Lord Prepare Me

Lord prepare me.  For what, you may be thinking?  Consider this season when we remember Judas' betrayal of Jesus, the unjust trials that followed, Peter's denials, the 39 stripes, the cross and His crucifixion, His preparation for burial, and the resurrection.  What trial, what temptation, what difficulty, what are you now experiencing that you need to be delivered from?  Is there an area in your life that for all practical purposes is dying, if not already dead?  Have you been unjustly accused?  Is there one that you have poured your best into that is now denying or turning away from all that you have given?  Are you transitioning from a place of comfort to a place of the unknown?  Is there a dead relationship that needs to be resurrected? 

Are you ready to say and see what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that "the old has gone, the new has come" (see 2 Corinthians 5:17)? Is it time for your prayer to be Lord prepare me for the new that is coming?  At times when either I am entangled in a bunch of deadly emotions, have spoken foolishly or acted/reacted really stupidly, I've found myself praying repeatedly words written long ago by then King David.  They have become an integral part of my follow-up to Lord prepare me.  "Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).

May Jesus' resurrection remind us all that the darkest hour is just before the dawning of a new day.  Because He lives, we can live an abundant life.  Because He forgave from the cross those who crucified Him, we have been enabled to forgive no matter what the situation or circumstance.  Lord prepare me for my new day and my fresh start, for an abundant life, to forgive others so that you can forgive me.  Lord prepare me to love others just as you have loved me.