Tuesday, January 26, 2010

WALKING AND PRAYING MY WAY TO ISRAEL (6)

What does a hair cut, a beard trim, lunch, and a nose bleed have in common? Well, normally, nothing. But with me the the abnormal often becomes the normal. All those things happened to me today. I had today what might be called holy interruptions. Yet they never caught God off guard. He was not at all surprised.

What tied all those events together for me is that in each case there was at least one other person to share the moment with. I went to Paul's Barber Shop this morning and there is where I had my hair cut and beard trim. It was also there that I met three other gentlemen besides my barber that I had meaningful conversation with. None of the three were strangers to me, yet it seemed providential that our lives intersected at just the right moment. In the case of each of the three men the conversation turned to spiritual matters. One gentleman even showed interest in attending our church. In fact I was so caught up in conversation that I left without paying the barber. Don't worry, I did return and honor my debt.

Later on I met Bro. Sam, who would take me out for lunch. It was during our time together that some important topics were discussed and settled upon. Again, the lunch was planned but not what we eventually talked about. But before I finished my lunch I developed a nose bleed, and that prevented us from doing what we had planned to do the rest of the afternoon. As it turned out Bro. Sam made perfect use of his time alone by making a needed pastoral visit. I went home with my nose in the air, only to find someone else, my wife. It was good because she had not been feeling well and I was able to check on her while she helped me with my nose bleed.

By The Way, by now you are asking, where is all this headed? Just hang onto your hat if you have one. My day did not go as I had planned it. I managed to walk 15 minutes instead of my usual 30 minutes and did not get to do my weight room work out at all. But was my day, this one day of walking with the Master a flop? Not on you life. My life intersected the lives of others that I could not have planned if I had worked on it for a year. it was a God thing. These were divine interruptions. Paul in Philippians says something that speaks to this issue.


Phil 4:11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me
.


When Paul talked about being content in whatever state he was in he was not speaking of Arkansas or any other state in the USA. He was talking about circumstances.

So often when things do not go the way we had planned them we get frustrated, and feel our day was wasted. If God is in charge of our walk, if He is doing the leading, if he is our spiritual GPS, then the day is never lost. I believe that often we accomplish more for the Lord by what others may see as accident or coincident, than we do by our rigorous planning.

When we let the Lord lead the way, life becomes an adventure and we simply wait with anticipation for the next divine intersection or divine interruption.

Join me on the road to the Golden City and have the time of your life.



THOT: GOD'S PLAN SHOULD ALWAYS SUPERSEDE MY PLAN

1 comment:

Jim said...

Ray,
So, your day was guided in a way that was relatively unplanned as far as the interruptions were concerned? Indeed, God does set the agendas and allow us to start the meeting. Then at times He brings some unknown items into play that we could not and would not plan (i.e. nosebleeds and etc.) if we could. Correct?

Isn't it wonderful, this life of surprises? Every day a new adventure, taking us into the unknown on discovery. Makes life exciting, doesn't it?

Walking with you, Bro.

Jim-Dad