Capistrano Community Church

December Blessing Journal
Song: Lord Use Me
Bible Passage: Matthew 5: 1-12

Lord Use Me
Lord, use me as an instrument of your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow your love; Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt keep strong my faith;
When in my life I face despair O Lord, my faith but comes from hope,
In sadness there is joy found in You.
Words by St. Francis of Assisi & Music By Rich Anderson

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God. [Matthew 5:9]

This beautiful poem is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was born at the end of the twelfth century and lived in the little village of Assisi. When we visited Italy last year, Cheryl and I spent a full day in this beautiful place, nestled on the hillside overlooking the Umbria Valley. St. Francis’ family was both worldly and wealthy and he was a product of this environment, but upon conversion his life changed dramatically. He heard God’s call to “rebuild” the church, in particular a little church at Santa Damiano. Obeying God’s call, he devoted the rest of his life imitating Christ by living a life of poverty and obedience. When people came in contact with St. Francis, they experienced and saw Christ mirrored in him. Each day of his life, nothing was too important to set aside for someone who was in need. He understood the Gospel message and he lived his life as a true example. And we should too.

Too often we ignore the needs of people around us, or even miss obvious opportunities before us to help because of our busy lives and schedules which are too full. St. Francis spent his entire adult lifetime seeking to help those in need always gently guiding them to a relationship with Christ, which is most important of all. One of my favorite quotes by St. Francis is: “We must spread the Gospel everywhere we go, but only occasionally use words.” In the book “Devotional Classics” edited by Richard Foster, he writes; “Two things immediately strike me about the life of St. Francis; his merry abandonment and his instant obedience. He tramped the villages and towns of his day, joyfully announcing the presence of the Kingdom of God and wonderfully demonstrating its life and power. He also obeyed without hesitation any word he believed to be the command of Jesus Christ. The two are connected of course. Only as we let go of all other loyalties and securities are we free to live obedient lives. Merry abandonment, instant obedience…..excellent virtues for us to strive for in our world of a thousand competing loyalties.”

So our prayer should be “Lord, use me as an instrument of your peace in any situation, anytime or anywhere. Use me. I am here Lord.”

-r anderson

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