The length of our days is seventy years – or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away …  Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  (Psalm 90:10,12)
 
Our first grandchild, born a week ago, has a life expectancy of more than 30,000 days.  That seems like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not.  I need to be reminded that my days are few and that every day has eternal consequences.  Instead of getting lost in the mundane activities of 30,000 everydays, I need to remember that all I really have is today and that the Lord expects me to use it well.  As I interact with people, He wants me to see, not their outward appearance, but rather their real needs and hurts.  He wants me to invest time in the disciplines of sanctification that are so important but don’t shout Urgent! – such as His Word, prayer, and stillness.  He wants me to engage in my necessary, work-a-day activities with the constant desire to honor Him.  Ask the Lord to help you live today with eternal consequences, in others’ lives and your own, in mind.
 
(The idea for this meditation came from one of the panelists at the Women’s Ministry event on April 17.)
 
Here are some suggested prayer topics for this week:

Lift up Cory and DJ Hovivian, our missionaries in Ireland, and their four children.  They have just moved from Dublin to Cork to serve with a national pastor and congregation.  Pray for all the adjustments that come with a move and a new assignment.

Pray for anyone you know who has trouble resting in the truth that the Father values and loves them for who they are in His Son, not what they do.

Here is a worthy prayer habit to cultivate: When you walk or drive by a school in your community, pray the Lord’s protection over the children and staff of that school.

Lord, pry open my fingers that have made a fist around my negative emotions and tame them.  I want to be controlled by Your Holy Spirit, not my emotions.
 
Pray for the 16 members of the Kenya GO Team.  They are gearing up preparations for Vacation Bible School for 750 children from the Mathare Valley slum.  Humanly speaking, that sounds like a daunting task; thankfully, nothing is impossible for God!  They are also engaged in evangelism training, learning how to communicate the gospel with clarity and passion but without much spoken word. 
 
In Christ,
Carol Gilbert, Prayer Chair
Calvary Community Church of Brea