I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Two Words
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Hi Friends, The first two words of the Lord’s Prayer are meant to be the ones that make the space for all the others. In fact, every word we ever utter to God flow through the doorway of these first two words: Our Father… It’s the air we’re meant to breathe before our feet hit the floor in the morning. It’s the soil that holds the seeds of every desire, every need, every petition: He is our Father. We come as His children. When Jesus’ disciples come to Him in Matthew 18, independent and self-important, wondering who might be the greatest in Heaven, Jesus doesn’t hesitate in His answer. He immediately beckons a child playing nearby to come stand in their midst: “You want to even enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Be like this.” You see, the criteria for access to God, for saying words that reach His ear, is to simply come to Him like children. Dependent and unashamed. Tim Keller said, “The only person who dares wake up a king at 3am for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access”. Are you coming like a child? Bringing all your requests? Running into His throne room knowing you are welcome? If the answer is no, if sophistication and self-reliance and shame has clouded the way, it’s okay. It may just be time to come again with a humble heart and simple words. If you don’t know where to start, start at the beginning; let it wash right over you all the way to your toes. Our Father. –Anna |
Anna Blanc
I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Hi Friends, There’s a segment in Sesame Street that I remember from childhood. It begins with a catchy jingle where Grover sings, “one of these is not like the others”. Then it teaches kids to identify what doesn’t fit in. Two circles and a square. Two red frisbees and a yellow frisbee. You get the picture. The Lord’s Prayer deals with some weighty life issues. But one line has stood out to theologians consistently over the centuries as an incompatible addition. Here’s the lineup: Holiness,...
Hi Friends, I remember a few years ago I was reading through Psalm 23:2-3, “He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul”. I sang this chorus about it: You touch my heart and cause me to thirstBy grace You draw me to the riverAnd now I see You are the waterIt’s You on every sideJesus is the source of both our need and our satisfaction. It’s Him on every side. Cognitively, we know this. We teach it to our children in infancy, right? “Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He...
Dear Friends, You know that thing you carry in your heart, tucked just below the surface? Where you go about your normal day—making coffee, driving to work, cleaning up the messes of your kids—but you know if someone asks you just the right question at just the right time you might crack open and this thing would spill straight out? That thing. Maybe it’s a prayer for the healing of a family member, or for a strained relationship. Maybe it’s prayer for your marriage or a wayward child. I call...