"Lord Help Me"!

It was one of those days! I know all of you know what I’m talking about! The day started off behind an hour and went downhill from there. After about the hundredth time of crying out, “ Lord HELP ME! Help me! Give me strength, Lord please! My mind actually wandered through a list of escapes... chocolate… a drink… a nap… I sure wish I had a novel to read… a sedative (don’t have anything stronger than Benadryl)…

I don’t know how long my mind wandered through the options of escape before I realized consciously, what I was thinking! Now I really was praying, LORD HELP ME!

I finally just gave myself a “time out”, with a cup of coffee and the Lord. I came across the verse,

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

What is the joy of the Lord, and how is that going to give me strength? Then I realized, when I find joy in the Lord… I will find strength!

This day has just been one more lesson on keeping my eyes on Jesus. How is it that I let myself go so far down the road of self-centered misery before I do more than just yell at God “HELP ME!”? Okay… okay. I’ve got the message, Once again — keep my eyes on Jesus, not myself!

I pulled myself out of my favorite chair and picked up my iPod, I put on my earphones, and turned up the praise music as loud as my ears could stand! As Toby Mac sang,

I was made to love you,

I was made just for you,

made to adore you,

I was made to love, and be loved by you,…

my mind began to ease. And while I did the dishes… Superchick sang,

“and suddenly it isn’t what it used to be,

and after all this time, it turned out just fine.”

(My Superchick friends are so right!) and while I mopped the floor, Third Day sang. . .

“I caught a glimpse of your splendor from the corner of my eye,

the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen…

show me your glory, send down your presence,

I want to see your face, majesty shines about you, I can’t go on without you Lord!

I truly believe I’ve seen a tiny glimpse of God’s glory — only God could take the day I’ve had, and fill it with joy. (and joy while mopping the floor is a pretty big miracle)

So… from now on, my prayer will change from “Lord help me!” To, “Lord, show me your glory!”