Dear God
Dear God,
As we near the observance of what the Jewish people call Passover and what we Christians refer to as Easter, I would like to take a few moments to convey some thoughts to You.
To start off with, I would like to say thank You. I realize I don't say it often enough, but I do think You deserve to be thanked. There is a condition described by Paul in which a man finds himself not doing the things he should do. And the things he should not do, those are the things he does. Finding himself in this condition, the man asks who can deliver him from himself. In all of human history, in every culture and in every religion, the only answer to that question that makes sense is the one Paul gives by citing Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ as the answer to the dilemma. That is exactly what Jesus was sent to do and for that I thank You.
If You have any requests for me, I am open to hearing them and ask for Your input into what I should be doing differently. From my end, I will attempt to keep my ears, eyes and heart open to detect such input as You may see fit to provide to me in such manner as You may choose.
I realize that I am ludicrously far from perfect and I thank You both for Your forgiveness and for your patience. I apologize for it all and know that I should be trying to do better. I need Your help in so many ways and ask for Your guidance as I try to improve.
I have relatives and friends that need help and I am not adequate to the task. Help me to be better at helping them and please provide for them in the ways that I cannot.
If I were to ask anything for myself, it would be these three things. First, to be at peace with You in all areas of my life. I would like it very much if I could just breath easy where You are concerned. I am not always able to do that and I have myself to blame for that. Help me to have the ability to come boldly before You. Help me to relax and know that You are on my side. Second, to have the love of a good woman. You Yourself observed that it is not good for man to be alone. And I think I have proven Your observation to be true. I have been alone for a while now and I have not exactly been setting the world on fire. In the past I have shown myself to be a terrible judge of character when it comes to women. I would like very much for that personal failing to change for the better. Any help You may choose to offer in that regard would be appreciated. And third, not to sound too much like the lead in Fiddler on the Roof, but I would like to have a decent sized personal fortune. I am aware it is no shame to be poor, but it's no great honor either. A wealthy man can do more than a man who is not wealthy and I would like to do more, to be more. So, as Jabez asked in the Old Testament, I ask You to enlarge the place of my tent. Understanding of course that in my case, "tent" is a metaphorical term. I don't actually live in a tent. And for that, I thank You.
Lastly, the anniversary that is coming upon us means more than my limited knowledge base can articulate, but I am least smart enough to know this is a big time of the year. Thank You for this season and all that it is and all that it means. For what Jesus has done, for what You have done, for what the Holy Spirit has done, I am grateful.
Respectfully,
Steve E. Cooper
As we near the observance of what the Jewish people call Passover and what we Christians refer to as Easter, I would like to take a few moments to convey some thoughts to You.
To start off with, I would like to say thank You. I realize I don't say it often enough, but I do think You deserve to be thanked. There is a condition described by Paul in which a man finds himself not doing the things he should do. And the things he should not do, those are the things he does. Finding himself in this condition, the man asks who can deliver him from himself. In all of human history, in every culture and in every religion, the only answer to that question that makes sense is the one Paul gives by citing Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ as the answer to the dilemma. That is exactly what Jesus was sent to do and for that I thank You.
If You have any requests for me, I am open to hearing them and ask for Your input into what I should be doing differently. From my end, I will attempt to keep my ears, eyes and heart open to detect such input as You may see fit to provide to me in such manner as You may choose.
I realize that I am ludicrously far from perfect and I thank You both for Your forgiveness and for your patience. I apologize for it all and know that I should be trying to do better. I need Your help in so many ways and ask for Your guidance as I try to improve.
I have relatives and friends that need help and I am not adequate to the task. Help me to be better at helping them and please provide for them in the ways that I cannot.
If I were to ask anything for myself, it would be these three things. First, to be at peace with You in all areas of my life. I would like it very much if I could just breath easy where You are concerned. I am not always able to do that and I have myself to blame for that. Help me to have the ability to come boldly before You. Help me to relax and know that You are on my side. Second, to have the love of a good woman. You Yourself observed that it is not good for man to be alone. And I think I have proven Your observation to be true. I have been alone for a while now and I have not exactly been setting the world on fire. In the past I have shown myself to be a terrible judge of character when it comes to women. I would like very much for that personal failing to change for the better. Any help You may choose to offer in that regard would be appreciated. And third, not to sound too much like the lead in Fiddler on the Roof, but I would like to have a decent sized personal fortune. I am aware it is no shame to be poor, but it's no great honor either. A wealthy man can do more than a man who is not wealthy and I would like to do more, to be more. So, as Jabez asked in the Old Testament, I ask You to enlarge the place of my tent. Understanding of course that in my case, "tent" is a metaphorical term. I don't actually live in a tent. And for that, I thank You.
Lastly, the anniversary that is coming upon us means more than my limited knowledge base can articulate, but I am least smart enough to know this is a big time of the year. Thank You for this season and all that it is and all that it means. For what Jesus has done, for what You have done, for what the Holy Spirit has done, I am grateful.
Respectfully,
Steve E. Cooper