Friday, February 22, 2013

A Deserted Place



When life gets so busy, it's easy to not spend time with the One who gives us all those blessings. This last week, I daily asked the Lord for so many things--understanding in all I'm learning, health to do it all, and provision for our ministry and us––along with all those prayers for family, friends and safety. And, I kept telling the Lord I wanted to spend more time with Him––but, I had Him on hold, so to speak. Yes, I had devotions, and yes, I meditated on scripture, but had I really blocked out everything so I could hear His voice. Not really!

But this morning, God gave me that time. I hadn't made time for Him, so He arranged a deserted place to be with Him. He said to them [me],"Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." Mark 6:31(NRSV)

Our Internet server's tech guy finally arrived to find and fix the problem we were having with our speed. They had to cut our service to work on the problem. No Internet and so many things to do. After pleading with God that He hurry those men along so I could get to the things I had to do, I heard Him say, "Come with Me."

I closed my computer and opened my Bible. I began reading in Psalms where I had stopped yesterday, and this is what it said...

"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle." Psalm 144:1(NIV) I have been in a battle. Any time we are giving God's Word out, we engage in that battle, and it is a war. The enemy will do anything to keep God's Word from spreading. Now I am writing to get God's Word out, and I feel that opposition. Never before have we had so many Internet problems that can't seem to be resolved. And, some days I feel like my head is going to explode from all the new things I am putting into it. But God is training my hands and fingers so that I can write His message.

After spending time in God's Word, I wasn't up tight because it was taking so long to get my Internet up and running again. I took a walk with God up the mountain behind our house. There were no camels there in my desert, only two ponies and what seemed like thousands of birds singing to Him––a little bit of heaven, a little time with my Creator. I didn't have to travel to an exotic far away place to get away from it all  (I already live in one), I just needed refreshed by His presence. Out of the embers came a spark.

I know God will teach me what I need to know in order to accomplish the work He has for me. He is training my hands and my fingers to write for Him. He told me that today, when I walked with Him.