The Word in the Flesh, Part 1

I come to this place with my head hung. I can not possibly believe that two weeks have passed since I last posted here. I knew maintaining two blogs would be difficult, but that is not the only reason I've been tardy in posting. Quite honestly, these past two weeks have been a blur of end-of-summer activities at our household. The next ten days don't look much better!

I have been praying for you. I've been praying for this place. I've been reading some great material lately and reflecting on it as the Lord is doing great works in me. He is changing me. I feel it inside my heart and inside my head. What a glorious feeling that is. I can't believe this is the first time in my life I've TRULY felt changed, called the study his Holy Word, to learn more. There is a yearning inside of me that can't be quenched.

Chapter Three in the War of Words is SO intense that I know I will need to reflect on it in two, if not three, posts. In this chapter, Tripp begins to teach the gospel. What a beautiful story it is.

Here are a few of my notes to myself from the margins that I scrawled as I read along:
**Oh, poor H--how I hurt him over his new clothes without even realizing how much! I must apologize.
**Jesus is the light; we are the darkness, and yet we STILL do not understand
**I feel so hopeless as I realize how short I fall
**That's it exactly!

I underline, starred, highlighted one line that Tripp wrote, "How deep is our need!" (pg. 35) In chapter three, Tripp gets right to the heart of the matter. That our need is so great, so vast, so deep, that there is only one way it can be met: On the cross.

God does not set a standard expecting us to meet it in our own human strength. He sends his son and the Word became flesh.

I was so struck by the passage from James 3: 7-8
"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

Tripp says, "The tongue is humanly untameable!" So, this blog is adequately named.

Our war of words is not a struggle of flesh and blood. God would not have sent his Son if it were. Our war is a deeply spiritual one--it is a problem with the human heart.

The next portion of the text is so profound that I want to honor it with a separate post.

I have a few prayer requests. I come to you completely transparent in my need for prayer tonight. However, I realize that this a very public forum. I want to honor those that I am asking prayer for by not sharing their identities and protecting their privacy.

1.) A young man and his wife are expecting their first child very soon. Please pray for peace as the day comes closer for the arrival of their precious child.
2.) A young man is searching for his place in this fallen world. Please pray that the Lord would move in his heart and give him clarity.
3.) My sweet girl has a doctor's appt tomorrow. I know what I want the results to be. Please pray that we love the new doctor and that God works through him.
4.) I have three friends who are pregnant. Two more of us are trying. Please pray that the Lord's will is done for all of us.
5.) A family is grieving the loss of a mother and grandmother right now who was unexpectedly called home. Please pray for comfort that only the Lord can provide.
6.) Please pray for rest for me as school resumes next week. The thought of returning to work is overwhelming and exhausting. I find full-time mothering so rewarding, yet it is not the Lord's plan for our family right now. I need peace as I prepare to return to work.

I am praying for you, my silent readers. You are loved and covered in prayer.

Dear Lord,
Our need is SO deep. We live in a fallen world. We are sinners. We struggle when we communicate with each other, with you, with ourselves. Please, Lord, work through us so that others will see Your Glory in our lives. Let us whisper the gospel with every task we attempt. Thank you for sending your precious Son to bear our sins on the cross, for without that sacrifice, we would continue to live separated from you. I pray for every person that comes to this place. That I might point them to You. That Paul David Tripp's message will speak to their hearts and create a yearning to strong in them to know You more and to love You more deeply.
In Christ I pray,
Amen