268Blog

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

28 Day Prayer Journey To Passion 07 - Day 24

Day 24. Honestly.

It's OK to come to God just like you are. While it won't be His plan to leave you that way for long, God is in touch with our true condition...He sees our hearts as plain as day and knows our motives as well as our words.

He understands our humanity. Our struggle. Our dark hearts. Our failing. Jesus didn't make the journey from heaven to the manger for people who needed a tiny bit of assistance. He came for the sick (the really sick), the crushed, the lost (like sheep with no shepherd) and the criminal among us. He came for the worst. And He came to raise the dead and touch those who were decaying from the inside out.

So as we come to Passion 07, let's come honestly and deal with things as they are. Let's lay down the need to impress each other, for that route leaves us looking good in their eyes but missing the healing power of His. Let's come to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ and seek mercy and grace in our time of need. Let's be real... and transparent. Let's stop faking it, and fall into the arms of the One who sees night and noonday the same. Let's not try to hide from the One who can put us back together again. And let's ask Him to shine His light into our reality, however dark, and bring life again.

Father, You see me like I am...as I am, yet You are still here. Still loving. Still waiting for me to step from the shadows and run into Your arms again. Meet me at the depths of me and do what only You can. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." Psalm 103:8-14

posted by 268gen at 10:00 AM

23 Comments:

  • God you are slow to anger and abounding in mercy... that is no small thing! You are an amazing loving and good God who meets us where we are. Jesus You are the One who sticks closer than a brother.

    yes, Lord, keep us real, unafraid to be transparent. use mightily those set apart to be your hands and feet at Passion, to pull out those whose eyes have been opened and find themselves in a pit.

    You are our Rescuer! Our Restorer!Our Help. So grateful to you Lord for what you are going to do at Passion.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 10:42 AM  

  • Wow, that says a lot.

    God please help me to show my true self, and not fake it. Let me be honest to those around me.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 10:50 AM  

  • Lord, I thank You for meeting me where I am. We dont need to put up a front with You. You see us anyway.
    Lord, Thank You for loving me and everyone here.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 10:54 AM  

  • wow, that's amazing..i just prayed about these things last night..incredible

    By Blogger HannahGrace0108, at 12/27/2006 11:11 AM  

  • Wow, I've been praying about this stuff lately too.

    By Blogger Brittany, at 12/27/2006 11:30 AM  

  • I have to say that this really touched me today. Reading this is like God Himself showing His glory through time (AKA a divine moment) I mean I couldn't of read this at a better time. I am in a state of astoundment as I read the other five comments and see that God truely doesn't speak in secret, for the same subject the blog writer was making known for God's glory was the same subject God was revealing to people from all over at the same time. How silly of us to think that God is a quite God, He speaks loud enough for all who want to hear so they too can listen. Thank You Lord our God. Well Passion '07 lets get our world rock so we can rock the world ; )
    -Tom

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 1:05 PM  

  • My dear heavenly Father I have been speaking to others about things you have not released me to speak about. Lord forgive me; I repent. Lord help to keep my/your private things private. Rejoice in the process of what your are working in me. I do so love this beatuful life you have given me. Right here where I am at--at my home church I my plugged into. I am so blessed to be used by you my God my King!!
    In Jesus' Name Amen!!
    Passion is in living for the Glory and Renown of Jesus Christ!! It is not the Event!!
    Barbara D From Grace EPC,Lawrence,KS

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 1:58 PM  

  • Greeting to LG and everyone at the passion house. Just a word of encouragement--you have more than one entire per cent of a campus attending passion 07! Granted that campus only has 1,000 students (with around 20, that we know of, going to passion) that is still a cool number to think of. With about 8 per cent of the campus involved in some sort of formal or informal campus ministry, LaGrange College still has almost 1,000 students that can be reached for the Lord--pray as we take on this ambitious vision Louie!

