A Morning Prayer

This morning I prayed that the Lord would make me useful for His purposes in the day which was unfolding.  It was a simple prayer of saying, "Lord, if there is anything you want me to do for You today, I am willing.  I am available."  It is not a prayer unique with me.  I know of others who have prayed such a prayer in the days that were given to them.  Some have said it makes the day more interesting, more exciting, that it creates a sense of anticapation, and that it is an intentional effort to partner with God  according to His plans rather than ours.    

At the end of the day, I looked back.  There was a moment of sharing with a hurting parent at the place where household trash is dumped; there was a time of praying with an old friend at the end of our time together;  througout the day there were reminders of the Spirit to pray for a nephew and his family who are traveling home on a long grueling trip;  there was an afternoon moment for sitting on the porch with an uncle of my wife who holds family stories close; and then there were several phone calls where shared hurts were given and received.    

Could all these times of blessing happen apart from my early morning prayer?  Possibly.  What was more probable was the fact that these same opportunites would have presented themselves and I would have missed them.  Maybe my asking God to grant me moments of sharing with Him in His stuff created an openness in my heart and a stillness that slowed me down so I could see and know without thinking about it that He was inviting me to join Him in doing some of His stuff.  I am grateful for the morning prayers which blessed me and set my day in motion and even more grateful for that end of day Word which spoke saying, "Look at what we did today."