Isaiah 49:5

“For I am honored in the sight of the Lord and my God has become my strength.”

Have you ever had the experience of reading a verse of scripture for the first, second or many times over that really woke you up saying, “pay attention?” That happened to me last week as I read the verse noted above. It so moved me to my core that I had to write a prayer in response to this amazing verse. So I share it with you.
 
O God beyond belief,

It is an amazing and marvelous idea to know we are honored in your sight. That’s not an idea we hear much in our communities. To deeply know and feel that you honor us takes us to the next level of spiritual experience. It reduces any hint of unworthiness, shame or aloneness in our lives. Instead, it helps us hold our heads up high and invites us to lift up our spirits in openness and aliveness.

To be honored by you, O God our creator, is a gift of grace. So once again, may we receive that gift of grace by resting in a mind that knows You honor us. With joy unspeakable and mystery unknowable we say thank you for this wonderful gift. May we live more deeply into the awareness of this honor.

And so it is.

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 and Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
Genesis 15:1-6 and Psalm 33:12-22
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40