Luke 1 has long been one of my favorite chapters. I love the background story to the birth of Christ-it gives more depth to the birth of my Savior. This week I was able to attend the ladies Bible study at church(pluses to not having classes). A lot was mentioned, but what struck me was the beauty of prayer. The question was posed “How differently would I pray if I knew God was listening? I pondered that. Yes I pray, but how much contemplation or thankfulness do I give to the truth that God hears me? I think that would increase the sincerity and depth of my prayers.Life will always be full of challenges, and my heart will be prone to question God’s work or timing. However, I am learning more and more He tends to answer prayers in ways I don’t expect so I clearly see His hand. Pastor Pat once said “God leads according to our desires, not according to our plans.” That resonates with me now that I am in Cuenca. God knew the desires of my heart, but until God worked in certain ways, my plans were never to live in Ecuador on my own. God fulfilled the desires of my heart through His plan of me returning to Ecuador; His plan was better than I even imagined (Eph.3:20).
I have to admit at 23, I have a lot of ideas or desires in my heart, but sometimes I am afraid to pray them. Why? Fear of disappointment and fear of caring too much about something God may not have for me. But as I have been reminded of in our study in Nehemiah (which I am about to get to) fear is a lack of trust in God. If I really believe God is good, I will give Him all the desires of my heart. If He closes the door I think I want opened, He has His reasons, and though it might take my heart a little while to catch up, I can trust His hand. What I can be sure of is that He hears and is at work. Zechariah and Elizabeth had long prayed for a son, but the timing is not what they thought or initially wanted. Yet God’s timing is always perfect, and He truly cared and wanted to bless them. He just needed them to wait.
Nehemiah- In a mid-week Bible study at church we have been studying this Old Testament book. I’ve really enjoyed the study and been challenged by the truths evident in the story. We’ve only made it to chapter five , and to regurgitate all my notes would be quite the post, so I thought it best to mention the highlights.
The Jews were working on repairing the wall; this was no small task. To accomplish such a feat required time and sacrifice. By devoting time to this work, the men had to forgo their normal work-a sacrifice. A successful wall would also demand unity. Throughout the book the Jews had times where they exemplified strong unity and times where they failed in that area. That’s true of the body of Christ today. I’ve always agreed that unity is important, but the more I observe in ministry, the more I see the validity of that principle. A body has to have all the parts to function to full capacity. Now I can’t control the all the reactions of the body, but I should always be looking to see how I can honor God by serving the body. Unity is what Satan tries to destroy, which makes sense. Without unity, destruction and chaos soon follow.
Nehemiah’s job was not easy. He took the lead many times, not just in organizing the construction of the wall, but in defending it when attacks came and addressing sin when it penetrated among the Jewish believers. Sounds a bit overwhelming, yet he responded in a godly fashion. How? He feared God. He cared more about pleasing his God then pleasing men. He was zealous to make much of God.
This is what the Lord has been teaching me through His Word this week. I will be sure to update soon about different opportunities God is giving me before I start work, but for today I just wanted to focus on these truths.
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