What A Prayer!

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. [II Thessalonians 3.5]

Wow, what a prayer! Everything about this prayer indicates to me that this is a process.

May the Lord lead... Leading is an action verb. It speaks of an action that requires constant ongoing attention (not only to lead but to follow as well). The leader may go fast or slow, left or right, or any combination or variation thereof. There is a definite process in leading.

Full understanding and expression... 'Full' also definitely denotes a process. Whatever becomes full has the most likely initial beginning of being empty. There in unlimited potential for varying degrees of becoming full.

Patient endurance... As much as anything in this verse, patient endurance speaks of time. Anything 'in process' has a time factor attached to it. Actually 'patient' and 'endurance' could be addressed here separately because one deals with an attitude and the other with a commitment - both both are indeed a process.

The point? We are on a journey! Our life is a pilgrimage of faith. Because of this, we must understand that everyone around us is on a journey as well and, may or may not be at the same place we find ourselves. Are they wrong or inferior? No! -no more than a carrot or a potato is not an ingredient just because the soup is not cooked yet!

If we truly allow for the Word to be that which affects change in our hearts and hearts of others, then we must also allow 'time' to be a factor. We must allow for 'the journey' in each other. The Word of God (when read upon pages of the Bible or the life of a believer) will indeed enlighten the human of his or her journey. Everyone is on a journey - but at some point each person much choose his or her destination. The Word brings that choice to front and center. The Word initiates and fuels the journey for those whose destination is eternity with God.

Father, lead our hearts into a full understanding and expression of Your love and the patient endurance that comes from Christ!