Psalm 119:18 English Standard Version (ESV) Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

When we file our taxes we take credit by listing our dependents. They may or may not be our children, but we provide for them in a legal manner that is allowed by tax laws.

We that are children of the Living God are His dependents and He declares us in accordance with a much higher code, His Word.

It is true even if we do not always feel that way. Some of us have left home and made lives for ourselves and we rarely think about ourselves being dependents of our Lord much less anyone else.

So often we will turn to the Lord because of life events, health, wealth and security being the easiest to recognize as issues of prayer. If it is not for ourselves it will be for someone we love.

There is so much to pray about it is easy to forget to do the first work of our ministry, to pray for the lost, to preach the gospel, and comfort the downtrodden. 

It is all those “big ticket items” that get our attention first. They may be the only thing we pray about but the Lord has not forsaken any that are or will be His.

When was the last time you asked the Lord what He wanted?

Can I get an ouch if not an Amen?

Sometimes the gourd needs to prick our souls.

If that point of reference is lost on us it might be because we haven’t revisited Paul’s conversion lately. 

Acts 9:5 King James Version (KJV) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

The last line of this verse is often left out of other translations. Forgive me for going old school on you but the KJV was what I was raised on and so often hear because it is embedded in my heart.

I do not quote the KJV most days for my readers comfort but sometimes we all need to have our consciences pricked. 

Or do we insist that we are free to do whatever we want?