The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 31:8  (day two)

Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all the unfortunate.

Isaiah 58:1-9 is the text I referenced on yesterday’s Re:Vlog, and I think of it often in regards to how we are called to be salt and light to the world. This is such a wonderful partner text to the FBCSA theme this year ‘Love Your Neighbor.’ Jesus also spoke about how we care for others who have less than we. Our obligation is to share. We share the gospel best when we share what we have first. Our willingness to give from a place of abundance and love is a step in showing how much we care for others. Our ability to speak for others who don’t have a voice is using our voice well. Are you willing to speak for others?

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 pt. 2 (day seven) 

You wove me in my mother’s womb. Vs. 13b

The message behind our Imago Dei series is that we are all created in the image of God. With that being the case, we believe that life itself is sacred, a gift given to us from God that begins in the womb. We are entrusted protect these gifts at all costs. Every life is important, from the womb to the tomb. From conception to final breath, every person has a right to live this God ordained life.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Jesus came that we might live a full life and might lead all others into a full, joyful life with Him. The question becomes, do we care about the lives of others? We may call ourselves pro-life, but if someone followed our every steps and documented it, what proof would there be that we actually care about the lives of others? Do we do unto the least of these? Do we help widows and orphans? Do we care?

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16  (day six)

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! Psalm 139:17

It should amaze us that we are on God’s radar at all; that we are not some project only to be discarded once completed. God is fully invested in us, all the way down to his thoughts; we are on his mind. If God, being eternally holy, and we being infinitely small in comparison, dignifies our humanity in this way, how much more should we dignify every human life, no matter how small?

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 pt. 2 (day five)

What do we do with the tensions of Psalm 139? Our own insecurities vs God’s fearful and wonderful creation. Our self-esteem vs God’s sovereign design and activity in creating us. Did you sense the collision as you read our Re:Verse text?

The temptation is to look and think inward and outward. About us. About who we are. How we look and feel. How our bodies work or don’t work. It is good to be reminded that God has knit us together. His work. His hands. His plan. Yet, David finds something better (for us) than these reminders- looking and thinking upward. Worship (I praise you-vs. 13) I read a quote this week that expounds on this perspective, we “were made for everlasting worship, not daily doses of self-worth.”  As we fervently and frequently praise God for His wonderful works, He receives glory and we find joy. John Piper’s quote (God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him) holds true. Our thoughts and views (inward and outward) turn into praise and worship (upward). It is then that we find the joy, hope, peace, and contentment we ultimately long for and what we were created for. 

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 pt. 2 (day four)

I’ve been struck this week by the fact that Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was knit together in his mother’s womb – just like us. His body was formed “in the depths of the earth,” though he was without sin. While he is fully God, he is also fully human; he experienced creation in his mother’s womb just as we have.

The womb is a sacred place because our bodies are sacred. God chose, in his grace, to give us dignity from the very start by making us in his image. This means that every moment of life is sacred, from the moment of conception to our final breath. Part of our role as people of God is to affirm that dignity in others – in the preborn, in the mother carrying that child in her womb, in those nearing end of life, and everything in between.

This calling is exhibited in Matthew 25:35-40. Jesus proclaims that what we do for others, we do unto him. When we give water to those who are thirsty or feed those who are hungry, we serve Jesus by serving his children and affirming their dignity. I think this idea can be extended to say, “What do you for the preborn, you do unto Christ. What you do for the expectant mother, you do unto Christ.”

One way FBCSA seeks to affirm the dignity of expectant mothers and their infants is through One By One Ministries. Use this link to learn more and consider serving: https://fbcsa.org/onebyone

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 pt. 2 (day three)

“I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Would you want you as a friend? Would you want you as a romantic partner? Are you thankful for you? You want to be, perhaps, or maybe you even want to want to be. It’s possible you believe you should think of yourself in a grateful or appreciative way, but that’s not the question. The question is, do you? You might find it easier to criticize yourself for your actions – even to equate yourself with your actions – than to regard yourself with empathy. The writer doesn’t evade the issue by saying, “God loves me in spite of who I am.” Rather the statement is, “I’m glad for the me you’ve made.” To express this kind of full-throated thankfulness is to be relieved that God is so good.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 pt. 2 (day two) 

You wove me in my mother’s womb. Vs. 13b

Does anyone tat anymore? My maternal grandmother was amazing at this art. There wasn’t a place in her house that you wouldn’t see examples of her work, either finished or in process. She was forever tatting. I look at these pieces now and wonder how it’s even possible. It looks so fussy and difficult, but elegant and beautiful at the same time. I was thinking of that process when I re-read Psalm 139 this morning. Every fiber of your being was woven with a degree of care that is incomprehensible. Your life matters. If we are going to truly study what it means to made in the image of God, we must start from the beginning. As I look at those examples of lace doilies, I see my grandmother’s work and love. As you look into the eyes of a child, a stranger, and especially yourself, remember the Lord was intimately involved in shaping you. Make sure to take note of his handiwork and love.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 139:13-16 (day seven)  

And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me. vs 16

Your life is a story that has already been written. Some of us are in comedies, some of us are in tragedies, some of us are in dramas, but in reality, we will have a little of it all in our lifetime. You have probably already seen that to be true, but what you may not recognize is that the totality of our story, from beginning to end, is a true love story.

God wrote you into His story, knowing your flaws, knowing your habits, knowing that you will turn your back on Him. He wrote your name in His book. He loves you so much that despite your flaws, habits, and perpetual rebellion, He continues and will continue to love you. The coolest part of it all, is that your story, though it has already been written, is not over yet. God has a plan written down for the rest of your days. How will you engage in His love story today?