The one thing you learn early on if you preach or teach the Good News is that most of the time (all the time?) you are preaching to yourself more than to others. The second thing I learned is that no matter how old you get you never stop learning. On Monday I wrote four devotions out of Luke 7 to be sent out on consecutive days. Tuesday turned out to be a frustrating difficult day.
I visited my primary physician who was just as frustrated as I am with the inability to diagnose what ails me. My fatigue level that day was high and accompanied by aches and pains. I looked ahead to this upcoming week and wondered how I would survive it the way I felt then. Tomorrow is Church and our Annual Business Meeting following service. Monday through Wednesday I’ll be in Cascade for a Prayer Summit. Home on Thursday to study and develop Sunday’s message. Friday and Saturday are the first of our Acts2Journey retreats. Sunday is church again and then Monday I get an epidural cortisone shot in my neck.
I’ll be honest, Tuesday night I cried before the LORD and told God I wasn’t sure I had enough strength to continue. Then on the way home from prayer that night I remember a devotion I just wrote the day before out of Luke 7 – the one where Jesus responded to his cousin John the Baptist (published on the 20th). I heard the LORD say … stay the course. It may be difficult now, but there are abundant blessings for the ones who remain faithful.
We have been praying for a mighty sweep of the Holy Spirit in our church, community, state, nation and world. I sense the Spirit saying it is just around the corner. I am not to quit just before the harvest begins.
Ah, amazing how God so often gives the answer before we can even articulate the problem!
