DEVOTION: Exasperated - Ray Hawkins

Dear Lord,

            Do You ever get exasperated with Your redeemed? I mean, there must be times, humanly speaking, when You must scratch Your head and wonder. I don’t mean any disrespect and if I’m being a bit familiar I do apologise. What I’m trying to say is, we pray and pray that You would be with us on our journey and when things go wrong wonder if you have taken any notice of our prayer.

Here I am sitting on the side of the road waiting for the highway service van to come and fix my tyre. I should have been able to do it myself but it seems the tools have been taken out of the car.

Still, I should be thankful, I suppose. When the tyre blew the car never flipped over or hit another. My mobile phone works out here. Glad I had that intuition to put it in the case. But these inconveniences makes a person question if You took stock of my prayer. Then again, maybe I equate prayer with a non hassled, non disturbed, warm and fuzzy day. I prayed before this journey that You would watch over me and here I am complaining as though You had left at the last petrol station. Lord, do I subconsciously think of You as my personal ‘Blessing Machine’ whose responsibility it is to keep trouble and me separated? Maybe, Heavenly Father, I’m missing a critical factor in all this. Does it get under Your skin when You want us to discover spiritual principles in our situation only to hear us whinging and carrying on?

Well, Lord, its time I became a little more sensitive to what You are trying to get through to me. This roadside seems like a good classroom in which to begin. I probably will not graduate as life is a long school term. However, I may become more bearable to my family as I have a more believing attitude about Your presence in whatever comes.

Amen!

And Lord, I want to apologise for my unbelief.

Amen and amen!

Raymond N. Hawkins
ray.haw3819@bigpond.com

Raymond N Hawkins (Tasmania) is a retired Churches of Christ (Australia) minister. He is married to Mary, a multi-published author. They are parents to three children and ‘spoilers’ of 5 grandchildren. Ray still preaches at a newly formed Baptist Church and as other opportunities arise. He helps at their son and daughter-in-law’s sea horse and fresh-water fish farm. He and Mary have experienced three short-term mission trips to African countries as well as ministered in the U.K.