I am thankful, Lord for this sacred hour In penitent contemplation. To sit before Your Throne of Grace, In quiet conversation.
My prayers go where I cannot go They walk where I cannot walk. They seek You out and find You there And by Your Throne we talk.
It’s hard some days to pray Your Will, When I want it all my way. This flesh is weak, and my failings many, I forget the price You paid.
To pray complaints before heartfelt thanks, I need to repent and count the cost. Amazing Grace that I could never earn, All else I should count as loss!
Take my prideful spirit, Lord And conform it to Your Way. Teach me it’s not my will be done, But Yours today and every day!
So, I pray for those I hold so dear Their faces are before me. Do for them what I cannot, For You love them more than me!
You know their hearts, You know their needs, Their futures are beyond my sight. So give them all what you deem best For Your plans are always right!
Let me never circumvent Your Will, To pray for easy pathways. When You are asking us to rely on You On all of life’s lanes and byways.
Today when words cannot express to You All the things I want to say, Lord, please hear my contrite heart instead And answer it, I pray.
My oldest daughter posted a picture on Facebook the other day celebrating the fact that she and her husband started dating 20 years ago. They were poor university students who managed to scrape together a little money to have their picture taken at Walmart. Their fresh young faces brought back my own memories of them. I hadn’t yet met the young man who had captured her heart then to become our son-in-law two years later. Six foot seven, with a heart to serve others just as big, he started his spiritual journey by attending Alpha meetings at a church near the Lethbridge campus my daughter attended. It was there he was saved, and today he is a wonderful husband, father, an Elder in his church, and a certified Biblical Counsellor. A God-sized love story to be sure!
On Friday my husband and I will celebrate our 45th engagement anniversary. We met in the Canadian Military Reserves in the summer of 1977. He was actually my commanding officer that summer, but that’s another story left for telling another time. We met again in the fall at the University of Victoria where I was in my second year of study in Education and he was on his way to getting a science degree. A chance encounter walking across campus, almost bumping in to each other, led to a coffee date and the rest, so they say, is history. We were engaged on January 20th, 1978 and married a year later on June 2nd, 1979. We usually celebrate those anniversaries with a sentimental card and a dinner date.
This year marks our church’s 35th anniversary. Just like other anniversaries we mark as special remembrances for our family, Bow Valley Baptist Church has a rich history with numerous God stories of His faithfulness throughout its thirty-five years. For my husband and I, we have called BVBC our church home for nearly thirty-three years. We’ve served in various volunteer and staff capacities there, been involved in two building projects, seen staff and dear families come and go as God led them, and developed life-long friendships. Our children were rocked in the nursery, taught Bible Stories in Kid’s Church, and discipled as youth within the walls of that church building. My church family has prayed for me and ministered to me through two cancer battles. As a church family we have celebrated God’s Goodness through challenging times as well as those seasons of great blessings. I’ve attended countless potlucks (it’s a Baptist thing 😄), and Bible studies, special events, choir presentations and more. I love being part of the family there.
That’s what we are.
A family.
Some people don’t get it. They don’t understand the importance of attending a church, going regularly to Worship services, being involved in Bible Studies, and actively serving in the ministry of a local church. During the Covid pandemic, the hardest thing for me was not being able to attend Worship services in person. Watching online services is not the same as being surrounded by a Body of believers actively worshiping the Lord. I missed the interaction, the fellowship, and yes…even the potlucks 😁
We are a family at Bow Valley. We are not a perfect church, filled with perfect people, but we are a church that strives to Love Like Jesus, Live Like Jesus, to change our world. We haven’t arrived yet, but the joy is in the journey.
We will be celebrating our church’s 35th Anniversary the weekend of June 9th to 11th. We will remember the years past as we look to the future. That weekend we will gather together as a church family to celebrate with great Worship and Praise. We will invite the community to celebrate with us and yes…there will be a potluck! 😆
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47
I have meditated upon Your Word this morning. I have reflected on this past year, and the lessons You have taught me through the many highs and lows I’ve experienced this year. In everything, I give You praise!
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6)
I admit this past year I have squandered opportunities. I have allowed discouragement and anxiety to overwhelm me while at the same time knowing that YOU were (are) always in control and I need not fear.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
I have prayed this year, laying my requests before You. You have been faithful! Still, there were times I was surprised by You. I prayed, with mustard-seed faith, and was surprised when You answered back with mountainous blessings. Forgive me for my lack of faith!
I BELIEVE, Lord! Help me with my unbelief! (Mark 9:24)
I confess I became impatient many times, trying to do things on my own, in my own strength. I would find myself running ahead of You, or lagging behind rather than allowing You to set the pace and then join You comfortably in the centre of Your Will. Forgive me for trying to circumnavigate my way around You, having the audacity to think MY agenda was more important than Yours!
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Lord, as a New Year unfolds, keep me mindful of the things that are of utmost importance to You. Rid me of any stubborn pride or vanity. (John 3:30-35) Teach me to better:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)
I thank-You for the year ahead. I thank-You for Your Son, for Your Word, for the gift of Salvation! Thank-You for this incredible Journey I walk with You every single day. May everything I do or say this year be to Your Glory! (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Lynn Dove's Journey Thoughts 