Priorities

Have you ever overextended yourself with too many commitments? There are so many days that I feel like there just isn’t enough time for all that I need to do.  I tend to start subconsciously prioritizing everything on my to do list. At the end of the day, I have completed  the things that are of upmost importance to me.  Reading about Hannah in the book of first Samuel really made me question where God is on my priority list.  Hannah wanted a child desperately but was unable to conceive.  She cries out in anguish to God and vows in 1Samuel 1:11 “..but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life..” God answered Hannah’s prayer with a son, who she named Samuel, meaning “Name of God” or “Offspring of God”.  After Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh.  She says in 1Samuel1:27-28, “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.  Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” Hannah was able to keep her vow to God even when it meant she had to give up the person she wanted most.  God blessed Hannah for her faithfulness and she had three more sons and two daughters but none were as special as Samuel.  At times, I want to think I have my priorities in order: God then family and so on.  I have to wonder if I could give up something as valuable as Hannah did to keep a promise to God?  I have had days that I struggled  to give up enough time in the day to pray and read my Bible.  The words of Jesus come to mind in Mathew 22:37 when he says that the greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  If we make it a point to live by this commandment, not only will we want to make time for God, keeping our promises to him will be a top priority,  no matter the sacrifice.

Ruth

Going through a hard time? Feeling like God has completely forgotten you? Surely we have all been through a period of tragedy or confusion in our lives.  We cry out to God and feel like he is doing everything but answering our prayers.  The book of Ruth really shows how God can use the saddest of circumstances for His plan.  Naomi had lost both of her sons and her husband in a foreign land.  She must have  felt completely alone and broken.   She knew that she was too old to remarry but  that her daughter in laws could, so she decided it would be best for her to return to Bethlehem alone.  In Ruth 1:21 Naomi says “I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me.” In the midst of our darkest times, it is so typical to get consumed with our emotions.  We often blame God for our problems, like Naomi, or question His existence entirely. The thought of returning to Bethlehem without her family must have been an all time low point in her life, but God blessed Naomi  with a faithful daughter in law, Ruth, who refused to leave her.  Ruth went to glean the field of Boaz and she caught his attention.  Boaz was touched by Ruth’s devotion to her mother in law.  He knew it would have been easier for her to return to her native land where she would have had a more favorable chance to find a new husband.    Ruth and Boaz were married and God blessed them with a son.  Naomi became grandmother to Obed: father of Jesse, the father of David, the ancestors of Jesus himself. Ruth 4:14-15 says “And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.  And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.”  Naomi may have lost her sons and husband but she gained something even more precious.  I have not faced near the heartache as Naomi, but I do struggle with areas of grief in my life.  One of my major struggles pertains to my son who has autism.  It is so hard to accept that a piece of your child is missing and that  you may never get to sit down and really have a conversation with them.  Reading the book of Ruth has shown me that God can give those who stay faithful and obedient to him even in the midst of hard times, a special blessing.  My child may or may not get better, but if I am consumed with anger and grief I will not be able to see the “Ruth’s” in my life.  

Obedience

Have you ever heard the quiet but persistent, sweet voice of God telling you to do something you just aren’t sure about? Maybe it is just out of the realm of your comfort zone and you give God a simple “thanks, but no thanks.”  Then the voice gently nudges you again and again until you think “this must really be something I am supposed to do” BUT…then the excuses start setting in.  Some of my favorites are, “I would really love to BUT I have no idea how or where to start, or people might criticize me if I do that, or I am just too scared to put myself out there.” We are definitely not the first to question our abilities.  In Exodus chapter 3, even Moses questions his calling to deliver Israel from Egypt. Exodus 3:11 says “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Even after God tells him He will be with him and gives him 3 signs to prove he was sent from God, he questions his ability again in Exodus 4:10: “ And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou has spoke unto thy  servant: but I am slow to speech, and of a slow tongue."  Moses has the same problems as many of us do.  We lack courage and confidence.  God could have easily used Aaron who was a much better speaker and more confident in his abilities, but He didn’t.  He  had a plan for Moses despite his imperfections because God knows that with the power of the Holy Spirit nothing is impossible.  He will make a way when it is His will. I am writing this now and feel very much like Moses.  God kept telling me “Wendy I want you to write”.  Then the excuses set in "but God I don’t know what to say” “but God people might get offended or judge me” “but God I am not a very good writer” “but God I am not very knowledgeable in any subject matter”.   We all have feelings of inadaquecy, but instead of running from the task at hand, we should use these feelings to draw closer to God who gives us strength.   He has been working on me a very long time.  His patience and mercy are amazing.  As much as I would like to think this life is about what I want, I am coming to see, life is beyond me.