A Pause for Emphasis
This week has been intense and if I was standing with you in person, this is where I would add a pause for emphasis sake. At 12:00 AM, my week of fasting is concluded. I will no longer withhold solid food from my body and as I’ve noticed with every kind of fast that I’ve ever done, I am a bit sad. My connection to the Lord will not magically disappear in response to the clock striking midnight, but I will return to a state of nourishing myself with substance for strength. One thing that I recognize within myself is that in times of challenges, I tend to seek Him more.
With that being said, my father sent me an email this week that mentioned a very valuable point. It said “…you can’t guide a parked car.” In noticing that I cry out to God more in times of uncertainty, I must also notice that when I am unsure, I have a tendency to slow down. While it is not a bad thing to stop, think, pray, and regroup, I can’t expect the direction that I ask for if my feet aren’t moving to be guided.
When I was incarcerated, there were times that I was so tired that I just wanted to quit. But there is no such thing in prison, just like there is no such thing in the mission field. Whether I am tired or unsure how the Lord is going to provide and work everything out, I must never cease to be present for the challenge.
There are many verses in Scripture that had a significant impact on my life during this rough time, but one that always kept me going. Though the Lord was responding to Jeremiah’s complaints, it was as if the Lord wrote it just for me: “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with the horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordon?” Jeremiah 12:5
With this in mind, I am renewed with the conclusion of my fast. I am reminded that while the unknown is scary, I am not left alone to conquer it. Praise be to our God Almighty for His sustaining power and presence. May I always remember to pray with the intensity of this moment.
Thank you Lord!