"I want to give God the best words that I can possibly think of."
That's a loosely paraphrased quote from Andrew Peterson's book, "The Warden and the Wolf King." It's the final in a series of children's books I have been reading (which has been so life-giving), and I can't get that quote out of my head.
I think this quote can apply to anyone, but it speaks to me in a variety of different ways. As a writer, I desperately desire to glorify the Lord through my work. While I know that He loves me regardless and is pleased with me no matter what, why wouldn't I want to use my gifts to build His kingdom? Of course I want to give Him my very best words!
There are times where I go back and read some of the things I have posted, and quickly realize that I have no remembrance whatsoever of writing it. While I'm sure that part of that has to do with my schedule and being busy, I can't help but think that it is also partly the Holy Spirit sharing what He wants to share. I rarely have an idea of what I am going to say when I sit down to write, but He guides my fingers along the keys and gives me the words to say. I cannot claim the glory for my work; I am simply an empty vessel to be used to relay a message.
I think giving God the best words you can think of can also relate to prayer. Many times I have heard people say that God doesn't care about the word count of your prayers or the quality of the words that you say. He doesn't need these eloquent, seamless prayers; He just wants to hear your voice.
I absolutely agree that this thinking is true. God doesn't care about such little things. But what He does care about is the attitude of our hearts when we pray. Are we praying because we feel like we have to, in order to check it off of our "Good Christian" to do list? When we pray, do we feel like there is someone on the other side listening? When we pray, are we expecting it to be a monologue or a dialogue? Are we willing to listen and see what He says in return?
God gave us the very best words that He could think of through His scriptures, and I think that we should also desire to give Him the same. Our words to Him don't have to be super long or planned out. Some days the best words we can give Him may simply be "Jesus, I need you," or "Father, thank you for loving me." But if those words truly come from the depths of our hearts, then they really are the best words we can give Him.
PRAYER REQUESTS
First, THANK YOU for your prayers while I was traveling to the refugee settlements! It was certainly a growing and stretching experience. I'm sure I will one day write a full post about it, but for now I am still processing and learning what God would have me say on these people's behalf.
The university students begin their final exams next week. Please pray for the students as they study, and for safety as some of them travel home for the holiday.
Please continue to pray for all WGM: Uganda ministries as we begin to work on end of the year reports and appeals. Would the Lord help us to reconcile our accounts over the next few weeks!
Please pray that the Lord would continue to use me during my time here. I have less than six weeks left in this beautiful country!