Help My Unbelief

So I haven't really started the reading yet (go me!), but I have been doing some evening devotionals and I really like this prayer:

Lord, You have always given
bread for the coming day;
and though I am poor,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept
me safe in trials;
and now, tried as I am,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked
the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened
this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken
when time was ripe;
and though you be silent now,
today I believe.

I've realized that while one can get bored with the repetition of the same prayer each night...and it's easy to just breeze over it without thinking, there's actually enough here to see something new each time.  Certain parts of the prayer stick out to me each time I read it.

It's also a really honest prayer.  In essence, it says: God, I know you are strong and faithful and have everything good in mind.  But I'm struggling in this part of my life right now.  There I said it.  Now I will say I believe it, even though my heart isn't all there.  In saying it, I hope that you will help me to actually believe it. (TNV- Tricia's Not-so-condensed Version)

This brings to mind the father of the demon-possessed boy in the book of Mark who after Jesus reprimands him for his "IF you can do this" request, cries, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

Oh Lord, I believe... Help my unbelief!  This is what I believe this prayer says in its subtext.  I think in general, we should be more bold and more honest in our prayers.  This is a good start.

Reading Books, Posting my Thoughts

I tend to need a focus for my writings/projects/whatnot, so I think I'm going to do what I did for my posts on Abba's Child and kind of write my way through a couple of books I've been reading (with varied success).

Here are the books I've been trying to read for the past year/half year...all are excellent, but I just haven't been very consistent:

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp


An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor


Prayer by Richard Foster

I'm not sure if I'll try to go straight through one at a time or if I'll try to peruse all three in different spurts, but as long as I record my thoughts here, I should be able to keep track of where I'm at.  By next week you'll find out what I've decided to pursue. :)