Originally published Tuesday, 05 February 2013.
This morning, just as he was waking up, my son had a conversation with himself in his crib…
"Yay!"
"Dada?"
"Dada? Dada?!"
"Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!"
"...Milk?"
"Milk? Milk?!"
"(ba)nana? Nana?! NANA?! Milk? Milk?! (avo)Cado? Cado?! NANA?!"
"Eat? Eat?! EAT?!"
Totally sums up his personality. Happy. Obsessed with Daddy. And food.
What do you think of when you wake up?
I often wake up thinking of a cup of coffee and breakfast cookies waiting for me in the kitchen. I wish I were more like my son. Rising with joy in my heart, calling out to my Father. Then breakfast in third place rather than first.
Day 4:
Filling up on His Love: Psalm 63:1-8
1 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.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
I love this description of God’s love. It is better than life.
Chew on that for a minute. Better. Than. life.
He can fill our deepest thirst in this world we live in, this dry land that has nothing to quench us like He can, nothing like his love.
Because his love is better than life, our words should glorify him. Reach up to Him. Lifting up our hands, giving their works to him.
His love satisfies our souls like the richest of foods.
We think of Him, of His love, even in our beds at night. Think of His love as we rise in the morning.
His love is our comfort. We persevere in times of difficulty by clinging to Him. Resting in His strength, His loving power to hold us up.
If my son were a Psalmist he would put it this way…
"Yay!"
"Abba?"
"Abba? Abba?!"
"Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!"
"...Abba (is my) Water?"
"Water? Water?!"
"Abba (is like the richest) Food? Food?! Water?! Food?"
"Eat? Eat?! EAT?!"
I pray that I will earnestly seek God. That my soul would truly thirst for Him and recognize that I am living in a dry and weary land.
He is the water I so desperately long for. His love is all that can satisfy my soul’s deepest desires “as with the richest foods.” I want to rise from my bed praising His love and go to sleep doing the same. Because His love is better than life.
Pouring His Love Out on Others: Romans 12:9-13
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Reading this passage in Romans after Psalm 63, I’m struck by how love is a meeting of needs.As the Psalmist said, God is our help. He holds us up. He quenches our thirst. He satisfies our hunger.
Here is Romans we are encouraged to be devoted to love one another, to honoring “one another above ourselves.” Zealously serving the Lord with joyful hope, patience, and faithful prayer.
After instructing us in the attitude we must carry with us as we love one another, the first instructions is to share with those in need and be hospitable.
The first suggestion is to meet physical needs as an expression of love.
Today’s challenge…feed someone
As a young mom, I feel like all I do is feed a little insatiable someone. But today’s challenge is about thinking outside the box.
Go to your pantry and pull some food out that you can donate tomorrow. Double your dinner recipe and bring the other half to your neighbor or a friend. Make or buy dinner for another young mom. Try the Amish Friendship Bread recipe I have listed below (It’s super easy folks. I have a toddler, remember?!) Just so she doesn’t have to buy or make dinner.
Sit down right now and plan who you are going to buy or make some food for this week, what food bank you are going to donate to. Pray over those people as you prepare or purchase their food. Pray that God would fill their hunger and thirst. That His love would fill their deepest cravings, and that they would know His love through this gift of food.
*** EASY Amish Friendship Bread *** (flavored with 10 days of prayer)
Have you ever heard of Amish Friendship Bread? It's tasty and warm. It requires a "starter" that you have in a bag for 10 days before baking.
Perfect timing to give as a gift on Valentine’s Day!
Not much work or even a lot of ingredients, but a lot of prayer can be poured into that bread over 10 days! Here's the recipe for the starter (found at Friendship Bread Kitchen:
(Click here for printable version)
Ingredients
1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
Directions
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. In a 2 quart glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added.
3. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture.
4. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions for Amish Friendship Bread.
Once you have your starter, you can pour 10 days of prayer into this bread.
Click here for the instructions for multiplying your starter and baking your bread.
** After the 10 day process, before you bake your bread, you can freeze the starter in 1 cup measurements for later use.
Pray over the bread each day. I encourage you to print out a passage of Scripture or write down a prayer. This is the most important ingredient! To cover your friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members, whomever you give this bread to, in prayer.
You can also sing over the bread! WHAT?! (Or at least dance around while you pray.) Yep, my favorite Seeds Family Music has a song for Psalm 63. So you can sing and pray that your friends seek God and know him, that their hunger and thirst is quenched by Him, as you sing (and memorize) this scripture.
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