A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

¹ You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
⁷ Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.

^{I think back to some of the crushes I’ve had in my life and realize how many of them were insignificant in my story, and yet, thoughts of young men kept me up at night. I couldn’t fall asleep because I was replaying the interactions of the day that PROVED he finally noticed me!}

David’s passion is inspiring. His love for the Lord is all-consuming and desperate. Even as Saul sought his life, he could not refrain from praising his Maker and Protector.

I’m choosing two words, to characteristics to pray for in 2013. I realize the year will come with new seasons, but for now I know that I want to pray for PASSION. I long for passion that drives me to my knees in prayer, pulls me excitedly out of bed in the mornings to open the Word, and fills my heart with continual thanks and worship.

I cannot create passion on my own, but that’s why I’ve chosen DISCIPLINE as my second word. This isn’t the discipline required for wrong-doings, but instead, the disciplines of prayer, memorization, fasting, community, and worship.

Training in running has taught me that passion, a love for running, comes through logging miles and not thinking about what I’m wearing to the race. I’m praying that discipline will inspire a new sense of passion.

Have you considered a theme word or character trait for 2013? I would love to hear what you’ve chosen.

Following,

Ginger