Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget My words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her and she will watch over you. Proverbs 4:5-6.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19 NKJV.

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29.

Reading from My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers, this first part touched my heart in a deeper way…”You cannot truly intercede through prayer if you do not believe in the reality of redemption. Instead, you will simply be turning intercession into useless sympathy for others, which will serve only to increase the contentment they have for remaining out of touch with God.” He goes on, of course, but I began to realize that true prayer for intercession is for that person to come to know Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, personally and deeply. That in deepest need they will look up and see Him. That they will experience His love given to strengthen and be present for help and comfort and direction for life lived fully with Him. To pray for them to long for God with a deep longing only He can fill. How can I not sit with that as well and truly long for that intercession – knowing God – for all of us?

And in our chapter, 2 Corinthians 8, remember Paul is helping them understand how to begin to live life differently, with God with them. I need that, too! Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great deal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. v. 1-9. Jesus, the Word, fully God, became one of us to show us personally in experiences lived with us how to live. The saints in Jerusalem were suffering greatly and Paul has been involved in the gathering of offerings from the churhces to help them in their need. I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality – at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.” But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ. Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you. v. 10-24.

Regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men…do we see that lack in our broken world today? Gifts offered by generous hearts plundered by those whose only concern is for their greed. We see it played out over and over throughout this world. And we wonder why. Can we long for God for others so that their lives can be changed? Redemption happens as our lives are deeply impacted by all we cannot change in ourselves. We experience our insufficiency. How can we not turn to Him? In deepest need we turn to Him. And He is here. Always. Are we ready to trust Him for everything?