The Misprint

October 19, 2011 By
A Fairly Straight Wake.

Treasure in the Typo

A line in an unfamiliar song brought me up short in church. It lodged in my mind and glittered there like a gaudily-dressed starlet, demanding my attention.
It was “I’m falling on my knees/offering all my needs.”
Yes, I trust Him. And yes, I depend on His provision, see traces of it on even my worst days. And yes, I bring my requests before Him in prayer. 
I’d never thought of my requests as an offering, though. Considering this concept, I turned to Scripture.
I read Philippians 4:6-8:

6 B)’>prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And a]’>comprehension, will E)’>minds in AK)’>worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,29 yet I say to you that not even AM)’>grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? AO)’>worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for s]’>seek first AQ)’>all these things will be c]’>G)’>it will be given to you; e]’>knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9Or what man is there among you g]’>will give him a stone? 10 Or H)’>how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!(NASB)


Praying on these verses, I began to see how my requests could be an offering to God. 

When I set aside my anxiety, demonstrating that I trust Him, He gives me His peace.
When I seek His kingdom, acknowledging His righteousness, He’ll provide for my needs.
When I humble myself before Him and ask, He will give me good things. 

My mind drifted over to occasions in my own life when I’d felt slighted by a lack of consultation. How many times at work had I said, “I could have helped you with that if you’d asked me?” How many times had I said to one of the kids, “I would have helped you if you’d called?” 

Twin insights dazzled me. First, I saw that bringing my requests before God honors His sovereignty, acknowledges His omniscience, declares my dependence on Him. Of course my requests are an offering! It all made sense now.

But then I wondered: When I feel wounded because I’m not asked to assist, am I assuming a position of superiority? Am I considering myself greater than the one I hoped to help? Do I feel worshiped when I’m called on to help? 

The thought was like a wreck beside the freeway. I didn’t want to look at it.

I couldn’t look away. 


This morning as I sat down to tell this story, I searched online for the song that had prompted my recognition of this uncomfortable truth about my own pride. 

The song is Hungry (Falling on my Knees) by Kathryn Scott. 

The lyric that prompted this reflection, this wonderful discovery about God and this ugly, painful discovery about myself, isn’t “offering all my needs.”

It’s “offering all of me.” That’s a whole different concept.

And I think, within that concept, I will find the cure for this sickness I’ve uncovered in myself. An opportunity to help someone is service to God, not some subtle display of my own abilities.


As usual, it’s not about me. It’s about Him. I needed that little error in the lyric sheet to remind me. 

2 F)’>the law of Christ. 3 For , honor, Matthew 6, Matthew 7, mistake, Philippians 4, pride, worship

Comments

  1. HisFireFly
    October 19, 2011 at 6:30 am

    Oh Sheila…

    I love how God works through anything, even typos to make His thoughts known

    He will hold you tenderly as you process things…

  2. Sheila
    October 19, 2011 at 6:31 am

    He can bring goodness from anything, can’t He?

  3. A Joyful Noise
    October 19, 2011 at 10:02 am

    It is amazing how one word changed can make such a difference. All of Me, yes that is the way it should be. Your research was interesting too, as we present to God in an act of worship our needs and our-selves he accepts our offering!!

  4. emily wierenga
    October 19, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    oh sheila. you don’t know how i needed this today. thank you.

  5. Sheila
    October 19, 2011 at 4:00 pm

    Hazel, thanks.

  6. Sheila
    October 19, 2011 at 4:00 pm

    Emily, I’m honored you found something useful here. Thanks.

  7. Brandee Shafer
    October 20, 2011 at 6:26 am

    I love to read your heart, Sheila, and I’m glad for your misreading and discovering!

  8. Sheila
    October 20, 2011 at 6:28 am

    Discovery is a gift, hmm, Brandee? Funny how He can use even a misprint on a lyric sheet to pull the scales from our eyes.

  9. Deidra
    October 20, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    Oh, those typos. We think they’re mistakes, but not always…

  10. Sheila
    October 20, 2011 at 9:23 pm

    He can bring good even from poor typing, hmmm, Deidra? Good point!

  11. diana
    October 21, 2011 at 7:41 am

    As one who has spent far too many hours on the mundane task of searching for typos in bulletins and powerpoint, it’s nice to read that one proved helpful! You would not believe how people can pick up on the smallest error when it’s in print and then complain about it. And to be honest, they bother me, too. But here’s one that actually made a sort of sense and led you to scripture and self-examination, ultimately to life change. Pretty cool typo, I’d say.

  12. Sheila
    October 21, 2011 at 7:51 am

    Oh, Diana, I would believe it! Did you see Lyla’s FB post the other day about the bulletin announcement inviting women to a “sin-a-long”?? I am one of those people who notice every.little.thing.

    I agree. Cool typo, indeed.