Today is an example of “lifting my soul” during the ongoing team conflict that occurred several years ago, which I mentioned a few days earlier. Lifting our souls (telling God what we are thinking, feeling, wanting and measuring these against God’s character) is the way to get things out, to give ourselves perspective, to remember who the real enemy is and to seek God’s help.
Had trouble getting to sleep: was cold, had to go to the bathroom several times, so was awake often, struggling with negative thoughts about the team’s conflicts.
Praise you, Lord Jesus, that in the midst of this turmoil, you led me to think about you and how incredibly powerful and wise and faithful you are.
You are the star breather, the One who arranged them into galaxies, who put our solar system in just the right place so we can observe the universe, who hung the earth on nothing, who put it in just the right orbit at the perfect speed, who tilted its axis and spun it perfectly so each day and night are of optimal length. You set each condition of the solar system exactly right so that carbon-based life could exist on earth. Praise you for you great wisdom and power displayed in that.
So it is with our lives: in your mighty power, your deep wisdom, your gracious love you bring to us what you will use for good. This present painful situation, these messy and hurtful circumstances have come with your permission and you are using them to develop us leaders and give opportunity to develop our followers.
Lord, help us to let go of our feelings of failure and frustration, and instead to stand firm in Truth, such as, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials, knowing this, that the trying of our faith works patience. And let patience have its perfect work that we may be perfect and mature” (James 1:2,3).
Help us to swim in your Truth, Lord, letting you carry us along in the right direction. Help us to reject despair, feeling sorry for ourselves, to reject the embarrassment of failure along with our weariness and to instead embrace what you bring through our offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Help us to thereby honor you and open the way so that you can show us the salvation of the Lord.
I thank you now for what you will do with this mess, for how you will work in and through it to bring growth, transformation and deepening for us as leaders so that you can bring the same thing to all involved in the midst of this situation.
I praise you in faith, Lord God, our Great Shepherd, our Glorious Transformer, our Wonderful King. As you used the sins of Joseph’s brothers to provide a way of salvation for the Jews, so you can use the sins in this situation to bring about good and progress for us all.
Do that Lord, move in your might, defeat the plans of the enemy, bring glory to yourself. Answer us out of your faithfulness, your righteousness, your goodness and your power. Answer to bring glory to your name, honor through your might and maturity to your children. I praise you now for the answers you will send. Amen.
Epilogue: God did not resolve the situation as I desired, but He did answer to deepen and mature us through it all.
