My small group just finished a study of John Piper’s Desiring God (http://www.desiringgod.org/). This week, we were each given an assignment to write an overall response to the study.
Provided herein is my response. Enjoy!
My Purpose...
My purpose in life is to, individually and in intimate community with my brothers and sisters, bring glory to God through my complete delight in and enjoyment of Him.
My Slogan...
Be happy, Dave…all the time…even when you’re feeling sad and broken.
My Philosophy about Christianity and the Pursuit of God...
The mystery of Christianity is that it is the pursuit of a gift (basically, of God Himself and of all that He wants to give us). The mystery of prayer and worship is that God is quite literally begging us to beg from Him that which He is dying to give us.
My Fight for Joy (through Prayer)...
Holy Father…
Authentic joy is a gift from You. I know, though, that I must fight for it…relentlessly. Help me to do just that.
Lord, while I know that You Are proud of me, I know, too, that there are many things in my life that are not particularly pleasing to You. Enable me to take aim at every known sin in my life and resolve to take each one out as it falls within the cross-hairs of my spirit. My sin, dear God, obscures my capacity to see and to enjoy You, and that has become completely unacceptable to me.
Lord, in some areas of my life, I know that I must bear Your wrath. Give me the strength to stand when I feel like falling down and the strength to stay in the Light when all I want to do is run and hide. Even though I’ve messed up so many things in my life, Lord, I KNOW that You are Sovereign, and I KNOW, too, that You are THE Lord of my life. I submit to Your discipline, God, and I rejoice in the fact that You not only accept me completely but love me so much that You won’t let me stay in my brokenness and sin-sickness forever.
Lord, with all my heart I want to see You for Who You Are. As I pray so very often on my early morning walks…
Jesus, You are The Lord My Righteousness, The Lord Who Sanctifies Me, The Lord My Peace, The Lord Who’s There, The Lord My Provider, The Lord Who Heals Me, The Lord My Shepherd, The Lord Who Guides, Protects, and Disciplines Me, The Lord My Comforter and Counselor, The Lord Who Sees Me and Calls Me by Name, The Lord My Refuge and Ever Present Help, and The Lord Who Loves Me More than I Could Ever Ask for or Even Imagine.
Lord Jesus Christ, You Are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Jesus, You’re My Lord and Savior, My Heavenly Companion, and My Only Hope. You’re The Creator of All that is Seen and of All that is Unseen, The Master of the Universe, The Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End, and The Author and Finisher of My Faith.
Lord Jesus Christ…Oh how I love Your Name. It’s like honey in my mouth! In my life, Lord, may Your Name be forever hallowed and praised.
Lord, oh how I love Your Word. It is indeed my portion from the richest of foods. I shall meditate on it day and night, God, for IT—You and all that You Are and all that You wish to Say to me—is more precious to me than the finest silver or gold.
Lord, the more I delight myself in You the more I just want You. Please increase my delight in You and all that You Are, and please give me my heart's desire: more of You.
Lord, the scriptures read that when David was down he often “encouraged himself in the Lord.” When I’m feeling down or when I'm having a hard time, enable me to do the same by remembering You, by remembering Your Word to me, and by remembering Your loving-kindness and faithfulness. Lord, I know that there are many unresolved things living inside me that clamor for my attention. Please help me to recognize when I’m listening to the voices of guilt and regret or when I’m beginning to engage in abusive or discursive self-talk, and, at such times, please help me to turn toward You, to look upon You, and to remember how You’ve always been right here with me. May these remembrances of You and of Your Presence in my life bring healing to my tattered soul.
Lord, continue to surround me with people who are saturated in You. Use them, Lord, to speak life into my soul; use them also to encourage me to stand my ground and to fight and to not lay my sword at the feet of my enemies.
Lord, oh how I love the deserted and the lonely, wild places! It feels so good, sometimes, to be able to just feel my hunger and my thirst! It’s also good to remember that not only are You the Source of that which satisfies my hunger but that You are also the Source and Creator of that very same hunger. While some may experience You as distant during the dry and weary times in the desert, I thank You, Lord, that I have never experienced such feelings. You have never not been close to me…even during the darkest hours, days, weeks, months, and years of my life. As David once wrote in Psalm 63 (while he, too, was in the desert!)…
O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory.
Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.
I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your Name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You.
On my bed, I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night.
Because You are my help, I will sing in the shadow of Your Wings.
My soul clings to You; Your Right Hand upholds me.
Lord, getting proper rest, exercise, and food has always been so very important to me. May I continue to pursue these things so that You and I might be able to enjoy fully each day that we have together. Guide me in all of these things, dear God, for it is my wish to live a long, healthy life.
Lord, there is so much in creation that reflects and speaks to the unseen spiritual realities that exist all around me. May I begin to see, more clearly/properly and in the right context, all that You’ve made, and may I continue to honor You in the ways in which I relate to and respond to my environment.
Lord, I love words and books. There is SO MUCH out there left for me to read. Please guide me as to what books I should read, how much of each book I should read, and when and where I should read it.
Lord, loving others (including myself) can be hard work sometimes. Help me, oh God, to love the way You love. May my life become an open and flowing conduit of Your loving-kindness, joy, compassion, and equanimity to those around me (including me!).
Lord, You alone know my heart. You know it's desires, and You know it's cravings. Oh God, place within me Your Own loving Heart, and grant me the privilege of feeling what You Feel. And, if I may be so bold as to ask, will You give me Your Mind, as well? For my soul longs to think Your very Thoughts, Lord...to see and think about situations and people the way You See and Think about them. Lord, may there never be any secrets between us. Ever. EXCEPT during "our" play times of hide and seek, for I know that You take great pleasure in creating mystery that I might be spurred to plumb the depths of Your Word and, in time, experience the everlasting pleasures of discovering the things hidden right there between the lines. Oh God, may You and I dwell together in those in-between spaces as I reach up and tie myself into You. Bless me, oh God, for I am desperate for You. Bless me now, bless me soon! For I will NOT let You go until You bless me! I love You very much, Daddy!
With much love and gratefulness,
Your servant, Your friend, and Your son...Jonathan-DavidLord, turn my heart toward Your Statues and not toward selfish gain, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Law, and satisfy me in the morning with Your unfailing love that I may sing for joy and be glad all my days.
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