Sheets and Comforter

5:00am
I hop into prayer

like mom and dad's bed

in a booming thunderstorm

with sheets of rain driving sideways in the wind

And I give this day to You

with its flood of uncertainties

wincing before each loud boom

for I cannot predict the timing

or the intensity of the mystery that shakes the windows

as if an ill-intending intruder pounding to come inside

But You just tuck me in the middle

and begin telling epic stories of David prayers

in the middle of his own storms

as You whisper beneath the comforter of morning orison

reminding me what I already knew

but needed to hear only You say

"No matter what happens. I'm here."

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

so why should I be afraid?

The Lord is my fortress,

protecting me from danger,

so why should I tremble?

...my heart will not be afraid.

Even if I am attacked,

I will remain confident.
The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

Then I will hold my head high

I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”

And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

... the Lord will hold me close.
Teach me how to live, O Lord.

Lead me along the right path,

...I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness

while I am here in the land of the living.

Wait patiently for the Lord.

Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."

Psalm 27: 1, 3-6, 8, 10, 11, 13-14

"A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he become more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening." Soren Kierkegaard, Christian Discourses

"Faith is not when we abandon reality and avoid the cares of the world; faith is when we look reality square in the face. Accepting what is real, we recognize there is a deeper truth beneath that truth. There's a greater truth that transcends that truth--that God cares, that God has a plan. God cares about your life, your future, your fortune. God cares about your dreams. God made you with a purpose, on purpose, for a purpose, and God is with you." Mark Beeson "I Think We Might Lose Everything" sermon Jan. 24-25, 2009

"Jesus taught us to come like children to a father. Openness, honesty and trust mark the communication of children with their father...There is an intimacy between parents and children that has room for both seriousness and laughter...Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread. Have you ever noticed that children ask for lunch in utter confidence that it will be provided? They have no need to stash away today's sandwiches for fear there will be none tomorrow. As far as they are concerned, there is an endless supply of sandwiches." Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline