On a different tack...
The other night was 'Hungry for God', which was excellent. I did some singing, some praying, some carpet therapy and some listening. This is what I heard/have been hearing/anticipate hearing some more of...
I was reminded of the times in the Bible when people are given glimpses of heaven and revelations in part. God shows some of his promise and reminds us that we have to wait. Sometimes you see what is often referred to as 'a glimpse of what is to come'. We often unwittingly focus on the 'what is to come' without adjusting our focus to the other side of the equation ('a glimpse') which is needed in order to achieve balance.
Often we get so hung up on waiting and hankering after the 'what is to come' that we forget to get excited about the waiting because we have in fact only seen a glimpse. Waiting is a privilege and the resultant 'deferred gratification' is definitely worth the wait.
Let's look at the Odeon... What if that was a glimpse of what is to come? If God didn't trust the faith of his leaders, he'd probably have said 'take that Odeon - do what you will'. Instead he tests us by saying 'do you take this and run, or do you hand it back to me?' We have handed it back, in anticipation of something greater and more apt for God's purpose. We have an idea of what it might look like because we have seen a glimpse but the test is now. How do we respond to what the world sees as 'failure' almost? Well we could get angry, we could become bitter, we could get frustrated, we could become divisive (it doesn't take the physical act of walking away to harbour an attitude of division, it is all to do with where your heart is and what it is doing).
An alternative attitude would be to recognise that when God stretches faith and gets his people ready for 'something bigger', the devil reacts with all of the above, trying to create conflict. God is pleading with us not to become divisive, but to fight the battles that are placed before us. For some of us this is daily, some of us even hourly and for others still it feels like a constant barrage of rubbish is hitting us in the face at the moment. God showed me that in church we sing 'Blessed be your name even though *add every tough situation*' but out of church we are getting despondent, angry, disappointed, frustrated etc by the silly things in life. Don't divide. Don't give up. Keep going.
This section of Psalm 62 summed it up for me really:
5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air.
10 Don’t make your living by extortion
or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
11 God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
according to what they have done.
I was reminded of the times in the Bible when people are given glimpses of heaven and revelations in part. God shows some of his promise and reminds us that we have to wait. Sometimes you see what is often referred to as 'a glimpse of what is to come'. We often unwittingly focus on the 'what is to come' without adjusting our focus to the other side of the equation ('a glimpse') which is needed in order to achieve balance.
Often we get so hung up on waiting and hankering after the 'what is to come' that we forget to get excited about the waiting because we have in fact only seen a glimpse. Waiting is a privilege and the resultant 'deferred gratification' is definitely worth the wait.
Let's look at the Odeon... What if that was a glimpse of what is to come? If God didn't trust the faith of his leaders, he'd probably have said 'take that Odeon - do what you will'. Instead he tests us by saying 'do you take this and run, or do you hand it back to me?' We have handed it back, in anticipation of something greater and more apt for God's purpose. We have an idea of what it might look like because we have seen a glimpse but the test is now. How do we respond to what the world sees as 'failure' almost? Well we could get angry, we could become bitter, we could get frustrated, we could become divisive (it doesn't take the physical act of walking away to harbour an attitude of division, it is all to do with where your heart is and what it is doing).
An alternative attitude would be to recognise that when God stretches faith and gets his people ready for 'something bigger', the devil reacts with all of the above, trying to create conflict. God is pleading with us not to become divisive, but to fight the battles that are placed before us. For some of us this is daily, some of us even hourly and for others still it feels like a constant barrage of rubbish is hitting us in the face at the moment. God showed me that in church we sing 'Blessed be your name even though *add every tough situation*' but out of church we are getting despondent, angry, disappointed, frustrated etc by the silly things in life. Don't divide. Don't give up. Keep going.
This section of Psalm 62 summed it up for me really:
5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air.
10 Don’t make your living by extortion
or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
11 God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
according to what they have done.
posted by NaiT at 6:34 AM
1 Comments:
Fab musings - send to Trinity house x
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