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day 38.

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Have Thine own way, Lord!

Have Thine own way!

Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

(Adelaide A Pollard, George C. Stebbins)

How well I am learning the words to this hymn in my life right now. The words to Have Thine Own Way came from an elderly woman’s prayer:

It doesn’t matter what You bring into our lives, Lord. Just have Your own way with us.

I wish I could pray those words and mean them. I do pray that He refines me, but when He gives me the opportunity to grow in those areas which are so lacking, I complain. “Why do I have to learn this way? Why can’t it be that way? Don’t You love me Lord? Why can’t this be easy? Why can’t we do it my way?” It’s not easy to accept the call of Christ when it means that we lay down our will and ask for His will to be done in our lives. I overlook the goodness of God to provide the best means for my refinement.

I long to truly understand the words of Paul to the Galatians:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (2:20)

Part of allowing Christ to live in me is allowing Him to take those parts of me that are unbecoming and refine them. And it hurts. One of my favorite songs by Nichole Nordeman compares our lives to stones in a river.

Rolling River God
Little stones are smooth
Only once the water passes through
So I am a stone
Rough and grainy still
Trying to reconcile this river’s chill

Have you ever held stones smoothed from the rushing water of a river? It takes years upon years of rushing water to refine the rough edges of stones. So God, like any good Father, provides opportunities for His children to be perfected. Patience and pain bring about the beauty of the refined soul.

We certainly can coast along, acknowledging Christ only on Sunday. We can avoid the refining process. We don’t have to ask Him to have His way. But I want more than that. Don’t you?

And when the sunset comes/my prayer would be just this one/that You might pick me up/and notice that I am/just a little smoother in Your hand

day eleven.

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A Brand New Day, originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians (3:13-14)

day three.

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1I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5On theglorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
7They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

Psalm 145:1-7