"Don't go to God with options... go to Him with empty hands." - Max Lucado
This was just what I needed this morning. Instead of filling up schedules, my home with stuff or obsessing about what I wish for... I can trust that the biggest joys and adventures come from standing before him with empty hands.
It reminds me of a verse that is often quoted, but it can easily be taken out of context. It just happened to be my "Verse of the Day.". I don't think that is coincidence.
11.For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
12. In those days when you pray, I will listen.
13. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
-Jeremiah 29:11-13
So often we forget that verse eleven is spoken in a promise with verses 12 and 13. When you pray... and if you look for me wholeheartedly. The heart and the hands of the seeker matter.
God isn't Santa Claus. He is the holy, mighty, designing deity who created the universe with all of it's wonders. If we seek Him, we can find him. He knit within us the need to be productive and full of purpose.
He longs for us to kneel before him, offering our life as an offering to His plans and His purpose. Not our own ideas. At the very times we feel worthless, useless or have nothing left to offer... perhaps, that is exactly where He needs us to be.
When we offer empty hands... or He empties them... a new adventure is waiting. He didn't design us for boredom... but for relationship. The things we cling to outside of his purpose can be too distracting. Empty hands are beautiful. Callused, wrinkled, weathered, stained, scarred or bruised... empty hands are precious in his sight. They are... indeed... a special offering.
How many times do I try to direct God's plan? Too many. Time after time, we see that he uses whom HE chooses and those most useful arrive with empty hands and no agenda.
Today, I am grateful for empty hands.
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