    By Blogger david phillips, at 12/27/2006 2:37 PM  

  • How neat. Our staff team at church has been memorizing scripture the last few months and reciting them in our staff meetings. The first passage we tackled? Psalm 103. =)

    -Randall Wong in California

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 3:16 PM  

  • Just wanted to say thanks to all you hard workers at the Passion house! I caught up on the podcasts this week since I hadn't had time to listen to them before. I am so thankful that you guys aren't about just making a big, successful conference... but you're all about making God known and glorified as He is worthy!! I can't wait to see what our Father will do in the coming days.
    Habukkuk 3:2- "O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy."

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 3:37 PM  

  • "My sin is ever before Thee, O Lord."

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 4:23 PM  

  • Very encouraging today!! I've been missing the 268blog lately!!

    God has been doing a number on me lately. I feel like i can't break through some things in my life and i just need to get away from it all. Funny thing is.. God always knows. Crazy...

    By Blogger Ashley, at 12/27/2006 4:39 PM  

  • Thanks for this message!

    Anyone else having trouble getting the podcasts? I haven't been able to see the last 2...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 4:53 PM  

  • i defintely needed this blog.

    Father..we are begging you to be real as we confront this movement. allow our walls to fall & expose our heart as you see it so that our brothers & sisters in You can be with us. Lord, you are great & mighty..meet us where we are..speak to us. this is the cry of our generation Lord, to be real. You are Lord, our Father.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 5:03 PM  

  • As God is faithful beyond measure, I ask this out of faith. I am coming to Passion '07 from Washington, DC and I am not sure how I will get there yet... I am praying about buying a plane ticket, but is there anyone out there that would be willing to take on another passenger? email me @ nicole.tarno@gmail.com. May He get ALL the glory!
    - nicole.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 5:10 PM  

  • We have not been able to get the last two Podcasts as well. Anyone with suggestions?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/27/2006 7:24 PM  

  • all those Passion07-bound, have a rockin' time! i'm off to another collegiate conference tonight. will keep praying! =D

    By Blogger steph, at 12/27/2006 9:04 PM  

  • thanks for this post brother.

    By Blogger '09 Ukraine Orphan Care Trip Team, at 12/28/2006 2:47 AM  

  • I just had one of those "dark heart" moments with one of my really good friends. This prayer and meditation were much needed. Thanks.

    By Blogger Garrett, at 12/28/2006 3:02 AM  

  • I watched Narnia yesterday- the scene where Aslan is about to be killed for Edwind..and it reminded me so fully of how Christ was not ashamed to step down into earth, that the fallen world didn't taint his character. Lord, you are Holy and your love for us, for me shines so boldly today and is alive and real for me to feel and experience. Ah, teach me Lord to be genuine and real wherever i go...the springs of my heart may be your love- to shine for you. That verse, at the end, reminded me How Great You are...that you don't accidently sqwish me in your mightyness, beautifully giant- yet so closely intimate. Thank you for everything, for laying it all down- even though i can't wrap my head around what that means. Please prepare our hearts to be before you together at Passion, meet us at the depths of our hearts for we, i- so desperately long to meet with you.

    -cindy

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/28/2006 3:05 AM  

  • Louie,
    I really needed this. Thanks a lot. I just finished listening to the last podcast and I got very excited when you said we'd be studying Colossians in community groups because I defintely just read through it on Christmas and God spoke to me in a great way, especially in 3:17:

    "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus thanking God the Father through him."

    Thank you Lord for just being so amazing to connect things like that in my life. Thank you for what You're gonna do at Passion; help me to come honestly. Let all that I do glorify Your name. You are worthy of all the glory!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/28/2006 3:46 AM  

  • Right on to that!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/28/2006 9:02 AM  

  • My friends and I from california are going to be with you all in several days...
    and last night as we got back from big bear we recieved the news aboutthe death of a friend of ours in a motorcycle accident.

    As this event comes nearer, it would seem that God would just flil our hearts in anticipation for how he is going to move. But life goes on... and in our group, the hearts are very heavy right now.

    Thank you for these words, as we drove home we read them and laid ourselves and the whole situation down at his feet...
    where we are.

    Lamentation 3:19-26

    I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.

    I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.

    Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

    Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.

    They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

    I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him."

    The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;

    it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the LORD.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12/28/2006 1:36 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home