Well, today is Day 4 of the Fast.
My observations about WHAT I'm fasting haven't changed much at all, so today I'm going to focus on some of the breakthrough moments I had:
1. While my students were taking their test this morning, I got to do some MAJOR devotions...I started reading the Evangel from last week and got "sucked in" to the articles and editorials that were published in that edition. I felt like they were directly speaking to me.
One thing I learned was I got direction and insight for the next (or at least upcoming) message series I need to do, including an idea for the congregation to participate in one of the lessons.
I was also challenged to think about what God wants me to think about only. He kind of reminded me of a comment I had made last Wednesday night in my message...When I talked about the "Spiritual Buffet," how we get into this habit of "sampling" all of these spiritual things available to us in our culture on this massive spiritual buffet. But the Lord told me that we can get too bogged down, even by trying to sample every godly thing that comes down the pike. I felt like my lesson today was that I needed to rely on him to instruct me on what to read, what to investigate--and if he wants me to investigate something, then there is a reason for it. And I need to really chew on it--because what he tells me to concentrate on is not a sampling from the salad bar...it's meat and potatoes and green beans.
2. I got the chance to go to the track this afternoon while my students were in their designated Library Time. During the track time, it was amazing time with God. I listened to the Third Day Offerings cd and walked and jogged and walked and jogged. I ended up jogging TWO FULL LAPS and going a total of 10 laps. It was freezing out there, and I experienced some asthma problems, but I really felt him speaking to me.
At one point, he showed me the track laps. That we all are on one lane of the track or the other and we only get so many walks around before we've gone as far as we can go and we quit for the day. Some people can walk one lap before they stop; others two, three, seven...and so on. Each lap is precious. We don't know when we have rounded our last corner, when our time is up, when we face Him and we are accountable for every lap we made, every step, every decision. We must keep this ever in mind.
Another observation: He made me realize how much better I do when I'm listening to music when I walk. It seems like music gives me a spring in my step, even when I am tired or unable to muster the "spring" even if I tried! But with music, the laps go by quickly, happily, and I find myself rounding corners, looking forward to the next song!!! He reminded me of what it was like to walk the track without music--I used to do this back in my single college days, for security and safety reasons. But it was really hard, then, without music, to keep the energy level up, let alone a spring in my step. And today, after that reminder, he showed me that that is what people are like: with music, with God, life is much easier, it tends to fly by, we tend to look forward to what is around the corner. Without music, without God, it is a struggle, so much so that you find there's not much to look forward to, so you keep thinking when it's time to give up, sit down, walk away. I suppose this could, in addition to applying to our lives on this earth, also relate and be relevant to anything that matters to us--like relationships, for example.
3. Another great thing that happened today was that I got to go to church and pray through the stations set up there. They had specific stations set up throughout the sanctuary and youth/children's church room so you could stop and pray for whatever the station was about. I really enjoyed it. It helped to focus the prayers, AND it helped me to do some self-assessments on certain subjects that I've needed to do a little self-assessment on. I didn't know what to expect going in, I must admit, but I really enjoyed it once I got there and went through it. Stephen said I prayed there for about an hour--which, to me, it felt like 30 minutes. What God did? Just how it was set up, I felt like I really "got through" on some of the prayer station topics--like healing, for instance. I felt myself praying, connecting, to many faces: family and church family and friends and co-workers alike. I prayed for needs that I knew of in their lives, and I felt like I had a CRYSTAL CLEAR connection for once. And as I prayed, I never said a word out loud, methinks, at least an English word. Yet I felt like my thoughts were going up right before His throne. Praise God.
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I have been able to "feel" more connected today...It has been such a wonderful day, a day I've hoped for, longed for, for quite a few days...
Looking forward to what God has for Day 4 of the fast---and this weekend!!! :)
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