PARADOXICAL

Lord, before You are my savior, before You are the forgiver of my sins, before You are my father, before You supply my every need, before You correct my faults and lead me to the right path, before You are my refuge, my defense, and my protector, You are foremost, my God.

You deserve my praise and worship above all else. You deserve my exultation, my blessings, my shouts of glory, power, honor, wisdom and majesty and my songs of joy, love and adoration, before anything else.

Yes, Lord, You deserve all these from me before thanking You for all the answered prayers, before pleading for Your help, protection, and grace, before seeking Your wisdom and strength during confusion and trials, before imploring Your mercy and forgiveness, before asking You blessings.

You are, indeed, foremost, a God.

(From A.O.V.'s exhortation.)

7.15.1997

**

M.A. once related how pleased he feels whenever his children come to him to give him little hugs and kisses - their way of rejoicing at his presence. He said that during such moments he always feel like he could give everything his children want even without them asking.

He saw the same thing going whenever we please our Father in heaven with our praises, our 'sweet nothings'. Because our Father is delighted with our praise, we need not say to Him the rest of our prayers, particularly our requests and supplications, because He tends to give everything we want even before we say a word. M., for one, attests to how his little intentions get answered even without him asking for help.

This is not a call to shorten our prayer time but to illustrate how powerful praising and adoration in prayer life are. Both are directed exclusively to God but it's us who really benefit from them. Think about it: God doesn't really need our praise. He already has the rest of creation in His thrall. Whatever state of mind or being we are in, whether worried, depressed, clueless or at a loss on what to do with a certain life situation, it would be advisable to pray, in the words of T. V., "Lord, no matter the siuation I am in, all I ask You now is to make me pleasing to You. Just make me pleasing to You and that's enough, everything's alright."

O Good Shepherd, feed Your hungry sheep. Lead us to rivers of flowing water, to fields of green grass.

6.26.2000

posted by Resty Odon  # 10:17 PM