Open me, Lord...

Would you open up my eyes, so I can see!
Would you open up my ears, so I can hear!
Would you open up my mind, so I can know!
Would you open up my heart, so I can love you more!
I want to serve you my God, I want to give you everything!
I want to serve you my King!
I want to serve you my Lord, I want to give you everything!
Here I am with my arms open wide, asking for you Lord to come up inside..
Won't you make me new, won't you make me true?
Jesus won't you make me more like you?
Open me, Lord...Open me!
[Lyrics by Shawn McDonald, Open Me]

These lyrics have been a consistent prayer over the last three years of my life! "Won't you open me...open my eyes, open my ears, open my mind, open my heart, Lord" and I can't even begin to tell you of the impact, the response, the renewal, the movement, the transformation in my life as the Holy Spirit guides, directs, prompts and leads in my life and our family...but I must tell you - this morning...it is our heart's cry!
We are exhausted, worn out, physically in pain. Kel is having a hard time sleeping and getting comfortable now and continues to work through the emotions of "nesting"...and the "uncertainty" of the move/home has intensified! And the "HOLD" that we are currently in...is more difficult than what it was just a few days ago! BUT GOD - and yes, even though He continues to call us deeper into this "hold" moment - and it is tough ya'll - His Peace, Strength and Grace overwhelm us!

As we met/talked with our wise counsel over the last several days - the lyrics above continue to guide our prayers and conversations in ways we never imagined possible! But God is a God of impossibilities - now isn't He? And we continue to just pray simply - "open me"! And as I sat before incredible men of faith over breakfast, lunch, cups of coffee and shared intense conversations over the phone that spoke truth, encouragement, wisdom and hope into our journey - and one specific conversation in the "freezer section" of Wal-Mart with a dear friend and an amazing woman of faith - this one line continues to be our prayer focus..."Jesus make me more like you!"
That is it...that is what the journeys of our life are all about - that He would make us more like himself! I mean come on...we have "heard" this before, but have we really embraced it! That in every moment, every circumstance, every storm, every conversation, and every prayer that we would ask Him to make us more like Himself? Because the truth is...The same God who led you and me IN will lead us OUT - even when and where there seems to be no way! He knows the footsteps, the doors, the "unseen" and never before traveled path or "highway" across the river! But, we must continue to walk in obedience to His Will...and that is why prayer must be our foundation - for it is our "lifeline" - and it must always be a two way conversation! For He is Wisdom! He is Strength! He is Peace! He is Hope and our Future! And we must be willing to be still, silent, and listen before His throne...even when the world around us may call us crazy and is not willing to stop!
And right now...that is where we remain...in prayer! Truly, there is no update to share regarding the home situation - other than we have not heard from Stan and Karen in the last 4 days, as they are trying to work out some of the details regarding their "move" and the purchase of a home. At this point - we don't know where things stand...and it is all good! It is hard, and yes the emotion, desire, longing for a place of our own gets stronger every minute! But - deliverance and provision is in God's perfect timing, not ours! So we continue to wait...and I beg of you to please continue to pray for peace, strength and patience in this wait!

So today...we are heading out for a picnic on this beautiful day - just the four of us - before I speak tonight at a worship event at the First Church of God in Kittanning, PA! And please...pray for the young lives and families that will be gathering tonight! Pray that God would continue to stir in their heart, draw them closer and that every word spoken tonight would not be mine - but that of the Holy Spirit! Open me, Lord...

I hope that you have had an awesome weekend...and keep those eyes on Jesus!