Jah Works, Inc.

So occasionally I’ll pick up whatever Bible is within reach, crack it open and see what message is given to me. Today, I picked one up from the built-in bookshelves right next to our computer desk. They are floor to ceiling and made me fall in love with this space while we were checking out the house to buy it many moons ago. These shelves come in handy to hold all sorts of stuff within reach – office supplies, an old but awesome inkjet printer we bought years ago that is still kickin’ no matter how much dust collects on it, photos of loved ones, old magazines, sketchbooks and more. But today I reached for “The Message” version of the Bible, and cracked it open to Luke 11. I guess I generally know where I’ll open it up to, whether Old or New Testament, but other than that I leave it up to Abba to choose my verse. Kinda like those old choose your adventure children’s books, where no matter what you choose, you always go back and choose the other option just to see where you end up. But, I digress. So, Luke Chapter 11 starts off saying “One day he (…being Jesus…) was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” So he said, “When you pray, say,….

Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”

(end passage)

This is the same chapter that goes on to talk about “Ask and you’ll get, Seek and you’ll find, Knock and the door will open”. Too often we might ask for what we WANT rather that what we NEED. A simple prayer is just this – “Lord, I just ask you humbly to give me what I need for today and in this moment.” That need may be food, shelter or clothing. That need might be how to handle a tricky situation and mend hurt feelings with your coworker. That need might be physical strength to finish a hard workout or battle a disease.

The message I got today from this random (or not so) piece of Scripture is this: If we can open our hearts to accept that everything we get for the day is just what we need, then perhaps we wouldn’t be so caught up in what we THINK we need. We’d be able to move past our desires for stuff and detrimental overspending on ourselves and this world might balance, ever so softly, back into place.