Because It Is You

I call to you, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you.

Psalm 88:9b

Father, you know us; you understand the frailty and fragility of us. And you bear it in mind. Thank you. Thank you.

How grateful we are that you show this kind of compassion to your people. How blessed we are that you are mindful of the weakness of us. In this weakness we experience your strength and power. How thankful we are that you make provisions for us in those weaknesses.

Many people are talking about shunning fear this coming New Year. Yes, Father, yes. Fear is an illusion meant to blur our vision and quell the passion in our hearts. Let’s relegate fear to the back burner, but in order to do that we have to fix our eyes on you. Not glance at you. Not occasionally turn our heads toward you.

 

We women constantly try to prove ourselves. To others. To us. We want perfection.

There is no perfection except in perfect love that casts out fear. There is no perfection available except to be washed in the blood and provision of Jesus. There is no perfection that is real except that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and the holy deposit has been made.

It was this Perfect Love who looked at Peter. The soles of Peter’s sea-brined feet walked briefly on water because he set fear aside and looked at God With Us. He asked, “If it is you…”

It was you. And in that moment Peter decided to trust your reality, not what he thought was his own.

Help us this year, 2014, in every situation to ask, “If it is you…let us come to you.”   

In this New Year please help us not only to set fear aside, not only to walk on water, but to fix our eyes on you. Father, help us to declare, “Because it is you…”

Because it is you we will step out and into. Because it is you we will move forward and across. Because it is you we will move mountains and stand on top of waves.

Every morning let us renew our focus. Every morning may your name be on our hearts and lips as our eyes shutter open in the dawn. And in the evening may we call on you when our eyes shutter closed. Let us decide now, at the beginning, to call on you. Every day. May we spread out our hands to you in awe. May we spread out our hands to you in intercession for our sisters. May we spread out our hands to you in surrender.

And because it is you may we do things despite our fear.

Amen and amen