Let Me Be an Instrument

                “Lord, today, what do You ask of me? As the Universal Prayer says, ‘I want to do all that You ask of me, in the way that You ask, for as long as You ask, because You ask.’ Let me be an instrument. Use me as You need to for Your glory, not mine; for Your plans, not mine. 

                “Sometimes it is so hard to hear You amidst all the noise in the world. There is the noise of other people, the noise of what we have created (machinery, cars, airplanes, cities, etc.), the noise of our culture, the noise from Satan which effectively warps our perception of Your Word and muffles the beautiful quiet whispers from Your heart to ours. Help me filter the noise. Help me focus all my senses on that quiet, gentle voice that speaks the language of love and gives great peace.

                “If we can simply hear the commandment to love You God with all our hearts, then everything else falls into place. When we love You, truly love You, then all we do is simply an extension of this great love. We will be doing exactly what You want us to do. It seems so simple. Why is it that we complicate, twist, corrupt, cheapen, contaminate and basically ruin the most simple, pure gift from You – love? How do You get through to us? I want to stand in the middle of a stadium with thousands of people and with all the television and internet cameras pointed at me. I want to throw my arms up in the air and shout to every person in the world, ‘Love God as He loves us, then there can be heaven on earth!!’

                “Love is what we all seek. No one goes through the day truly wishing for pain, misery, loneliness and desperation for themselves yet so many people experience just that. Everyone seeks the healing balm of God’s love, whether they realize it or not. They might seek power, money, honor or glory, but it is all so that ultimately, love can be produced from these efforts. It may be twisted into self-love, approval, acceptance, self-worth or value; but it all points to a deeper desire to be loved.

                “God, You created us to love and adore You because You love and adore us. It is deep in our very nature, deep in our souls. We also need to be loved. So peel off the heavy layers that shroud our souls. Throw back the curtains, open the windows, clean the glass and let the love that You first placed in our hearts burn bright and shine through our entire being. I pray that the light that shines through us will burn bright enough to reach right up to heaven and reflect in Your eyes. May Your eyes well up with tears of joy at the sight of our immense love shining below!”