Beginning the celebration with an honest prayer of confession <3
Oh friends.
I have been digging back through some old journals and rediscovering what laid the foundation for this Commemoration Week.
For a brief background, in August of 2005 I must have been doing a 52 days of prayer thing and my journal pages are inked rich with what God was teaching me and showing me about Himself.
In the midst of that, we were also living the daily and on August 13th I have notes about how John had opened up and shared some hurts and heartaches from the previous school year. It was a good but hard conversation and I noted that I now knew better how to pray for him and come alongside him as he entered into a new year of learning.
Since the Scripture basis for the 52 day prayer series was in Exodus 13-14 that day, I decided to set aside a week each year to just reflect on all that God had done and celebrate His goodness to us.
I know we do that with Easter and Christmas in the Church, but there are so many added traditions and holiday busy-ness, it seemed a wonderful thing to just have a week that was dedicated to personal reflection on the ways God was moving and to set it aside as a special time in the year.
So I marked the next year’s calendar and did so for many years until I let my focus shift from God to my circumstances.
It’s good to be back. It’s good to remember and celebrate.
I can’t think of a better way to begin the celebration than with the corporate prayer of confession God laid on my heart to pray that morning back in 2005.
It seems well suited and fit to pray 16 years later. As I prayed through it I was reminded that as intercessors we can pray for ourselves, our loved ones, the Church and our nation all in one fell swoop.
Praise God.
Will you join me in praying:
Oh Father God, we know and we do believe that our lives are not our own, but often we act like they are. Lord, in truth we cannot control our next breath. Any plans we make for the next hour, day, week – are all subject to You.
Lord, we have made choices outside Your will that have brought us and others much trouble – much heartache. Not just one person but many. Our ways are often thoughtless, careless and leave a wide path of destruction and damage, beyond what we can even see.
Lord, I do ask You today to correct each one of us at the places where we have tried to direct our steps or tried to direct others’ steps and brought this painfully dark chaos over so many.
Correct us with Your perfect and loving justice – go back, as only You can, and work us out into a place of forgiveness, restoration and healing.
Thank You that You do not deal with us as we deserve.
Thank You that your Justice is full of Mercy, Grace and Love beyond our understanding.
Thank You that You will bring us back to righteousness – and that You will redeem the messes we have made.
May Your great works in all these areas of our poor/bad choices bring glory and honor to YOUR Name.
Cause all, who would look upon our blessedness, to worship You – may our redemption in these tragic, pitiful circumstances be evidence of Your great Reversal of the works of Satan and our flesh.
Lord, my heart’s desire is that as Your will is worked back into our lives and our paths are Your paths – others will be drawn to You by our obedience, even if they don’t understand why.
This is a work only You can do in us and through us. May it be here on earth, today, as it is in heaven – Your perfect order restored.
In Jesus’ Name
Amen <3
Laura Reimer: journal entry August 13, 2005