A Weapon in my Arsenal

This is a blog entry that, if written by a man, would start with some inspiring military analogy about using the right weapon. But you’ve got me, and I almost spelled the word arsenal, “aerosol”. But a lack of a good opening analogy does not kill my point.

The battle I’m talking about is one we’re all familiar with—the battle for a daily solid devotional time where we commune with God Himself. That’s not to be confused with propping yourself up in bed, attempting to focus your one opened eye on a random page of Scripture, while a fog of sleepy confusion settles heavily upon you.

The Bible warns us that when we want to do good, evil is right there with us. I am never more certain of that than when beginning my devotional times early in the morning. Whether “evil” is sleepiness, condemnation, or distraction, it doesn’t take too many days of the Christian life to realize we need weapons.

And in this we are fortunate because God has provided us with a whole arsenal of weapons for this battle including strong coffee, worship music, walks outside, Bible reading plans, accountability phone calls, and all kinds of great stuff.

The weapon I want to recommend today is praying through the Psalms or a great prayer book like The Valley of Vision (available in the Book Shoppe.) When I am in my early zombie-like state, feeling as flat and uninspired as ever, I can struggle to focus my mind on the truths of God and end up wasting a lot of time. That’s when praying through the Psalms is so helpful. I believe I got the idea from Donald Whitney, but the premise is simple. Use the inspired words of Scripture to fuel your own prayers. Basically, you read a line, then begin to personalize it. Here’s an example from the very familiar Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.



Yes Lord, you’ve been such a kind shepherd, leading me so faithfully. And you’ve provided exactly what I’ve needed. Please lead me today as I’ve got such a full schedule. Help me see what’s important to you.



He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.



Thank you for permanently restoring my soul at the cross and for allowing me to enter your presence! But help my distracted soul to be close to you today …

You get the idea. And the injection of deep intelligent thought into my wandering mind seems to push me quickly into a deeper fellowship with God. The Puritan prayers in The Valley of Vision work much the same way, and have fought bravely against my morning time sloth.

So arm yourself with weapons, and if you’re foggy like me in the mornings, allow these priceless prayers to pull you into the light.