Hanging around Juneau, without a set daily agenda (aside from high school track practice in the late afternoons), is teaching me about prayer. My intellectual assent is colliding with my present experience. I have already devoted entirely too much time waiting for the phone to ring. And I am becoming increasingly aware of my presumptions. I have presumed upon God to respond to my worthwhile intentions with positive and timely cooperation. I acknowledge my impatience.
Yesterday I quickly locked the front door and left the house to run some errands. When I got to my car I realized I had grabbed the dog leash instead of the car and house keys. I had locked myself out of the house, and the car. (I could hear our dog inside the house barking at me in a tone of "I'm embarrassed to even know you.") God gave me two hours outside in the Alaska cold, to chill. Deb later rescued me.
During my two hours of outside time I picked up some trash in the area. I swept our front steps. I played with my phone and sent a silly tweet. I watched an eagle tend to its nest in a nearby tree. And I heard from God.
I heard Him say, "You're spending too much time waiting for the phone to ring. You're devoting too much energy to trying to get other people to respond to your inquiries and overtures. You're presuming upon Me to make things happen in a fashion you want to dictate. Don't you know I have lots of different answers to your prayers at my disposal?"And I read just this morning, "Yes;" "No;" "Maybe;" "Not yet," and "Not telling you" are all good answers to my prayers, presumptive or otherwise. (Thanks, Scotty Smith.)
And yesterday the phone did ring, and the emails did come. And today I'm hearing, "I will build My church; not you. You don't know what you're doing, but I do. By My grace you're just along for the ride. Be content to be a kite in My hurricane."
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