First off Lord, I want to thank You for a lovely weekend surrounded by family and friends. I was even able to get out with the kids for a photowalk in the forest, and enjoyed it very much. All in all, it was a pleasant couple of days and I am truly thankful for You Blessing me with that respite.
Today Father, I’d like to discuss something I’ve seen more and more evidence of lately; People seem to be increasingly frustrated, angry and confrontational. Now, I realize this is a gross generalization however it feels like the overall “threshold” of people’s tolerance and temperament is much lower than it has been in recent past. Little everyday issues that could easily be talked through or handled with minimal effort are launching people into flashes of ire that are way out of proportion to the immediate cause. We’re deluged with examples of it in the news, I’ve seen it when dealing with clients and vendors at my office, and even when observing the actions of other shoppers while out grocery shopping. It’s getting tense down here Lord.
“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.” – Psalm 37:8 (NIV)
I’ll admit that with all the increased stress I’ve been under professionally lately Father, I’ve been guilty of having a “shorter fuse” upon occasion, but You’re always very quick to remind me that’s not Your Way and I get back on track. This being the case, it leads me to a significant concern…
Are there that many people that aren’t listening to You?
I’m quite afraid I already know the answer to that question, but I guess I hadn’t realized the scope of the issue. I do know that I’ve come to depend on Your Voice and Presence in my life Father, almost like I need air to breathe. You encourage me, sustain me and guide me throughout my day and I am forever thankful for Your Blessings. Do I sometimes get upset anyways? Absolutely! I’m imperfect and flawed and I realize that. Thankfully, when my humanly failings rear their ugly heads I have You to forgive me, bolster me and guide me back to Your Path.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, today I pray for all those who are lost and without the clarity to hear Your Comforting Voice. Please calm their restless spirits, and clear away the self-imposed barriers in place which prevent them from Your Wondrous Counsel. And Lord, please assist me in acting as an emissary of Your Word and in bringing Your Message to those in need. Amen.
Dear Lord; Good morning Father. For the last day or so Lord, I’ve had a Bible verse on my heart. It’s always been one of my favorites, but I’m feeling like I should be paying particular attention to it at the moment; That somehow it’s important that I keep it at the front of my mind. The verse is from the Book of Joshua :
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Now, I’ll admit to having been discouraged about a number of things as of late so maybe that’s the key here, but I just feel there’s more to it than that. I went back this morning and reread Joshua 1 in it’s entirety to put the verse in full context, and found another passage that set off bells in my head as well :
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:7 (NIV)
This immediately clicked with a blog posting I read last night on the website “A Mile in My Schu’s” about how we can get “Off Course” from our path to You. I always find it fascinating how when You need to get a point across to me, I seem to see it repeated and led to in so many places.
Ok Father, I get that this verse is important for me at the moment. It’s certainly a positive message, and one I try to remember when my life heads in uncertain directions. However I still feel there’s more behind Your insistence to me to focus on this missive than I’m seeing right now.
For example, these verses both enforce the command to “Be strong and courageous”… Hmmm, have I been that lately? If I’m honest with myself Lord, probably not so much as I should be. There’s so much to contemplate and pray about here…
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your constant Presence and Guidance in my life. Please give me the clarity and focus to serve Your Will as You intend me to, and to see through my own flaws so I can focus on Your Glory. Amen.
Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father! Once again Lord, You Blessed me with a lovely couple days respite filled with family, good food and good friends. Thank You so very much for that time!
Well Father, today we celebrate Valentine’s Day. While the true origin of this holiday seems to be clouded by historical variations in the chain of events which formed it, today we observe it as a day to focus on and express the love and affection we feel for those we’re closest to. In addition to the amazing love You’ve shown me directly Lord, You’ve also Blessed me beyond words by surrounding me with a significant number of loving, caring people…
And at the center of this group, is my wonderful wife Shannon.
