and Your courage to keep going in all conditions until our tasks and our lives are completed in You. Thank you for Your promises of rest within our boundaries today as well as a rest into eternity. Give us courage to stand and not waver when faced with overwhelming situations.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 131: 3

“O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.”

Complete: Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Complete

From the first

glimpse of possibility

light gave a promise.

From dawn to dusk

variated shades

mark days with hope.

At the beginning

life.

At the finish

eternity.

Alpha and Omega complete

finished Word.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11: 1

Thank you for walking this faith journey over these past several months. Please join me for a new series of reflections beginning next week.

Reflection Alpha and Omega: Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     Do you see your faith as strong or fragile or both?

2.     What contributes to either version?

3.     Take each line of the Psalm above and use it as a prayer statement over the next week.

Share: Which one speaks deepest in your faith walk?

Alpha and Omega: Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Revelation 22:12-13, “See, I am coming soon, my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Like physical life, faith begins in hope and in many ways remains unseen until after the fact.  There is a worship song that contains the line, “From life’s first cry till final breath...”. We recognize the fragility of new birth as well as ending days and we protect both milestones of those we love with tender care and constant love.

Not that we ignore the in between years but often allow self-sufficiency and concrete visible reliance to support us. Unless asked we respect each other’s right to self—both positively and negatively—choice. But it can be a very lonely and barren life that excludes love and friendship, family and community. And lack of accountability can lead to deep physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering.

From the moment we recognize and accept Jesus’ gift of life He never leaves. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit seal us with His name and we are life breathed into His kingdom. Yet often we continue to carry our self-sufficiency with us and do not recognize, or are willing to accept, that this new life cannot reach its fullness apart from Jesus. He is our beginning and our end spiritually. 

Apart from His mercy and His breath in us we cannot reach or become the person He has created and called us to be. It’s not a one-time step but a moment-by-moment way of breathing in new life: the beginning and ending of each day, each season, each choice or decision, each crossroad, and each relationship.

Without His word alive within we do not have the capability to do the work He appoints. We are unable to return our lives as an offering. Unless we accept His gift of life—His mercy—His ongoing Presence in our lives—His provision for us to not only receive eternal life but the addition of rewards as well.

Thank you, Lord, that You are our beginning and our end for all the days that exist. Thank you for Your gift of faith to enable us to walk a road we rarely even recognize.

Than you for Your Grace that does not ever abandon us.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 19:7-9

“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.”