Prayer for Wisdom

Lord strengthen me as I learn more about You
As I walk Your path of righteousness
Lord give me the spirit of sound mind
Help me hear Your thoughts of future and hope

Lead me away from the wiles of stolen bread and water
Separate me from the company of the wicked, the furious and the scorners
Let me stay in Your house to learn
Let me call Wisdom my sister and Understanding my friend

Lord grant us the discernment of spirits
To be aware of the wolves set to destroy the flock
Give me courage to overcome them with Your goodness and truth
For You will see to it that their Father of lies will be crushed before us

In Jesus name, Amen

Thirteen Psalms

How long will You be silent
When I cry to You?

How long will Your Spirit move
While I withstand attacks?

How long will You hold off
When I ask for blessing?

How long will You forget
While I am rejected?

How long will You tarry
When I ask for comfort?

How long will You hide
While I am lost and without direction?

Still I will worship
For You have been good to me

Still I will praise
For You are the only one worthy

Still I will bow down
For You are always been my Lord

Still I will follow
For You have guided me always

Still I will be still
For You are my Salvation

Still I will trust
For You have never forsaken me

Still I will love You
For You have always loved me

Prayer for Equipping

Oh Lord my God, may You equip us with power of Your might
Bless us with a spirit of power, of love and of sound mind
As we battle against the devil and his minions

Let our loins be girded and our heart be guarded with the breastplate of righteousness
Let our feet be protected with the gospel of peace
As we spread Your story to the ends of the Earth

May we shelter upon the shield of faith which can quench the fiery darts of the wicked
Let our mind be at peace, encased in the helmet of salvation
As we learn and grow in Your path

May we wield the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God
Let Your living and double-edged Word guide us
As the Kingdom of Heaven forcefully advance

In Christ Our Lord. Amen

Wounded feet

Thud!

I tripped on my sword again and hit the dirt road face first. The aroma of the soil filled my lungs while the light rain pelted my back.

“My Lord, this sword is heavy and bulky” I said as I tried to extract myself from the mud.

The sword pressed heavily at my back. I have tried different methods of binding it to my person, and never let it out of my sight, as my Lord insisted. I found that I could easily carry the sword at my back although its point still juts behind me and the weight bears on my back. It took me a while to figure it out but when I move in a straight line, the sword did not bother me. However, when I stagger off His path, like this moment, the sword gets stuck in the ground causes me to trip. I do want to follow the straight path but my blistered feet ache to find another direction to ease the pressure off the wounds.

I tried to get out of the mud but to no avail. The sword and my gear weighed too much. I also felt that the water is slowly covering me. I tried to lift my face but it only made matters worse. The muddy water quickly filled the void that is left by my face and submerged me once more.

“Help me” I uttered before the mud finally covered my mouth.

At that instant I felt being pulled up in the mud. The next thing that I knew is that I’m seeing Him face to face, His concern peering through His broken features.

“Give me your burden; I will take care of it.” He said

I nodded and offered the heavy blade back. However, He insisted that I keep the sword on. He explained that rather trail along behind Him, I should be walking by Him instead which I did.

We still walked once more in the rain, but I feel a little different. My feet, though still blistered and swollen felt light. My face still feels itchy but I did not care much. I felt that by just walking with Him, I was able feel better.

---

My Lord stopped and pointed to a little girl by the roadside. She was silently weeping as she clutched her wounded left foot. The wind and the rain hid her tears and cries for help and her tattered muddy clothes that blended with the dirt road that we were traversing. I wouldn’t have noticed her presence had my Master not stopped and directed my attention towards her.

“Go, help the little one” He said.

“My Lord, I don’t know how to heal” I responded

I have no healing supplies with me and I only remember scant excerpts from the tomes found in the library.

“Yes you do know, it is a part of the grace that I gave you“ He replied “Now, bind her wounds”

I still hesitated for a while but I just followed His command. I approached the girl who for some reason managed to laugh at my mud-caked face and not fear the heavy sword at my side. It seems that she was actually comforted by the sight of the sword. I felt that she knew that it was meant to protect her and not to harm her. I slowly knelt beside her so as not to startle her and not to trip on my sword again. I lifted her foot carefully and covered it with my cloak to protect it from the elements. I then dried and bound it with clean clothes from my pack as meticulously as I could. I could always go back to the marketplace for new clothes but this girl might not be that fortunate.

