Having a sabbatical week in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago was a mountain top experience for me. I came back refreshed and energized. This week has been the "your off the mountain week".
I have had some 15 and 17 hour days at work, our finances are on the edge this month, and emotionally I have been drained. I am aware that God is still working in weeks like this, just not in the ways I would rather Him work. Let's see Tuesday night I played basketball at a new place and offended someone I don't really know (I did apologize) . The same night someone landed on my foot and it broke the toenail at the base so my big toe is blue. I missed the bible study at my house because I could not finish work in time. I communicated poorly to my wife about the Bible study and it didn't go that well. Those are some samples of how this week has gone.
I write this not to complain, but to realize every week isn't storybook in the Christian life. I can read a biography of some Christian leader and it seems their lives are just filled with hearing God clearly each week and having supernatural events consistently happening. I have to remind myself that these are the highlights of this Christians life, not the everyday stuff. Christ is found in the mundane as well as the exciting.
I am also reminded of Paul saying: we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
2 comments:
Hi Berry,
I've noticed the same tendency that you've described, and I do think the devil wants to fight us in the valley on the following day or week, after a mountain top event. Dan 7:21 means that he fights the saints by trying to wear us down, so for him it would be important timing to try to do this after a time of refreshment. Christians always seem to be vulnerable in a period after God has worked in their life strongly -- I think we are walking with our heads in the clouds so he sees it as an opportunity to kick our feet out from under us.
In particular I'm thinking of Elijah. In one day he called down fire from heaven, slew all the prophets of Baal, prayed for the first rain in 3.5 years, and outran a chariot. In all of this he brought Israel back to the Lord. But the next day he was threatened by Jezebel and he simply fled; it is evident that he also sunk into depression. At this point God announced the end of his ministry and named his replacement.
I contrast this with Jesus. He had called his first disciples, cast a demon out of a man in their synagogue, healed Peter's mother-in-law of a fever, and performed an all-night miracle service, yet He had confidence in God afterward, and God sent Him on to even greater things.
I think it's because Jesus rose up early the next morning and sought the Lord in prayer, and committed everything that was accomplished back to Him. He then humbly availed Himself to God for 'what's next?' This kind of humble attitude made it easier for God to bring Him even further, and even harder for the devil to fight Him.
Anyway, that's what I try to do and it does make for a much more orderly transition. In a quiet way, it also allows me to keep the benefit of the refrehment instead of having it robbed from me.
Thanks for the thoughts Loren. The enemy can use circumstances to attempt to kick our feet out from under us. We keep looking to our example as well as our empowerment, Jesus. He had such a consistant walk with the Father.
I'll be praying for your sabbatical time next weekend.
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