Full Disclosure

My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26 (New King James Version)

Knowing the truth about myself and the truth about God is a prerequisite for growth and development in the Christian life. As long as I live deceived or misinformed about either I will fail to mature in my faith and experience transformation at any level. If I am not careful I will make the mistake of trying to present to God what I KNOW He wants my life to be like rather than what I presently am. God is not into appearances whereby I try to appear to be more than I am. He wants authenticity, transparency, and honesty. Those are the attributes I need to harness as I come into His presence. Within an atmosphere of openness I must also learn the strength and freedom that comes from acknowledgement. Not only acknowledgement of my reality but acknowledgement of all that God is as well.

David knew the power of truth telling prayers. He made it a practice of stating a truth about himself and then followed it up with the truth about God. Today’s verse is an example of that. In essence he was saying, “I am weak, but You, O God, are my strength.” It was an “I am, You are” conversation. There are times God does the same thing. They are found in His statements of “I am the shepherd, you are the sheep. I am the vine, you are the branches. I am the potter, you are the clay.”

I have not always seen the necessity or benefits of such prayers. I now sense and accept His invitation to approach Him with Psalm 73:26 type prayers. They may sound somewhat like this…”Father, I have been wounded, You are my healer. I am empty, You are my filler. I am unsure, You are my teacher. I am lonely, You are my companion. I am in need, You are my supplier.” It is not long before I feel an internal shift and a radical change in my demeanor. When that happens praise erupts. There really is no God like our God.

As I learn there are no limits to what I can bring to Him, say to Him, and admit to Him my prayers take on an intimacy and depth God and I both delight in.

Father, Keep teaching me how to approach You in new ways. I thrive under the shadow of Your wings. Amen.

Psalm 23 - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVYh63ZF_Vo

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.