Guide us Lord!

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts” Zechariah 4.6.

These words are from the prophet Zerubbabel and have always spoken to my heart. I find them useful as an "arrow" prayer to say at various times. Especially before meetings that look as if they have the potential to be stressful and conflicted. We need to keep on track and not be blown around chaotically by our human desires. The words remind me of what God wants.

It seems this week I have had various conversations about this very thing. How to keep on track! I have problem in that I know what God wants from me I just need to find my way though to the delivery of his vision. It is my human fallibility that can get in the way. The prayer reminds me to put God's way of thinking first. To seek not my own objectives but to look for what God wants. His agenda is so often different to ours. It reminds me that the Glory must go to God and that we don't need to strive in order to achieve that. In fact if we find ourselves striving then we can ask ourself are we seeking God correctly? God has been sustaining the universe for all these thousands of years without me being number one, or head honcho! But what we can bring to situations is our genuine desire to seek God's will and to support it. Are we seeking the right sort of power in our life? I don't need to be first to speak or last to speak. Although God does want me to speak if I can contribute something to the meeting.

Although it was "meetings" that started me thinking - "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" applies to all parts of our life. Do we make bringing God's spirit a priority in our life, or do we wake in the morning to play with our gadgets, to plot our finances with the Financial Times? Or to feed our News habit? Or to plan our retirement? Maybe? But although those things might have a right place. God first, our loved ones next is how we should prioritise. Then things will fall into place and we will find a more grace filled living experience.

If we "seek first the kingdom of God" we are putting the Spirit first. In prayer this week also I heard God's voice in Galatians 5. At verse 16 he says "What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature." - one commentary I read points out that if we focus on the Spirit, God's love and Holy Spirit, helps us to push out the sin in our life. The sin is displaced by the presence of the Spirit. So I feel God is saying have more of the Spirit and you will naturally become less sinful.  That means we need to worry less about our besetting sin and let go of it and run straight toward's our God  who is love. He will give us his love, joy and peace which can't fail to change us.

Dear Lord, help me to have more of you in my life. I seek you Lord, show me your face. Amen

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