I had an opportunity last week to spend the day at a quiet day of prayer at a Christian retreat centre in Wales. Nicholaston House is set in it’s own grounds and is in the countryside. I went knowing what passage of scripture to study and ready to write out notes.
Yet this was not to be. God wanted to do something different and my plans began to change.
Luke 10:40-42 (NIV) Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary.
Martha complains that she has been left to do all the preparation by herself and that Mary is not helping her. Yet Jesus said that Mary had chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.
As I sat in the quiet trying to study scripture, God spoke to me. He told me to put my own agenda aside and listen to him. This was my time to be a Mary and sit in his presence and listen to what he had to say. It was a time of peace and a refilling of the Holy Spirit in my life. Sometimes we all need a refreshing especially when our spiritual tanks start to register on empty. When our cars run out of petrol we need to go and have it filled up, or it won’t go anywhere. God is our fuel and we need him all the time to help us with every situation in our lives.
Life can be difficult and challenging at times. Yet I want to encourage you to come to God as much as possible, to seek his face and have a close and joyous relationship with him. John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (NIV) This is what Jesus wants for us an abundance and overflowing of life. And by having a relationship with him this is what we will have.
I love the way God can speak to us in so many different ways. He can use his word or a person. The verse of a song or an unexpected way. A few years ago I bumped into someone from a former church I attended. As we talked he surprised me by telling me that he had been praying for me since I had given my life to the Lord. This came as a surprise to me. It was wonderful to know that all those years someone had decided to pray for me. And that same afternoon in the ministry that I was a part of, something happened that put me and my friend in a dangerous place with some people. Yet knowing that someone had been praying for me for a few years just really encouraged my heart and knowing that God was in the situation and that he is in control helped me through this time.
1 King 19:6-7(NIV) Elijah Flees to Horeb (NIV)
Elijah had done so much that he felt afraid and exhausted he couldn’t do anymore. Sometimes that’s what happens in ministry you give and give until there is no more that you have left. God gave time for Elijah to be strengthened and healed before sending him out again. Maybe this is your time for restoration and refreshing, to come out of the desert place and into green pastures. A time for your healing to happen and for a new beginning to take place. God will never give up on us he loves us unconditionally and wants to see us whole.
Twitter @lorrainehossing Facebook Lorraine Hossington
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