prayer: Lord, save me.

Princess stuck in the highest peak of a castle. As she grows older, she possesses a beauty that cannot be denied, even by those who only wish harm upon her. Her heart on the other hand, feels as if it’s trapped in an hourglass, the hope of ever feeling loved slowly withering away each and everyday… She grows cold and resentful. Knight and shining armor to the rescue, saving her and filling her life with the love she’s always dreamt of… Living happily ever after. Fairytale ending.

Little girls play princess, teenagers imagine being saved by their school crush, women spend years telling themselves they’ll be happy when they’re rescued by this type of love. Maybe it’s a plan other than marriage that will bring us happiness such as the job we’ll land that will lead to more success, the kids we will have when our spouse decides he’s ready, the weight we will lose, the car we will purchase once the budget is right, the debt we will have paid off in a few years…

So often we are on paths very similar. We are on a mission, seeking happiness and fulfillment without seeking the Lord first. We seek with an empty heart and selfish intent. We decide that until then, we will handle the suffering of unhappiness since we will one day be rescued. We may be kind along the way, but we have one thing in mind; our own plans. No one needs to interfere, if it will just all go as planned you’ll be happy. But, the Lord has better plans. He has flawless timing. He has only good intentions. He has only loving and safe intentions. He knows every way you need to be loved and treasured. He waits patiently for us to seek after His love; a love that no prince could ever fulfill. A love that reaches so deeply and intimately into our soul that we feel no desire to seek fulfillment in anyone or anything else.

 He knows the temptation will arise to stray from Him, but He so also knows your ability to dismiss those with His strength. What would relationships, whether in marriage or friendship, be like if we didn’t place the pressure of those we love to fulfill needs in our life that are impossible to meet? What would those relationships be without the expectations we place upon them that silently destroy them? (We’re human, we make mistakes, we let others down, expectations aren’t met and rejection sticks in our hearts like a dagger, we live in a vicious cycle of setting these expectations higher and higher…) What would those relationships be like if we simply sought out to show compassion, forgiveness and grace like Jesus does for us? It’s a lot easier said than done in the midst of feeling betrayed or rejected, trust me, I know. This choice is one way I can honor the Lord; a feeling that fills my heart with an amount of joy that my pride never came close to touching.

 A lot of my life I’ve labeled myself.

Unloved. Unwanted. Incapable. Unworthy. Unattractive. Unintelligent. Unforgiving.

I have allowed these lies to become my mind’s most popular thoughts.

Until I began digging deeper into the most intimate love story, His truth. 

The enemy will not consume me, I no longer invite his lies into my mind.

I am saved by God’s love. His grace. His forgiveness.

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Lord, You will save me.

I will have moments when the enemy has set out traps in secret to snare me and pull me off of Your best path. Just as the fowler has a strategic plan to lure the bird by hiding its food in a disguised trap, my enemy wants to lure me. The food is good for the bird but not when it is part of the plan of the fowler. Satan will often take what is good and twist it into a hidden snare.

Help me see these kinds of traps. Help me recognize good things offered but with my enemy’s plans behind them.

My desire for love is good. But if I pursue love in the wrong way, with the wrong person, in the wrong timing, the enemy will trap me. I confess I have allowed this to happen. I ask for forgiveness. The enemy’s plans are to steal, kill, and destroy. Give me strength to resist the traps the Enemy has set in my path today. 

Lord, give me a keen awareness of the enemy’s schemes. Give me a pure desire only for Your best. Save me from the hurt and heartbreak of following after good things the wrong way.

Amen.