“All done” I said after fixing her wounds, I still felt that my skill is inadequate but I took comfort on the fact that I’ve done all that I could.
“Thank you Sir!” she beamed back, as if my treatment was the best she got for a long time.

I started to rise and felt something different. I looked at my feet and saw that the blisters on my feet are healing.

I looked at my Master in amazement “How could this be?”

“I comforted you so that you could comfort others” He said

Psalm of Paths

O Lord, My God

Teach me Your ways,
Guide me to Your paths

Lead me to a plain path,
Direct me to the narrow gates
Show me the paths of life

Teach me how to reach You
Lord, teach me how to pray

Lead me to Your presence,
Let me stay there in the fullness of joy
May Your glory ever inspire me

My spirit is overwhelmed by my enemies
They have set snares in my path

But I know that You know my journey
You will provide a way to endure and escape
Your hand will lead me back in Your ways

Guide me O God, with your Word
May it be a light as I walk the path that You set

May your covenant and testimonies
Be with me as I walk with You
On paths of everlasting love and faithfulness

A Sword in the Dark

“Wield me” A voice whispered.

The voice woke me up in the in the middle of my sleep. I wearily opened my eyes to see who was speaking to me. My room was still dark save for the faint glow of the lamp that rested at the table opposite my bed. I sleepily scanned the lone window of my room to catch the rascal that is tricking me but only found the faint glow of starlight. Thinking that the voice is only a figment of my imagination, I resorted back to sleep.

“Wield me” the voice spoke once more.

I bolted upright. I’m sure that what I’ve heard is real and the source is in my room. I grabbed the pen beside my bed, hoping to at least stab my assailant if he attacks me. I meticulously viewed the bare walls of my room but did not found anyone.

“Weild me” it spoke again.

This time I knew it came near the lampstand. I hurriedly flung my blankets aside and rushed towards the light hoping to scare the intruder. Instead, I was the one that was surprised. I found a claymore leaning on the right side of my table, barely illuminated by my lamp.
I carefully moved nearer the weapon while looking at the shadows to make sure that its owner is not nearby. Sensing that no one was there, I held the sword up high and viewed it in the light of the lamp. It was heavy, but it did not bother me as I studied it. The handle of the sword was made of bound tattered leather, worn from a hundred battles. The guard is straight bar and shone with a dull bronze glow. The blade itself was made of dark steel that seems to melt into the shadows of my room.

“Use me” the voice said. This time from the very weapon that I held with my arms.

I almost dropped the weapon. Had I not tightened my grip the whispering sword would have surely ran me through.

“What are you?” I asked the weapon on my hand.

I gripped it tighter as I believe that it will cut me down if I let go.

“I am a weapon sharper than any double edged sword. I cut through both flesh and spirit.”

“How could you speak? How could you understand me?” I said to the weapon rapidly.

“I am a living weapon. I see the thoughts of the heart”

“What do you want from me?” I asked “If you could see my heart you could see that I’m a writer, not a fighter”.

I was a loss on how describe my trade to it. My pen was nowhere to be found and my bed clothes cannot convince anyone of my literary profession.

“I am here to accomplish what my Master has sent me. “ It said “I’m here for you to wield”

“But I cannot use you! How could I swing you in battle? You are even taller than I am.”

“Do not be afraid” it spoke softly “My Master will guide your hand, He will help you.”

“Your master?” I asked

I think I understand now what the sword needs me to do. I held the weapon on one hand and carefully fixed it to my side with the other. For some reason I felt at peace, even as the sharp blade pressed lightly on my side.

“Who is your master? Is he the same as the One that I follow?” I asked the weapon.

“I am the sword of His Spirit, I am His Word”

I glanced back at the sword at my side. I felt that I can accomplish much of my Lord’s task with it by my side, by my heart.

Towards Judea

“I would follow you to the ends of the earth my Lord!” I said enthusiastically as I walked side by side with my Lord.

