In The Name Of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
I stand before You, dear Lord, the one God Almighty, that
I may offer humble words in praise of Your glory. A glory
that is made manifest in the vastness of the universes, as
well as in the complexity of the smallest leaf or the sweet
smell of a beautiful flower.
From the instant You shaped my soul as an expression of supreme
creation, You trusted me with the most important choice. With
what little strength I have, I implore You to guide me that
I may one day be worthy of that trust.
When I reflect on You, dear God, I cannot help but think
of myself as a disappointment to You. At the same time, I
imagine that You are looking down at me and smiling because
You know what I do not. And perhaps the gentle thunder of
a morning storm is Your laughter as You watch and guide my
journey with infinite patience. Ever so slowly and with careful
precision, You increase my ability to understand and comprehend
Your glory and Omnipotence. All the while, knowing very well
that if You were to expose my earthly form to the full magnitude
of Your greatness, I would shatter into nonexistence.
You know, better than I, what is in my heart. I do know,
however, that my heart has been hardened by arrogance and
ignorance, by rebelliousness and resistance, and by the weakness
that invites Satan’s attacks. This I know from experience,
and my remorse is great and yet not great |
enough. In my present weakness I would surely
explode if I were to truly feel the full weight of the shame
and remorse that my deeds and choices warrant. But I also
know that in the deepest reaches of my soul, hidden beneath
the hardened layers of my heart, is the smallest of seeds.
This seed is firmly implanted by the strongest hand. This
seed is the seed of Submission, and this I know by the words
of Your glorious revelations. Although this seed was planted
by You before my earthly embodiment, I know that it is my
great responsibility to nurture this seed that its roots may
grow and break free through the hardness of my heart, ever
expanding towards the perimeter of my soul until the limits
of my soul are forced to stretch and finally grow.
I pray, dear God, that You look on me with patience and mercy.
I know that my actions thus far have fallen short of righteousness,
but deep within me, in the faintest of whispers, that seed
sings Your praise and glorifies You ceaselessly.
Please guide us, O Lord, that the whisper may grow to a deafening
roar, that we may rival the songs of all the heavens as our
souls sing Your praise. Guide us, dear God, that the light
of our submission may dwarf the sun and shake the universes.
Strengthen us, dear Lord, that on that final day, we may look
on You with clear eyes and finally know the meaning of Your
love.
PRAISE BE TO GOD.
Raymond Dudley |