Getting Answers

Today Pastor Bil preached a great sermon. It was so good that instead of tithe I almost had to write, "payment for therapy session" on the envelope. He was talking about taking your life to the next level. Being married to a pastor myself, I know that the title Welcome to the Next Level is so much better than Hey Slob, Get Your Life Going! One of the verses in his sermon was Psalm 138:8 which says, The Lord will work out his plans for my life for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me. " (NLT)

I love that Psalm. Most scholars believe it was written on no particular occasion, but was instead a song of love, and provision about our mighty  God. In verses 1 - 5 the psalmist is praising God for answering his prayer. In verses 6 - 8 the Lord is dealing with both the humble and the proud. Bil's first point was simple. It was to decide what you want in 2011. He said later in the sermon that most people don't work toward a goal because they see the whole problem and don't take bite sized chunks to reach the goal. I would add that sometimes we see a big goal, we see a big God who is whole, and we see our inept selves and want to crawl in a hole.

What if you are so overwhelmed by the whole that you are confused as to what you want at all? Remember when you were little and a band aid fixed everything? The band aid was almost euphoric as it covered the pain, and it seemed to disappear. As we grow we realize band aids are a fix but they are not the solution. Do you know what you want in 2011? You do? Lucky! I can't say I am quite there. Some years it comes pretty easy. This year has started as more of a journey. The thing I want most in 2011 is for God to give me a clear vision for my life. 

I have a daily calender based from the book The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormy Omartian.Today she spoke about prayer itself. She said:
"Prayer is acknowledging and experiencing the presence of God and inviting His presence into our lives and circumstances. It's seeking the presence of God and releasing the power of God, which gives us the means to overcome any problem."
For me, today was not about moving toward, but moving forward. Seeking God and loving Him along with loving my family, my church, and others I get. How 2011 looks in the big spectrum is still a bit fuzzy. A little slack please. Our lives are changing. Our finances are changing (for the better or worse I can't yet say), and did you know no one asked me if I wanted them to change?! I am, as you say, along for the ride.

Today, I am making a conscientious decision to stop this ride and ask God for directions. I mean really ask as in REALLY ASK. I am choosing to be part of a movement called Awakening. You can find it at awake21.org. This is 21 days of prayer, fasting, and personal devotion. Honestly, I am perplexed this year. I have pieces of  God's direction but to say I see clearly... not so much ... yet. But God is so good. I know the result of truly asking God and that is He answers.

What is ahead that God would have me go to my knees this hard? (big breath) We will see.

(also from the sermon) "...fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of maturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
Romans 12:2 MSG