My Lord beckoned me to take a walk with Him during the earlier. Walking during the fresh morning would be nice. I’ve been at the library for too long anyways.

I’ve been researching furiously during the past few days about His followers. They have traveled to different lands to tell about the Great Story. Some have suffered much, even to the point of death yet they still preached about the love of the Lord. Nothing can move them in their faith. I believe that, with His anointing, I could tell the Story with the same vigor and love as my fellow followers.

“Lord, send me too” I said, “I want to tell more about Your story!”

My Lord looked towards me and smiled. He is still the shining figure that revealed His Self to me that faithful day. However, it seems that the people that I met cannot recognize Him. All they see is a young scribe walking with an old broken beggar. Ah, if they could only see what I see.

“Preach in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth” he said as we continued our walk.

“Thank you!” I said joyfully as my mind raced for plans on how to follow His command.

There was just one problem.

“My Lord” I said cautiously, “Where is Judea?”

He stopped walking. I was puzzled. Was it something I said? I looked at Him again but I found Him staring at a distance. I looked towards the area He was looking at and found that we were back at the library grounds.

Nothing has changed since the last few minutes that we were away. However, I noticed that the denizens near the library have awoken and are now going about their daily business. Almost all of them are familiar faces in the library - fellow scribes, beggars, workers, and sages. They still looked normal but I sensed emptiness inside them, a void that persisted in me some time ago. I felt that I needed to be here to teach them how the One can fill the void inside. It is not yet the time to go to the ends of the earth.

“Lord, am I in Judea?” I asked.

He nodded.

He moved away towards the people at the foot of the library. He turned around towards me and beckoned me to come.

“Come, follow Me,” He said as He continued moving towards the crowd.

Reluctant Storyteller

A stranger approached me as I sat at the foot of the steps of the library one day. The weird man slowly stumbled his way towards me, every step bringing muffled groans of agony. His disfigured face was unrecognizable and his tattered peasant cloak smells like something salvaged from a dead criminal. This unfamiliar person seems to be out of place in this marbled place of learning.

He looked at me for a while and, sensing my disinterest, sat a meter away from me.
We just sat there in silence, I was really tired from reading and I did not want to move from my spot - as long as he keeps his distance.

I was beginning to doze up when he began to shift move. The man dusted off his cloak and produced a bundle of yellowed paper. They seem to be more like thin slices of weathered wood. He gently tapped the package, causing a battered pen slipped out. The black pen looked more like a spike rather than a writing instrument. The tools looked beyond repair but they piqued my curiosity.

“Sir, are you a writer?” I asked.

He turned to me and smiled “Yes I am”

“Would you write my story then?” I asked, hoping to get some entertainment out of this stranger.

“Yes, but you have to tell mine first.”

“Fair enough” I said as I fished for my own writing set.

Well it is not what I wanted but some literary exercise won’t hurt.

“Okay tell me who you are” I said after I finished my preparation.

I readied my pen and turned my ear towards him, partly, because I need to listen to him carefully and partly because he’s hideous to look at.

“I am the Beginning and the End” he said

“Stories begin and end with the subject” I said as I recorded his words “What else?”

“I created the heavens and the earth”

“Writers do create their own worlds. But few live in them” I said with a smile. “But I’m interrupting, Go on”

“I am the Author and Finisher of your faith”

I put my pen down.

“And just who are you?” I said as I turned my head towards my quite imaginative friend.

I believe he have just crossed the line between creativity and civility.

However, I saw someone else.

In place of the ragged stranger sat a glowing figure clothed in the purest of white. His eyes glowed like fire yet I felt forgiveness and grace flow from them. I looked at His lap and found a new set of scrolls. A detailed script was written in them. The letters were carefully penned with blood dripping from His hands. It was a story – my story. Though beautifully crafted, the pages are still far from complete.

“Lord, finish it. Finish my story” I said.

I was unable to move, I wouldn’t want to. I don’t know how to react, no feelings seems to suffice. I just sat there, looking at Him.

He stood up and moved closer. He slowly put His nail-pierced hand at my back and leaned close to me.

“It’s not yet time for that, My son.” He whispered. “Now is the time for you to tell My story.”