Taking Your Time

“Frequently when I come to a certain part of ‘Our Father’ or to a petition, I land in such rich thoughts that I leave behind all set prayers. When such rich, good thoughts arrive, then one should leave the other commandments aside and offer room to those thoughts and listen in stillness and for all the world not put up obstructions… I have learned more from one such prayer than I could have received from much reading and writing” – Martin Luther

It is so easy to get so caught up in our routine that we miss the new creative moments that God is forming in our midst. Our comfort with the well-worn methods and paths makes it difficult to see new adventures awaiting us if we would only chart a new course.

As a pastor, I know that some of the scariest words I hear are, “We’ve never done that before,” or their partners, “We’ve always done it this way.” I know some others who shiver at them as well, because they are a verbal expression of spiritual eyes partly, or completely closed to new things, even those that God is doing. The scariest times are when those words come from my own mouth.

In the 43rd chapter of Isaiah, God tells the prophet, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (NIV) God makes clear the divine desire to do something new; something that will bless the world and glorify God. The image of a clear path in a barren land and flowing water in the arid wasteland are beautiful and amazing.

Can you picture lost people, parched with thirst hearing those words? Can you imagine the hope that they stir?

We can envision the comfort and sense of relief the promises of the Creator bring to those in such need, and we can see how we too, crave the promise of similar blessings in our own lives. Maybe we are safely in our homes, with plenty to drink, but we know times of being spiritually and emotionally lost – times when our hearts and spirits seem dry and empty. What grace it is to hear that in those difficult times, God is doing a new thing that will show us the way and water our souls.

Martin Luther was right. Sometimes, we have to lay aside the prescribed activities, even if they are spiritual, to open ourselves to the precious moment with God that is before us. We may need to let go of what we held onto in the past, to take hold of the blessing God has for our future. It may be time to change our words of concern into words of hope declaring, “Thank God! We have never done it this way before! Now is our opportunity to embrace God’s new way and walk in it. God’s blessing lies down the path the he is revealing even now. We’ve always done it our way, now we can do it God’s way!”

Can we forget the past, not dwelling on the former things and envision a future designed and blessed by God? If so, then the adventure is just beginning and the refreshing waters of the Spirit are just ahead. May God’s blessing be ours for the journey.

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