The following post was originally posted on my previous blog, lastminutefox.wordpress.com, but the story it tells is proving more significant than I realised at the time so I have reposted it here on new blog.
This last weekend, and the weeks leading up-to it, have been an experience, and an emotional and spiritual roller coaster. I want to capture some of this while it’s still fresh, this seems as good-a-place as any.
Recently things have been spiritually dry for me, I have been very busy and not really given God much time or consideration. A couple of weeks ago we took a break at Les Pa Opton, and this served as a great opportunity to stop, and reflect, and towards the end of the week decided I needed start again, and prayed this through with the speaker.
On our return home, I was nicely chilled out and felt so much better, and in the week we got back managed to spend some time reading the Bible and praying. However things rapidly got worse the following week. Over four days last week I tweeted the following;
“quiet relaxing evening this evening, nicely chilled.” 19th June
“Horrible day.” 20th June
“What a day. I’m exhausted, fed up, demoralized, I could go on…” 22nd June
I do not want to go into details about what was going on, but needless to say, I didn’t give God much time last week either.
This weekend was our church Sizewell weekend, and by the time I arrived I was feeling pretty low and fed up. I took some time out to calm down and then asked someone to pray with me, mainly that I would forget the crap from the previous week, and the comments and experiences that had left me feeling as I did. After this I felt so different, happy, relaxed and the previous week became a parked memory that did not need to be thought about.
Saturday brought about a further session, and further prayer time, specifically for more filling of the Holy Spirit, verses were shared with me, and through the rest of the day I felt great.
This morning I when I woke, I was feeling a bit lower than yesterday with memories of the week previous starting to creep in, perhaps in the knowledge that were leaving this afternoon. I spent time prior to the session, going through with Greg the passage he had shared with me on Saturday. Again we prayed, and I felt so much better, hanging on to the promises of God for his protection.
During the first session this morning, Ali & me, in response to Roger’s talk, both felt that we were up for an adventure, and that we were on the brink of an exciting time. We have no idea what this means, but both felt this call on our hearts. Again we were prayed with and left with the excitement and anticipation of what is to come.
The final session was really moving, as it was led by Izzy & Beth [who we had led when they were younger] and I was challenged by the need to have our hearts broken to see people as God sees them. Following this session, I even spent sometime praying with others , and felt so blessed to be able to do so, and to feel able to do so.
I guess this last three weeks have been a real lesson in God’s ability to transform situations, or transform the way I view and interact with situations – if I only ask Him, and give Him time and space to do so. I have also begun to hear his call on my life, and am excited to see how this will develop. In preparing to write this post I found a post I had [very poorly] written three months ago, where I reflected on seeing God at work but not hearing him personally until we actually stop and listen (Exodus 24:15-18). When will it sink in? I have had some great experiences of refreshment, encouragement and maybe calling, over the last few weeks, at times when I have stopped, spent time praying alone and with others.
If you are reading this, and you know us, please pray that God will start to show us what the adventure will be, that I will learn the lessons from the last few weeks and put effort into maintaining a relationship with God, spending time with him and remembering the promises I found comfort and strength in this morning. Previous experience is that I am never very good at maintaining the good intentions from experiences such as this, and hence I am writing this now, mostly to remind myself of the experience and so that I do not forget the power of God, and his love and protection.
“Because I love You,” LORD You say, “You will rescue me;
you will protect me, for I acknowledge Your name.
I will call on you, and You will answer me;
You will be with me in trouble,
You will deliver me and honour me.
With long life You will satisfy me
and show me Your salvation.”
Inspired by Psalm 91 and a conversation this morning
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