“If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”(John 15:7-8 ESV).
REFLECTION
While helping a talented student prepare for a national speech festival, I noted that she was still struggling to remember a key line in the poem she had to recite. After the class, her mom enquired about her progress. I explained that her daughter first needed to really lock the poem into memory (to ensure that she can handle the spotlight/pressure during the festival), before we focus on the finishing touches of artistic expression. Her mom seemed overly concerned about how the girl looked. I told her that if she doesn’t know the words to the poem, she won’t do well …irrespective of how lovely she looks. So I gave her a memorisation plan to implement during the week and told her that once the words were properly locked in her memory, then we would work on her artistic presentation of the poem. The mom readily agreed with gratitude. Afterwards, I became very aware that God was speaking to me about locking His truth into my memory, so that it drops from my head to my heart and becomes part of my very being. God’s Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), and I knew that He was reminding me that the active, ongoing renewal of my mind, really intentionally aligning my thoughts with scripture, the truth, is key to being deeply rooted in Christ and actually experiencing the abundantly fruitful life spoken of in John 15:7-8 (ESV).
PRAYER POEM: Draw Near
LORD … help us to draw near to You ~ the Perfect One who holds our hearts dear, who alone can cast out fear and make things clear.
Move us to lovingly lean in, not legalistically, but wholeheartedly search the sacred scriptures and stay seated and secure in You, allowing Your truth to saturate our souls and sanctify our goals.
Empower us to follow You every day, come what may, and root ourselves in Your Word and allow You to nourish and free us to flourish.
