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Remember the story where we encounter obscurity as a young boy brings Jesus two fish and five loaves of bread to help feed the group of more than 5000 people:

…in none of the Gospels are We even given his name, and he is never mentioned again. Have you ever been asked in one of those small group ice-breaker questions, “What Bible story character would you like to be?” Would this be yours? Would you want to be “the young boy”? Would you be Willing to remain nameless, offering up your meager portion to your Savior, with no promise of return or guarantee of notoriety, but in complete obedience allow God to work His magic through your small “lunch”? That’s what embracing obscurity is all about: Being content with being “relatively unknown” so that Christ can he made more known. Temporarily going hungry, so that many more may be filled.
–Anonymous, in Embracing Obscurity

Ugh. My pride.
I don’t know about you, but my pride resists wanting to pick “the young boy” as the Bible character I’d want to be. The unknown, nameless one who offers all he has so that Jesus can be made more known…I mean I’m all for Jesus to be made more known through what I provide, BUT can’t I also be made more known in the process as well? That’s more along the lines of what I usually want. To get the pat on the back and be made known. I need God to keep helping me become a person of true humility this year.

Regarding God’s Story, Gabriel Fackre once said that:
–We need to get the story straight by learning how to give the content of God’s story and ours;
–We need to get the story out by developing natural communication skills;
–We need to take the story in by learning to depend on the Spirit’s power; and
–We need to learn how to defend the story to others by being prepared to answer the common questions people ask about the gospel.

God help me to better learn Your story, take it in personally, get it out to others, and be able to defend the story. Your story of love for this fallen, corrupted world is the best news that has ever been told. Help me to love to remember it and tell it!

Regarding the idea of a “Sabbath Rest” day:
…In the biblical Sabbath of the Old Testament, God afforded the poor the same amount of rest as the wealthy – which is certainly not the case of today’s society. …One key measure of whether you are experiencing a true Sabbath is to ask, “Can someone in poverty experience this?” The Sabbath won’t come up and embrace you; you have to embrace the Sabbath.
–David Goetz

Too many times I do not experience a true Sabbath on Sunday (the day of rest and worship for most Christians). Even though I am planning to go to church on that day, I do not come to the day with a proper thought about resting and meeting God. Instead, I come to the day with the idea that I will carve a portion of it out for God (a few hours at Sunday school and worship services), and I’ll keep the rest to do what I want to do. I need to have a change of mind and heart to give the day back to God. I’ve just spent six previous days on my plans, and God has ordained one day to be His in a different way. I pray that in 2015, I will embrace the Sabbath in a more intentional way. I hope you’ll join me in the attempt.

Not, indeed, that our Father in heaven always answers his children’s prayers in the form in which we offer them. Sometimes we ask for the wrong thing! It is God’s prerogative to give good things, things that we have need of, and if in our unwisdom we ask for things that do not come under these headings God, like any good parent, reserves the right to say, “No, not that; it wouldn’t be good for you — but have this instead.” Good parents never simply ignore what their children are saying, nor simply disregard their feelings of need, and neither does God; but often he gives us what we should have asked for, rather than what we actually requested.
–J. I. Packer

I am so glad that He is such a good Father that He doesn’t ignore me nor disregard me, but rather that He gives me what I should have asked for, instead of what I think I need.

God, help me always to trust that Your answers to my prayers are wiser than my requests!