Job 11:13

If you properly prepare you heart,

   Spread your palms before Him,

 

Happy I was. I obtained a card I wanted for less than I was willing to pay. I keep lowering how much I am willing to pay, and I keep getting happy. I may need to go even lower to keep it happening.

“Properly prepare” was also “direct rightly”, “devote to Him”, “set”, “ready”, or slight variations thereof. I seem to have made up the properly part.

“Heart” was also “mind”.

“Spread your palms” was also “stretch out your hands”.

Some friends have a new dog and I always try to remember to approach them palms up as I once learned dogs who do not already know you are less afraid when you show your palms rather than the back of your hand. I think the same principle applies to people; if they can see your palm, they know you are not holding a knife. This probably pushed me to palms more than anything else. Spread you palms also seems more prepared for a hug than stretching out your hands.

I have often found my self with enough of a time gap to sit and work through a verse of Job, but also found my heart was not ready to learn. I find that I have time to spend with God, but my mind is filled with something else and I cannot change focus. Sometimes it is something stupid like a baseball card, but sometimes it is something to do with the kids or a financial decision or something seemingly important to get done.

In my paradigm, worship of God is supposed to be done only when our hearts are prepared. Our minds have to be open of we are simply sitting or singing or otherwise wasting the motions. I want to worship with all I do, but it takes more discipline than I have naturally. It seems the goal is to drop anything of the world and only do those things that God is helping you with. I know He helps me deal with the kids, and financial decisions, and everything else important, so I need to live like it.

(Written 2/15, Posted 2/16, Job 243)