Know what I mean when I say in most prayers you never truly realize what you're really praying for...
...like praying for patience...really want the situations that build that quality in you??
...like praying to be better with change...because that's basically saying come "screw up" my neat life.
...like praying for directions and God-sized dreams....
...because that's what my 21-Day prayer challenged focused on and - MAN - rocked my world more than I ever thought it could. What a reminder of grace that even when we ask with only the "faith of a mustard seed" in our souls, what a mountain He will move.
I started the month being challenged to think about what a successful life meant to me and with the concept of "Lord, teach me how to pray." I realize there was a lot of "big" things I tended to pray for in very general terms. So I decided to fast from commitments and focus on praying through my involvement with church, community, and work so I could be dedicated and intentional (...as opposed to my all-or-nothing approach which works out oh-so-well as you can imagine...)
This last weekend, my church had a leadership retreat for everyone who help a leadership role at one of the 7 locations. This meant that 300 people gathered in West Virginia to seek the Lord's face for basically ... you guessed it... 22 HOURS. Within the first worship set, God was working in my heart and mind the refreshing, renewing, and re-wiring that I apparently had been praying for all month.
What I got was more than answers.
What I got was much more than I could handle.
What I got was 22 hours in the presence of the holy God.
What I got was undone, attacked, and handed some tall marching orders -
some pretty specific answers to some pretty vague wonderings.
I walk away from this prayer challenged changed. I walk away from this prayer challenge realizing that nothing is impossible for God. I walk away from this prayer challenge humbled in realizing it is not my place to judge but simply to obey and be faithful.
Two days after the retreat, I was reading my devotions in Revelations, not the easiest book to read you know. But God had a very specific message for me - patient endurance.
In this year of steadfastness, patient endurance will have to mark my way. Patient endurance will have to be my battle cry. And patient endurance will become who I am.
Patient Endurance - PATIENT Endurance - Patient ENDURANCE.
I'm not sure what this is going to mean but...
... I'm holding on to my seat because if it's anything like those 22 hrs last weekend, it's going to be a
CrAzY exhilarating CHAOTIC and beautiful year!
No comments:
Post a Comment