Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Direction

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry and mine are always going awry no matter how carefully I craft them. And I do carefully craft them. I love to know what is going on and I love to know it ahead of time. I can tell you where I plan to be the third week of July, 2012 (Montana) and first week of December (Nigeria) and every week between here and there but ALL of it is VERY subject to change!

And the point is???? Yesterday I posted Christmas pictures and said, "..we plan to hit the road tomorrow morning" but it is around 10:30 and we are still in Ohio. I was supposed to have the BoggsMobile in Nashville, Tennessee at 2:30 today for some routine maintenance and then on to Wynnewood, Oklahoma for battery replacement and then to Blair, Oklahoma for revival. I cancelled the Tennessee appointment but I intend to keep the rest in place.

Why didn't we leave this morning? There are two parts to the answer...
1. A little winter weather forecast to blow through Ohio today.
2. A little hesitant feeling about leaving that started gnawing on me as we were going to church last night. I could have hooked up last night after church and beat the weather system but the little nudge to stay kept me here.

I have learned through much trial and error (Mostly error) to listen to those gentle proddings. It may be God speaking. There have been enough times when I have heard what seemed like a still small voice and could plainly see later that the Lord was guiding our family along. He was protecting us from harm or providing for our needs or placing us in the right position to be the most help to some one else in need. I have been busy this morning trying to seek God's direction and looking for doors of opportunity to minister to others while I am seemingly delayed from my course.

Why do I tell you? To encourage you to be sensitive to God's voice. Is He guiding you to a place of safety? Is He directing you to His divine provision for you and your family? Is He pointing you toward a new place of service? Is He offering words of comfort and peace? Is He prodding you to notice a person that could use your help and encouragement? I encourage you to seek the voice of God in your life.

It may be that God will speak to you audibly or He may speak to you through adversity.

He may speak to you publicly or He may speak to you privately.

God may speak to you loudly or He may speak to you softly.

He may speak to you while the Word is being preached or He may speak to you while you are reading the Word in private devotions.

God may speak to you while in prayer or He may speak to you while in conversation.

He may speak to your ear or He may speak to your heart.

Rest assured, friends, God is speaking to you. Take some time today and each day to listen to Him. He has exactly what you need. In your sickness, in your trial, in your loss, in your struggle, in your grief, in your sorrow, in your battle or in your sin. God knows what to say and when to say it. Are you listening to His voice? Hearing Him will make all the difference in your situation and in your life. I have missed Him or ignored Him several times and it was always to my own hurt. I want/need/must HEAR God's voice.

Listen, friend, you do not have to be super spiritual to hear Him, I am living proof of that!

End of sermon...

We may leave later this afternoon or we may leave tomorrow morning. Since we won't be going through Tennessee we will most likely take the most direct route to Oklahoma. That means we will be going our familiar road through St. Louis and then down I-44 through Missouri. That opens up some interesting possibilities along the route including Lambert's. I will let you know...

Davy