We are currently in the Hebrew month of Elul, and one of the characteristics of this month is that the Jewish people refer to Elul as the “eye of the needle month.” The idea here is that God only needs a small space to do a great work. If we will surrender any small area of our lives to Him, He will pour His love, mercy and grace into that space and manifest Himself in an expansive way. He is always at work crafting us into His image, working out His plans and purposes in our lives, but even more so this month, as this is His appointed time to do so.
God wants to fill us with more of Him. But before that can happen, the vessel needs to be ready and capable of bearing the weight of His glory. He wants to fix what is broken, heal what has been festering and restore what has become dysfunctional. The purpose of repairing a fracture (whether in a bone or a building) is to strengthen and solidify the structure so that it can carry the weight of what it is designed to bear. He loves us enough to repair and restore us so we can carry more of Him. This is a time to let Him bring us into a “time-out” so He can touch these places and make them whole. He can take a bruised reed and rather than breaking it off, bring victory into that life. (Matthew 12:20)
Ask yourself, “What area of my life can I (will I) release to Him? What has been consuming my time, my energy and my focus? What has depleted my peace and my joy? What have I been trying to control and maintain on my own that I am now ready to trust to Him? Nothing is insignificant. Even a small area (eye of the needle) given completely to Him can become a marvelous work in you.
I challenge you to get quiet before Him and ask Him what area He would have you give to Him during this month of Elul. It might be a relationship or a financial situation, a physical ailment or a ministry or marketplace situation. Whatever it is, determine to take your hands off of it and entrust it to the One who loves you most. Pray this prayer and fill in the blanks with that area/situation:
Abba (Daddy-God), thank You for loving me so deeply and so completely. Thank You for choosing me to carry Your presence and glory to the world around me.
I want to give You room to move in my life more freely and more fully. I choose to give ___________________________ to You today. I am letting go of my need to control this situation. I repent for trying to manage this in my own strength. ____________________________ needs Your mercy, grace, power and love applied to it. Father, I invite You to manifest in this situation/area as You will – in Your way and in Your time. I submit to Your wisdom and power, and I trust You completely in this.
I know that You are working all things together for my good because I love You and am called according to Your purpose. (Romans 8:28) You are a loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. (Matthew 7:11) I trust that You will take this and make something beautiful as You strengthen and prepare me to carry more of You and to possess the land. I love You, Lord.
