Sailing sensibly in God's high seas intent on getting married to God's written and eternal Word shows that we have got or are getting a lot of pluck and prudence.
Bless you beautiful God for the wonderful covenant that You have established with Your creation who trust wholeheartedly in Jesus Christ and in His finished work of Calvary.
For those of us who have not yet sailed willingly in God's testing waters, the Holy Bible, may the thought of an eternal marriage to Your Creator Jesus Christ soon begin to set your pulse racing in a healthy manner. O God, Our Father we heartily congratulate You for planting a desire in our inner being to commit to Your absolute truth fully.
Draw us back to the stillness of Your shore; so that we can walk together
distant from the shore of worldliness. Draw us back to the stillness of Your soothing shore; so that we can experience the beginning of or continue a golden time together for we long for our love for You to flow with purer and purer delight. O Father God there is nothing pertaining to our life that Your compassionate heart cannot warm.
Touch our fingers whenever they suffer from the frostbite of frustration with Your healing hand; so that we who seek ever increasingly to be intrepid, diligent, loyal and loving pastors in Your service can serve You with a smile on our face instead of a frown.
Touch us today with Your healing truth; so that we can respond ultra willingly to Your righteous voice. Touch Your oft times, muddled mariners; so that the waves of self-interest in our not always clean heart are cleansed and stilled.
Although we worship You Our unique blessing, holy God and how we need Your daily encouragement. We realize that if we are to accomplish sailing feats that Your noble mind will warm to, then we will need Your help daily.
Help us, God Triune, Our Giver of strength, to stretch forth our hands; so that we can find the safety of Your holy, healing, happiness-promoting hands. Touch us again with Your purifying hands so that mightily encouraged, inspired and empowered we can face, surmount and triumph over the seas of uncertainty that every man and woman must journey through, in order for their bond of commitment to You be eternally sealed.
Dear soon to be wed mariners sailing about in the testing seas of God's Holy Bible, warmest congratulations on your inner heart's announcement that you desire to be married to God's living Word. You certainly understand how to seek after Jesus Christ the most prized jewel in God's ocean of love.
Intrepid mariners, be encouraged even if you feel from time to time that you are being splashed about in God's holy waters; for God certainly blesses those who set out determined to go where they have not gone before. He truly delights to bless us to accomplish beautiful things that will bring glory to His name. Novice mariners, congratulations for clinging tenaciously to God's truth.
May God keep you all buoyant as you show yourselves more than happy, despite squally showers and stormy seas, to venture into the unknown. How true it is that courage and sound vision will always rewarded by Our majestic Teacher, God Triune. What a reward you shall bring back intrepid mariners; for in finding God (with an immense amount of help from Him) you will find a greatly to be esteemed Teacher and Friend to treasure greatly in this lifetime and eternity.
Treasure your time sailing closer and closer to God's ark of safety called
"Jesus Christ loves you" and you will soon find that your boat is being
steered and towed around by His ark. Sing forth, day by day, with your voice full of thankfulness for the blessings that God is bestowing upon you salvation-focused mariners.
You are all extremely precious in God's sight, so treasure your time praying together also. Marriage to me is about seeking and finding. This seeking and finding at its purest level is continuous. All the beautiful things in any relationship occur because we ask, seek and knock. Seeking and knocking for God's presence is asking and praying at a deep level and it is always ennobling. Although we strive all too often for self-justification before You Our Saviour God. Although we think it is our God-given right to hoon around on earth.
Although our reasoning drives occasionally recklessly in the wrong lane.
Although our unclean, cold and calculating heart rarely turns from self absorption preferring to prattle on like an out-of-tune rooster promoting
impurity. Although we often prefer to live under rain clouds of self righteousness instead of having praise for Your covenant rainbow which is a glorious memorial to Jesus Christ. Have mercy nonetheless on our conscience which continues to be hammered by an unseemly stench of burdens that we have unnecessarily carried.
Draw us to You Our great Protector, God Triune for where You reign reigns Jesus Christ Your ark of safety. Draw us to Your pure-hearted Teacher; so that empowered by You we can draw closer to loving Jesus Christ's finished
work that He accomplished at Calvary. Draw us to thee, O God Triune, so that we need no longer salivate self-satisfied, self-righteously and smug over our achievements.
Draw us to thee, O heart-warming God; for the more You delight in us the more we can delight in You. Draw us to thee, Our eternal Author of happiness and prosperity, so that we can walk contently hand in hand together. Great warm-hearted Giver of life and listener of our prayers You truly are more beautiful than beautiful. We thank You immensely for taking our faltering faith and thank You immensely for always being our richest blessing.
Touch us Our gracious, just, holy, God and Author of the Holy Bible. Touch our thinking, emotions and decision-making faculties; so that forevermore our hungering and thirsting shall be ever-increasingly to praise You, to thank You and to adore You. O yes, love us so lovingly, so that we can courageously and confidently bear witness that You are Our inspiration.
Restore our soul, so that we can proceed to fight faithfully and victoriously to teach and feed our neighbour Your thoughts, feelings and decisions as expressed in Your Holy Scriptures. As my radiantly, happy heart is reaching out to you, lion-hearted learners, my fervent prayer is that your desire for an intimate relationship with God's eternal Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will deepen even more.
Be brave and conscientious, fellow mariners. Pursue holiness and you will
discover that God is a God of exquisite nearness and justice. All wintry wanderings are just for a season and a blissful Summer awaits
you as motivated by pure desire you keep coming before Your Maker and
the One who sustains with rejoicing, thankful hearts. May Summer always be just a song of thanksgiving away for you, precious friends. And just as in past times many others have found Our Creator's all glorious love, so also seasoned believers, or new seekers like you can breathe in the fresh air of heaven who is Jesus Christ.
Whenever your soul is hungering and thirsting after righteousness call upon
God's mighty High Priest, Jesus Christ by surrendering your time and talent to His safekeeping. Sail on with the spirit that Caleb had and you will discover He is also Your eternal Summer and longs also be considered by you your truest Friend. Humble searchers sing another song in praise of God's beauty. Sail on into God's harbour of holiness singing, studying, praying and working diligently to honour the written and eternal Word of God; so that God can empower and bless you to trust wholeheartedly in Jesus Christ's finished, redemptive work at Calvary.
Sail on, lovers of selflessness and you'll find Jesus Christ' gracious salvation and glory-to glorifying love will wash over and cleanse your heart just like the gentle in-flowing tide washes over sand. Sail on until you find yourself relaxing hand-in-hand with Your Beloved. Sail on until you find yourself sharing His footprints of faith on the sands of God's shore where every human heart sings with delight as it is washed gently clean by Jesus Christ. Amen.
