Like a Puzzle Piece

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Over the last year or so Father, I’ve come across a seemingly increasing number of people who are going through some form of hardship or another.  Be it a job lost, financial upset, serious illness, or relationship crisis, personal stress very much appears to be on the rise.  Recently, I was speaking with a young lady going through such a trial, and she popped out a statement that I’ve heard many, many times…

“Well, I know God won’t give me more than I can handle.”

Now Lord, to be fair, for many years I used this misquote of 1st Corinthians 10:13 myself.  It was a phrase many of us heard growing up, and it wasn’t until my “edge” was reached that I understood the misinterpretation in full.  The actual Scripture reads:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

As the Apostle Paul wrote here, our earthly temptations (or trials) are not unique to us as individuals; others have endured similar turmoil.  And while we may feel sometimes that our burdens are beyond our ability to adapt, that’s when Your strength comes to bear.

Are we given more than we can handle?  Absolutely!  Thankfully, God’s grace fills that gap like a puzzle piece.

Through our trials, our struggles and our pain, You temper and stretch our spirits Father.  However, when we find that point where our earthly tolerance wavers, Your strength eagerly awaits our call.  As Paul so aptly noted, when we face temptation or trial You always provide a way out so that we can endure… Right into Your arms!

…Where there is no pain… no suffering… only the divine love and protection of a Father for his child.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for Your ever-faithful presence in our lives.  In those times when our lives seem to spiral beyond our capability to contain them, please bring us those gentle, calming assurances that Your love transcends our pain, and that in Your embrace we are truly safe.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Another 300

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Lord, once again we come to the Thankful Thursday edition of PhatherPhil.org.  My life has virtually overflowed with Your Blessings this past week, so compiling my list of gifts that I’m grateful for was a relatively easy process.

Continuing from the previous week’s list, today I’d like to give special thanks and praise to You for:

286. Having a wife with whom I’m comfortable sharing and discussing absolutely anything.

287. Having the Holy Spirit in my life to guide me in Your will.

288. Some wonderful photo opportunities coming up this weekend.

289. The repair I made to our central air conditioner working perfectly.

290. Revised priorities.

291. Understanding friends.

292. Free ROMs for both my phone and tablet from MIUI.us that make them a pleasure to use.

293. All the seasons in our marriage, and the Blessings they’ve brought us.

294. The laughter of my children.

295. The fellowship, friendship and encouragement I receive from my fellow Christian Bloggers.

296. The shift in weather brought on by moving from summer into fall, and the cooler air it brings.

297. Wonderful inspirations for Christmas crafts.

298. Halloween candy filling the store shelves.  🙂

299. The fellowship we receive from the “Parents Place” small group at church.

300. 300 shared “emails to God”.

(And 300 Thankful Thursday entries now too!  🙂 )

Heavenly Father,

We give thanks Lord, for all the Blessings You bring to our lives each and every day; both those that shout Your presence from the mountaintop, and those that grace us in a gentle whisper.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Hypocritical Worship

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

As you know Father, I didn’t post to PhatherPhil.org last Friday.  It was odd for me, because I’ve conditioned myself and put time aside to write to You each day, but on Friday the words just didn’t come.  For whatever reason, I felt disconnected somehow and couldn’t hear Your voice with the clarity I’ve become used to.  I struggled with it, and even tried to force myself to post something, but in the end I decided against just…

Going through the motions.

Although at the time I felt like I was reneging on some “unspoken obligation”, I’m happier that I chose not to post anything at all rather than something that wasn’t of Your inspiration.

And today Lord, I came across a passage in Isaiah that brought it all into wonderful perspective for me:

The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”

You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”? – Isaiah 29:13-16 (NIV)

We’ve all done it at one point or another Father; followed the worship “bouncing ball”, but done so without that deep communion in our hearts that gives the spiritual expression it’s purpose.  For many years when I was young, I went to Sunday school and church simply to appease my parents.  It was very much “textbook worship”, and throughout that period I never truly felt the deep, yearning connection to You that I’m Blessed with now.

You know our hearts Lord, and have no interest in hypocritical worship.

Thankfully Father, the “spiritual cloud” that obscured You from me on Friday passed quickly, and I even managed to gain some insight in the process.  I find it wondrous and fascinating that even in those unusual moments when my connection to You isn’t as clear, that You’re still teaching me nonetheless.  🙂

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for Your unending faithfulness and patience with us.  I pray that we all come to You presenting an open heart; with the lessons of Your Son firmly in our minds and enthusiastic praises of You on our lips.  Lift our spiritual clouds Lord, and make the Holy Spirit in us shine like the beacons You intend us to be.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Gentle Instruction

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

Well Father, life is beginning to return to normal here in Delaware following the excitement surrounding Hurricane Irene this past weekend.  And while this particular storm wasn’t nearly as powerful as many that strike other parts of the country, for an underprepared East Coast which seldom sees weather of that nature, it was a challenge nonetheless.  Needless to say Lord, it made for an eventful weekend and one we won’t forget anytime soon.  For those dealing with damage, pain or loss from this climactic onslaught, I pray that You keep them intently in Your gaze and bring them the comfort and healing only Your presence is able to.

This week’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from the second chapter of 2^nd Timothy:

“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:23-26 (NIV)

Well Father, the Apostle Paul certainly wasn’t subtle about Your will on this particular subject, and yet this is one of those “problem areas” that I know we’re all guilty of upon occasion.  Paul’s point that the nit-picking, “little” things we choose to let get under our skin, more often than not lead only to ungodly conflict.  And when we allow ourselves to be a part of such unimportant disagreements, we stray from Your desire as to how we should act towards others; with kindness, patience and respect.  I know that over the years I’ve certainly lost my composure with people more than a few times Father, and in doing so I failed to take advantage of those opportunities to show Your influence in my life.

It’s something I’ll be praying about this week Lord…

Heavenly Father,

As we begin this new week, please help focus our hearts and minds to best serve Your will for us.  Calm our tumultuous natures, and guide us to provide that “gentle instruction” to those around us that are in need of Your light.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Ground Beneath Us

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Well Father, I had a completely different post planned for today but once again, You’ve redirected me along a different path.

At around 1:51pm EST, an earthquake measuring 5.8 in magnitude occurred in Mineral, Virginia, sending shocks outward reaching as far as New York; and shaking the ground under us here in Delaware as well.  This was the first earthquake I’ve had any experience with Father, and it was to say the least unnerving.  Once the initial surprise wore off however, my concerns immediately shifted to those closer to the event itself.  If this earthquake could rock my shop all the way up in Delaware, what must those nearer to it’s source be dealing with?  And while I realize that compared to places like California and Japan who regularly deal with much larger quakes, for an area not used to seismic events such as this, there can certainly be damage, fear and suffering as a result.

Therefore Lord, today I’d like to direct my thoughts and prayers to those impacted by this earthquake.

The following is a small piece of a prayer written by Diana Macalintal following the Haiti Earthquake in January, 2010.  While I realize the scopes of the two quakes put them in completely different categories, I found it a wonderfully poignant and beautiful prayer and wanted to share it nonetheless.  I pray it brings comfort to anyone dealing with fallout from today’s event.

Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.

As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.

Do not forget us now.

For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever.

Amen.

~Phather Phil