A Woman's Prayer

Lord please grant me...
...the willingness of Mary of Nazareth
...the obedience of Ruth
...the devotion of Esther
...the faith of Jephthah's daughter*
...the serving spirit of Martha
...the listening ear of Mary
...the hospitality of Lydia
...the faithfulness of Lois and Eunice
...the leadership of Deborah
...the trust of Hannah
...the searching heart of the Queen of Sheba
...the boldness of Priscilla
...the humility of Abigail

I found this prayer a year or two ago. I really loved it, but was worried about praying/posting it. In words as only my mother can put them, this seemed like a "pray and duck!" prayer. :) Something you want - but then again, as the famous adage goes "God won't just give it to you - He'll give you a situation to practice in." The worry came from the fact that there's an extreme amount of control we have to give up in order for us to allow God to work like this in our lives. We must let go completely. It's like this video by the Skit Guys - take a look.

The Chisel

I guess I'm just being reminded, like the man in the skit, that we don't get breaks from life. As long as you live, you're learning and you're going to come into contact with opposing sides of life. It's going to be hard. And there is no break. But through it all - God is good, He is with you, and He is doing what's best. He is there for us. Our strong tower. Our shelter. Our safe place. But that doesn't make us immune from life. I don't care if you're in the lowest rut or the highest mountain top of your life. He's there, He's working, and He loves you. Stuff like this is just an encouraging reminder to me that we are fighting a winning battle. We are doing what's right even though it is hard. May we never forget that. May we give Him all control. May we never hinder God. May we never tire of doing what's right.

*sidenote: I just finished reading Who Has Your Heart? and added the part about Jephthah's daughter to the prayer. She has an amazing testimony! It can be found in Judges 11, for those interested. I highly encourage reading her story and, for girls, the book. :) God bless!