I see Your Light in her in so many ways Father. She’s my partner in every respect; A true soul bonded to my own with whom I can share my innermost self without fear of judgment or rejection. She’s a phenomenal mother to our two sons, and has proved her mettle and devotion to our marriage and our family time and time again. She’s been the anchor when I’ve been adrift, and the harbor when I’ve needed rest and comfort. She gives of herself freely to help others in need, and brings her loving spirit to all that she does. She’s the first person I think of to share my joys, and as You know, the focus of many of my prayers. I am a much better man Lord, with her by my side.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” – Ephesians 5:25
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Blessing our Union as Man and Wife and for seeing us through the trials we encounter along our journey together. Please continue to let her feel the warmth of Your Loving Embrace, and watch over her throughout her days. Amen.
Dear Lord; Good morning Father. First off Lord, let me apologize in advance. Last night was rough, and I’m not terribly “with it” today I’m afraid. As You well know, I’ve suffered with insomnia on and off since I was 12 years old. Well, last night it came back in all fervor and I ended up only getting a few hours respite before having to start my day.
This was an odd bout of sleeplessness Father. Usually, it simply manifests itself as my mind going a mile-a-minute and not being able to shut down. Last night however, I also had physical symptoms as well; My heart was racing, my chest was tight and I felt overwhelmingly anxious. I have no clue what brought it on, but it lasted for a good bit of the night. I tried praying in the darkness, slow breathing techniques, and finally resorted to a sleeping pill but nothing seemed to calm my restless spirit. Finally, plain old exhaustion took over and I passed out for a while.
It’s been ages since this has happened Lord, and I’d forgotten how unsettling it is.
This morning, I headed for Your “Instruction Manual” to see what wisdom I could glean about this recent development, and of course came away with some things to think about.
“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep tothose he loves.” – Psalm 127:2
Ok, I get it… Sleep is one of Your Gifts to us as well, and I need to remember that and Accept it from You (there’s that word of mine again…).
“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” – Psalm 4:8
I obviously need to focus on this as well Lord. With the turmoil in our lives today, we sometimes allow our worldly anxieties to overwhelm us, and I’m sure that contributed to the tumultuous night I had. I need to let go of the day’s struggles, and dwell in Your Peace when I lay down.
Heavenly Father, please help my mind be in steadfast focus on Your Everlasting Peace. May we all learn to leave our burdens at Your Feet, and Accept Your Calming Comfort in our lives. Amen.
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! On the heels of our discussion yesterday Lord, I’d like to follow up by talking with You about one of the most personal and effective ways You’ve brought Your Teachings and Guidance to me; through my children. I know we’ve covered things they’ve said and done more than once, but there were a couple glimmers of Your Light in them the last few days that I’d like to share. I still find it fascinating that even though You’ve put them in Shannon’s and my care to raise, I learn at least as much about You from them as they do from me.
To begin with, Friday night Jonathan was reading our discussions from the prior few days and informed me I had missed something. In the post “Better Than a Hallelujah”, I neglected to include his favorite song in the list. It’s from the Newsboys, and entitled “He Reigns” :
I have to agree with him, it’s a wonderful song. The lyrics that really get my attention are :
“And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word”
Amen! If we fill the world with our praises of Your Glory, no dark force stands a chance. Nice choice Jonathan. 🙂
He and I also had a reasonably deep conversation about You that evening Lord, during which he made a statement out of the blue that just made my heart jump. He looked up at me and said : “Dad… I crave God.” Wow… I’ve never heard him use the word “crave” before, but from the lips of my 11 year old it was an amazingly powerful statement. Once again Father, you’ve used him to make me see Your Light. Thank You so much for this.
Not to leave Aidan out of the “influence loop” Lord, he gave me a good smile last night as well while he was reading his Action Bible and telling me all about it. He recanted the story described in Judges 6-8 in which Gideon’s army was reduced from 32,000 to a force of 300 men, and then by Your Power he prevailed against the Midianites much larger force. Aidan was completely captivated by this, and when we started discussing it he informed me that You were better than all the superheroes put together. Seeing him absorbing Your Word just brings joy to my heart Father. 🙂
I love my children to no end Lord, and seeing Your Light in them affects me more than almost anything else. Thank You so much for bringing them to my life, and staying by their sides each day. I pray that I can honor Your Gifts to us as they deserve, and that they never lose that craving for Your Love.
“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
