Sunday, July 6, 2014

Assorted thoughts, all related to time

I'm not even going to try to weave this all together tonight. But I want to put it in the file, on the record, so to speak, because I think I will look back and see some significance.

Where to start ...

Sometime before last Monday, I became aware of Anne Graham Lotz' "7 7 7: An Urgent Call To Prayer" initiative and signed up to receive the emails. The concept is to pray on the first 7 days of the 7th month; and then pray and fast for 7 hours on the 7th day of the 7th month. The purpose: "For God the Father to restrain, protect, and deliver His people from the evil that has come into our world; For God the Son to be exalted, magnified, and glorified in His church, in our nation, and in our lives; For God the Holy Spirit to fall on us in a fresh way, compelling the church to repent of sin and our nation to return to faith in the living God, resulting in a great national spiritual awakening."

I've received the emails each day and prayed as I read them. The Denison Forum I read each weekday also references this, and on Friday, Jim Denison addressed the issue that comes up big on Monday: seven hours of fasting and praying. He noted that the fast doesn't have to be from food; we can fast from anything that blocks us from God or that will make us long for what we are missing -- and to turn to God to fill that longing. I actually think it might not be that great a challenge to fast from food for seven hours. But I'm not sure how God would intend for me to find seven hours to pray ...

And yet, I have not ruled it out. I am praying for a willing heart and spirit ...

I think that relates to what I highlighted today from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest," under the heading "Visions Become Reality," referencing Isaiah 35:7, "The parched ground shall become a pool ..."

Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. ... Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.

Also intertwined are these things:

-- Youth Force started today at the church, with 80 to 100 youths and adults coming in from churches throughout Oklahoma and one from Texas to do mission work and grow spiritually. I'm singing in the praise band, which will lead worship each evening and Friday morning. It is a blessing for me to be a part. But I realized during the commissioning service at church this morning that this is about more than singing. I got involved from the start just to help the group learn the songs. Helping lead this group in worship tonight was humbling. I do sense that God is at work. I am eager to see how He uses each person, including me ...

-- Thursday, I wrote this in one of my notebook/journals:

Dilemma: not enough time.

Latest urge is to learn to play the guitar. But I already find myself saying I can't even try, because where would I find the time? Shouldn't I be using any spare time to clean my house and messes? Sigh. WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO MY MESSES, LORD? Even when I don't pursue new pleasures, my messes still stay a mess.

(Other things I don't do for lack of time are read and watch classic movies.)

Where do people find the time to do all of these things?????

-- And finally, under the idea, perhaps, of "time marches on," I was reminded this morning by my Mom's Facebook post that her Sunday school class may disband and be absorbed into other classes after the resignation of the teacher. I've written before about how the membership of this class has dwindled as the years have passed. So many -- including my Dad, my father-in-law and other dear souls -- are now among our witnesses in heaven! I pray that however this works out, that each member of that class be able to hold on to those precious memories and also to continue to have a place for fellowship and Bible study where the joys and concerns and sharing and caring are as strong as they have been among the Christian Thinkers class for at least 60 years.

I would like to wrap this up with some profound thought or just the right Scripture, but that's not happening tonight. It's TIME to get to bed so I can rest and be ready for whatever God has in store tomorrow!

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