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"But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." (Matthew 13:16-17 ESV)
Exceptionally strong winds in Nevada and Utah have caused large quantities of tumbleweed to roll into town where it has invaded highways like a bowling alley and congregated at fences which provide a barrier to rest up against.
I found it fascinating to watch a video where large numbers of sizeable weed balls roll down the main roads for cars to have to evade, and avoid running into other cars in the process. I guess somewhat akin to a large dodgems with added peril.
It made me think about how we allow the world and its influence just to roll up against us and into our lives. They interfere with our walk and listening with God through prayer and our daily devotions. We have Jesus’ revelation in print to read, how fortunate are we?
I am sure that each one of us has our favourite bits of interference to acknowledge. Favourite may be mobile phones, Facebook, websites, food, cars, houses, guns, TV, gossip. The list goes on.
I’d like to say I set time aside for prayer and fellowship as I meet with others but it is just not the same as being still before God on my own, with no one to influence my thoughts as I sit and wait and reflect upon what I see having read the Bible. All these influences and distractions, roll up and press against the time I had set aside for being still before God, requesting help for myself and others, then having ticked the box, I rush into the day.
It is my birthday; another year older, so it is good to set myself challenges to keep my marbles rolling along to stop them accruing any moss. (there goes another one). However, I seem to have misplaced my God-given cross somewhere on a pile of worldly stuff. In the haste to run into the day ahead, there has been less dialogue and more of my monologue. Praise God He loves us, but personal worship (worship =to bow down; to come together as if to kiss) involves us being still before Him.
Yes, Jesus loves me, us, and He allows me, us, to serve Him in our different ways to reach others. That arises first from our personal love for Him to spend time aside in obedience. If it does not then we are heading for trouble. That is one of the reasons I like writing because it forces me to listen to be still before God to hear what He is saying.
As we get up, as we travel, as we wait for appointments: Be still, listen for Jesus.
Prayer: Speak LORD, in Jesus’ name, for your servant is listening, amen.
Roderick Marshall
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