Subtle Hints and Bold Pronouncements

One of the changes I've been undergoing over the last 6 months as I really surrendered more of my life and self to God's will is an effort to take more time to listen and observe. In doing so, I'm becoming acutely aware of a few developing themes in my observances. The last month, in particular, has brought a few of God's subtle undercurrents and forceful pronouncements into sharper focus.

Prior to a few months ago, I was largely (self-?)inoculated against the local and worldwide crises of childhood hunger and starvation. I knew it was there, but rarely heard or had impetus to think about it. But in the last month or month and a half, I can think of no fewer than four different arenas, three of which are almost completely unrelated outside of God's influence, where this was discussed, highlighted, or otherwise placed on my consciousness. While I wait for clarity on what I am to do about this in my life, I'm doing the usual "church" responses - financial support, prayer, compassion, and sharing education and knowledge. All told, I am being impressed upon that this is an inadequate response in the end, but I still haven't found my avenue of greater expression. Hopefully soon...

As way of another example, I had an interesting experience this morning. I've recently been making an effort to begin my day with a few minutes of uninterrupted, focused prayer. This is from another "subtle undercurrent", in which the value and necessity of morning prayer has been pressed upon me, again from multiple unrelated sources. This morning, I was running a little late, so I made a mental promise to "take care of it during lunch".

During my mid-morning break, I typically read a daily devotional from a book I purchased this spring. After reading each day's devotional, I sometimes flip to a previous day that I hadn't already read to glean a little more nourishment. Wouldn't you know it, the one I flipped to "at random" was a direct rebuke of my shirk from this morning. It began quite directly - "Dear friend, never go out into the danger of the world without praying first. ... When the morning breaks, resist the temptation to skip your early devotion or hurry through it." There was more worth pondering and discussing, but I needn't rewrite the entire devotional. The stength of the rebuke was impactful enough to induce this broader post.

God is speaking to us constantly. Make sure you stop to listen to what He has to say. I'm sure I've missed countless messages and nudges over the years. Who's to say where I might be today if I were actually attentive to His intended plans for me. And to multiply that by the billions who ignore or don't hear His whispers, it's provocative to consider how different the world might be.