You may have had to miss our ladies’ event at church last Thursday, but you won’t have to miss the talk I prepared to share. The first part—Red, White, and Ready or Anything is on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/answersfrommomanddad
It’s hard to be ready for anything when this global quarantine continues and cases of Covid 19 are increasing about as fast as the conspiracy theories about it.
Not to mention the fact that we don’t know how long it will be until things return to normal or if they ever will. I have heard experts pontificate that we might be wearing masks forever!
It’s tough to be ready for anything when economy is a question mark or even a minus sign. And in spite of the news, we try to remain in denial about the fact that this disease could come for us and those we love. We’ve watched those apocalyptic movies. We know what that looks like! No thank you.
If you find yourself NOT READY for less freedom, more quarantine, more disheartening news, less face to face time with friends and you can’t stop the chatter in your head as you find yourself derailed daily by negative and intrusive thoughts that rob you of your peace, then it’s time to shift your focus.
Instead of asking Why—Why is this happening? Why do I have to go through this? Why won’t you stop this, God? We ask, What—What can I learn from this? What blessings do you have for me, Lord? What do I need to do to appropriate those blessings?
One blessing I’ve noted is that during my prayer time, I am taking time to listen to the Lord. Now please hear me, if you are one of those folks whose workload has increased to the place where you can’t find time to breathe much less to listen to God, please forgive me. I am so not trying to make you feel worse about your crazy busy schedule. In fact, I not only have encouragement for folks with more time to contemplate, here is a post for those whose lives have been made busier by the pandemic on Answers From Mom and Dad.
I always tend to be a woman on a mission. I plan my work and work my plan. If I am honest about it, when I am flowing and going, moving and shaking and getting things done (I am working on not being an accomplish-monster—really.) my prayers can sound more like I am giving my Christmas list to Santa Claus rather than worshipping the creator of Christmas itself. Now in these trying times, I am continuing to focus on how to be a human being and not a human doing as I sit in God’s presence and just be.
Sometimes as I linger in prayer, God tells me things, but most of the time He just assures me of His love and provision—and that’s much more than enough.
During this quarantine, I had the privilege of creating 6 Stress Management videos with the words that the Lord laid on my heart with His gentle whisper since I finally had time to quiet my heart and mind. The tools in these videos blessed me as much as they did the hundreds of folks I was able to share them with. Click the video section here to view them.
One of my favorite turn-of-the-century writers, Hannah Whitehall Smith sums up what I am saying best with this story:
“In order to really know God, inward stillness is absolutely necessary. I remember when I first learned this. A time of great emergency had risen in my life, when every part of my being seemed to throb with anxiety, and when the necessity for immediate and vigorous action seemed overpowering, and yet circumstances were such that I could do nothing.
“For a little while it seemed as if I must fly to pieces with inward turmoil, when suddenly the still small voice whispered in the depths of my soul, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ The word was with power, and I listened. I composed my body to perfect stillness, and looked up and waited; and then I did ‘know’ that it was God, God even in the very emergency, and in my helplessness to meet it; and I rested.
“It was an experience that I would not have missed for worlds; and I may add also, that out of the stillness seemed to arise a power to deal with the emergency, that very soon brought it to a successful issue. I learned effectually that my strength was to sit still.”
I want more prayer times like this lady, don’t you?