My Prayer for 2018

I am challenged yearly to choose one verse to pray over my family for the year. Last year I prayed Isaiah 26:3 which says, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in You.” Little did I know that we would start the year with hardship and loss. 

In January, Jeff fell and tore his patella tendon and had major surgery in order to walk again. In February, one of my very best friends lost her mom and in March Jeff’s mom passed away. In August, another close friend lost his mom. This was a year of loss and grief (I spoke at 2 grief retreats this year as well). Throughout all of this, I meditated on the verse above asking God to keep us in perfect peace. 

I have to say that God honored this request and as I struggled to keep my mind steadfast on Him, he was faithful to bring peace into times of hardship. Our circumstances didn’t change but our attitudes certainly did.

As I think about a verse for 2018, I hesitate. My sinful nature doesn’t want to choose a verse that talks of suffering or trials because that might mean they will come (O me of little faith!). 

I have decided to continue praying Isaiah 26 but to focus my prayers on verses 7 and 8.

“The way of the righteous is smooth; 
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O Lord,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.”

What would it look like if I truly waited for the Lord daily. After a long day, I eagerly anticipate Jeff and Jorjanne walking through the door…when our family is together my day seems complete. What if my day was incomplete without time with the Lord? Francis Chan put it this way. “Could anything be more important than meeting with the One who decides if you live through this day?”  

Wow! What if the Lord’s name, even the memory of his past deeds, was the desire of my heart? How would that influence the way I live? 

This is my prayer for my family this year. I pray we will eagerly seek Him as we follow His commandments and that in doing so he will become the longing of our souls.