Waiting for God’s Plan

Today’s Bible reading was Genesis 27-29.  It focuses on Jacob’s deception and the consequences of his deception.  Yesterday, Rebekah, Jacob’s mom, received the word from God that Jacob would get God’s blessing even before he and his older twin, Esau, were born.  Rebekah was a good, godly woman, who had seen the faithfulness of God first hand.  Still, in today’s reading, we see she feels she needs to take matters into her own hands.  She develops a deceptive plan for her favorite son, Jacob, to get the blessing from his father.  Jacob, who surely saw God working in his life, goes along with the plan.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve always pictured this young lad listening to his mother, which would have been very important in the Jewish society of his time.  So, I can almost offer up an excuse for him choosing to be a deceiver…but Jacob wasn’t a young lad.  He was actually around 70 years old.  My thought is he surely had to know better.  Still, he chose to take matters into his own hands.  He stole the birthright and got the blessing, but he also paid the price for it.

How easy it is to say, “Good grief, he had God’s promise.  He should have known better.”  Then, God quickly reminds me, ”How many times have you thought you knew better?"

As a believer, I know God has a plan for me.  I must admit, I'm not sure what it is, but He has a plan.  Several of my friends, who are also blogging, have used one of my favorite verses in their blogs this week, Jeremiah 29:11.  “I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and to prosper you.” (My paraphrasing – but read it for yourself below.)  I believe this to be true, and yet throughout my life I’ve been so sure I can do it better than God.  Have I ever been successful at outdoing God?  That would be a big fat all caps NO.  I’ve generally, ended up like Jacob in a big mess, experiencing heartache and disappointment I wouldn’t have faced if I had just waited on God.

Waiting is very hard.  Americans, in particular, and driven people like me don’t like waiting.  We make a decision and we want action; Now!!!  So, when it seems the Lord is taking too long, we decide to help things along.  Psalm 40 says, “I waited patiently on the Lord.  He inclined and heard my cry.”  The key is waiting and listening to find out what His plan is.  I want to learn to wait, but even more I want to learn to desire what God desires for me.  His plan will be good. 

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11

Lisa's Radical Experiment

If you've not read The Radical Experiment by David Platt, I would urge you to do so, especially if you want to grow as a Christian.  It is one of several books I've read this past year that has totally changed my perspective on what Christians should be doing to further the Kingdom of God.  Three additional books with life-changing messages are Crazy Love by Francis Chan, Becoming a Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg, and Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels. 

There are five basic challenges Platt outlines for people to live as part of the experiment, and the experiment lasts one year.  The thought is anyone can make a commitment for one year.  What are the challenges?  I'm so glad you asked.

1. Pray for the entire world.  Platt offers information on the Radical Experiment website on how to pray, but I think Bill Hybels offers a very good plan for prayer in his book Too Busy Not to Pray.
2. Read through the entire Word.  Platt provides a daily reading schedule on his website.
3. Commit your life to multiplying community, which basically means find other like-minded people and share, show, and teach the Word while serving the world.  This is where I think Becoming a Contagious Christian really offers sound advice.
4. Scarifice your money for a specific purpose.  This means giving until it hurts.
5. Spend your time in another context which Platt equates to 2% or one week.

So how am I doing? 

I'm working on the praying.  This is a sad statement for someone as old as I am to make, but it's reality.  No sugar coating allowed on this blog.  I pray, but it hasn't been meaningful.  Meaningful to me means I don't go through the five minute routine..."Thank you Lord for today, for watching over me, please forgive me of my sins, watch over the people on my prayer list, and could you do this for me...Amen."  Meaningful means praising God for who He is, which Hybels calls Adoration.  Meaningful is confessing, thanksgiving, and finally supplication (asking for help) for people I love, the world, and for me.  It takes longer than five minutes.  It means I need to stop long enough to listen for God to speak.  And stopping is really hard for me.

I'm re-reading the entire Bible.  This is going well.  I have set the alarm for 30 minutes earlier and each morning I spend the 30 minutes reading and studying the Word.  I want it to be longer, and that's something I'll work on during this year, but for now 30 minutes is more than I've spent each day in a long time.  Another sad statement, but the truth.

I haven't really figured out the multiplying community,  I believe my work with the Lakota fits this, but I'm working on another possibility.  More on this later.

I know I haven't sacrificed until it hurts.  I'm preparing by identifying organizations where I can give my money to further the Kingdom.  I have two I know I'll support: Lakota Baptist Church and the Kingdom Mission's Fund.  And of course, I'll support my local church.  I think there are other wonderful opportunities, but I have to choose.

Finally, for me the last is the easiest.  I already spend a week each year on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and with a white population of 4%, I'm out of my context when I go there.  This year, I plan on going to New Mexico to work with the Navajo kids, thanks to the generous offer from another sister in Christ, Andrea Donnell.  So, if all goes as planned, I'll spend 4% of my time this year out of context. 

It's going to be an interesting year. 

Is Anything Too Difficult?

I've started this blog in part as a way to hold myself accountable for following the Radical Experiment for the next year.  The thought is if I make my journey public there will be accountability and hopefully this will make me more faithful.  However, this isn't going to be a "look at how great I'm doing" Pharisee patting herself on the back kind of blog.  Rather, it is a way for me to say "yes" I'm living it, or pray for me I'm failing or floundering.

Also, I want the blog to be an outlet for sharing how God is working in my life.  Having said that here is my first installment:

I've read the Bible, front to back, but I haven't really sat still long enough to hear from God as I read it.  Since one of the principles of the Radical Experiment is to read through the Bible in a year, I'm trying this time to actually take the time to reflect on what I read and listen for God to speak to me.  I am happy to report I already feel like He has used His Word to give me comfort with an immediate crisis.

Yesterday, my Bible reading was Genesis 18-20.  In Genesis 18:14, we see for the first time the familiar verse, "Is anything to hard for the Lord?"  Of course not, I said and moved on.  A few hours later I received the Daily Devotion from Dr. Charles Stanley, and the key verse was Jeremiah 32:17, which ends "Nothing is too difficult for You [God]."

Okay, Lord, you have my attention.  I'm not the brightest bulb in the package, but I'm thinking this is meant for me.  I just don't know why until later.  God was preparing me for disappointing news.  Our driver for the Lakota Mission trip isn't going this year, and he told me last night.  Naturally, I felt disheartened.  This person is a precious person who has a real love for the kids, which they see and remember.  And he's a great driver.  Immediately, I thought what are we going to do?  Then, I remembered - Is anything to difficult for the Lord?

Yes, Lord, I know You can solve this.  I don't know how, but You'll work it out..  Still I felt worry, and I wrestled with multiple scenarios for hours last night.

Today, I opened my Bible to read Genesis 21-23.  What should appear this time?  Genesis 22:14 - "Abram called the place The Lord Will Provide."  The Lord Will Provide.  I don't know how, but I do trust Him to be faithful, and if this mission is to be for 2011, the Lord will provide.  He will provide adequate transportation, the drivers we need, and the funding to make the mission happen.  So, for now, I will trust - Nothing is too difficult for the Lord.  He will provide.

Reflections 3-9-11

I've just set up a blog.  I can't believe it.