…that you may know what is the hope of His calling” Ephesians 1:18
One man’s prayer for another, recorded on scrolls, was rolled tight in ancient days for my mind to now unroll. Inspired Words I’ve read hundreds of times work their way inside of me when I pause to receive, not just to read.
Your Words were not just spoken, but recorded, so that I might receive You. Your Words became a Man so that I might know You. All of creation is bent on making You known. And I am its student.
You teach me with You.
You reach through the hazy expanse between heaven and earth, cutting through my flesh to my inner-man, to declare to my insides that there is this great hope in knowing You. You clear out the underbrush of my mind with Words I barely comprehend, but that ignite me. You give me the template, God, for walking this out every day, new with You.
And here, today, I travel over and past and through all the pain and ache and mundanity of life in my body as I hear of this hope. It doesn’t wait for me to catch up nor is it available to me only at limited times.
Hope — Your hope — is tangible. It’s accessible. It trumps my flesh and it’s active at every turn of my life.
Oh, God, this hope is You. You are my hope. My “calling” isn’t to a destiny or to a task, not a mission or a some lofty purpose to tame or claim the earth — my calling is to a God-Man. And this calling can be apprehended at any one of my dim moments.
Hope is within my reach because, You, Father have made Yourself within my reach, despite myself. You love me and Your loving always translates to knowing. You align my daily comings and goings, each so that I might know You. You string hope across my hidden moments.
This calling to know You wipes the dust off my expectations. I adore You, God of hope-unfolding. I am full of anticipation over Your revealing Yourself to me. Tomorrow means a new side of You for my discovering.
Available God, You make Yourself accessible, not just to direct me or to instruct me, but to infuse me with hope, to infuse me with You. When I wear the hope that was shut up inside the bones of Your Son on the cross, everything looks different. You purpose each moment of my life for Your unveiling — You unveil You to me.
No day is lost when I search You out. You have made Yourself to be known. This heavenly treasure hunt makes a child out of me. You restore my youth, oh God of hope, and Your hope invigorates long-dull parts of me.
When I tuck myself inside of Your Word and hear Your hope-filled whisper over my doldrums, I am changed. I worship You, God who paints me new with You.
I adore You, God of my calling. I thank You for making my end be You. You are endless and I am just beginning to know Your hope.
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So what do I do with these posts, you ask, other than just read them? First, if you haven’t yet, read: Why I Adore and Morning Chai, Explained to give you a context for this little space on my blog.
If you are compelled, I invite you to participate. Set up a space and time in your own life to begin adoring. Over laundry or dinner dishes, on your commute to work, or in the wee morning hours — five or ten minutes is a great start. You can use the verse I list here every day or two as a launch pad for your own adoration. (Showing Up gives you some practicals.)
Then practice praise.
I promise your weary soul won’t regret it.
You can see all of the Morning Chai posts with this link: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/ and you can easily subscribe to these devotional meditations as they are delivered, by using this feed: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/feed or by entering your email address in the second box on the right-hand side.
Photo compliments of Mandie Joy.
