Devotionals

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Rise, O Lord, Into Thy Proper Place of Honor
©2010 Jeanne E. Webster

Proverbs 30:7-9 "Two things have I requested of thee; deny me them not before I die: remove far from me vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny thee and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain."

How often do we take for granted our status in life? Most of us aren’t in the poor house or rolling in dollar bills; we’re middle class folks with enough to eat, roofs over our heads, and clothes on our backs. We get by with "neither poverty nor riches." Didn't we work for our possessions? Didn't we earn our nice house, food and clothes?

Ah, who is the true Provider? "Who is the Lord?"

Oh, yes...ahem...thank you, Lord. How downright ungrateful we've been. Hmmm. We're so busy, you know, and oh, how time flies. Please forgive us for not appreciating your blessing of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the bread we eat.

Rising in the morning, we rush into the new day, scatter off to work, hurry through the deadlines, scatter back home in the evening, gulp a meal in front of the TV 6 o’clock news, switch the remote over to our favorite shows, and yawning abundantly, off to bed we go. Another day, another dollar. Ho hum.

What gratitude! Our focus is on the provisions, not the Provider. Forgive us, Lord, and redirect our focus on your Word. Remind us to feed the spirit your have breathed into our bodies before our worship of you turns into wallowing in ourselves. We have chosen the wrong options and have become like fatted calves, well fed, nice appearance, but hollow and rotting inside.

May I share a prayer with you by one fine preacher of years ago, A. W. Tozer:

“O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth’s treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life.

...I am determined that Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth.

...Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee.

...Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream.

Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor,
*above my ambitions,
*above my likes and dislikes,
*above my family, my health, and even my life itself.
*Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase,
*let me sink that Thou mayest rise above.

Ride forth...as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, "Hosanna in the highest."
Amen.

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