Every Hour

Hi.

I'm sitting in the quiet of Jake and Molly's house.  Lily is fast asleep after being put to bed by her dad.  She greeted me with a big smile, wave, and a "Maimee" tonight. 

But now it is just me, my computer, the sound of a fan, and a little Bach playing on my phone.   I'm left to reflect on a few things that stood out to me this weekend.

Mom took me to part of our church's women's retreat on Saturday.  If I'm being completely honest, that kind of thing is not really my cup of tea.  However, I decided to try to keep as open a mind as I could.

First of all, it was heartbreaking and amazing at the same time to hear about the struggles many people are facing.  Heartbreaking because life can seem literally unbearable sometimes.  My amazement came when I saw how the body of Christ came together to lift these women up when they were brave enough to share their pain.    

There's a movie quote that says something like this: if I were your enemy, I'd want you to feel all alone because if you think you're on your own, you're not as much of a threat.

Basically the same exact thought was shared at the retreat this weekend.  The devil wants us to think we are alone.  He wants us to despair and forget where our strength lies.  I think in those moments of sharing and praying over hurting women, we were able to see the difference between the truth and the lie.

This song.  Man oh man.  It hit me strong this weekend. 

Lord, I need you,
Oh I need you.
Every hour I need you.
My one defense,
My righteousness,
Oh God, how I need you.

So teach my song to rise to you
When temptation comes my way.
When I cannot stand I'll fall on you.
Jesus, you're my hope and stay.

My own actions are so futile.  I can try on my own strength until I wear myself down, but unless I'm leaning on God, it's pointless.  And I need Him every hour.  Sunday mornings are not enough.  A week is too long to attempt treading water, and that's how it feels sometimes, don't you think?  No wonder I feel like my head is going under at times when I'm waiting so long to meet with or cry out to my Lord.

And this song went right along with it.

I may be weak, 
but Your Spirit's strong in me.
My flesh may fail, 
but my God, You never will.

Before I even went home and heard all these little messages, God was already plopping similar trinkets into my lap.  The importance and power of prayer has been tugging at my mind and heart, and I'm trying to take Him at His word: that we hold the power of the Holy Spirit and that Christ, himself intercedes for us.

My goal right now, is to pray big, bold prayers.  To ask for big, bold works of God.  I want to see Him work, and I want to be continually amazed at His goodness and might.

Well, we're to the end of the battery, so I will call it quits for now.

Talk to you later.

Aim