Wk 1 Day 5 - 50 Days of Prayer - Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing,

remove this cup from me;

yet, not my will but yours be done."

Luke 22:42

The theme for today is, “When God speaks, it will impact. Share a time when God spoke to you – and its effect.”

For a long time at the beginning of my ministry, I toiled in anonymity in a little town in the mountains of New Mexico. I’d felt largely forgotten. And then I got a call – out of the blue – to consider being the pastor of one of the largest Lutheran churches in the southeast.

Pride took over. “Yes!” I thought, “No more anonymity. I would have (literally) a twelve foot tall platform.” (In this old historic church, the pulpit required its own stairway!)

Personal desire took over too. “1) This is in one of the most awesome places to live in America. 2) The location is back within a few hours of family. 3) My future would be secure.”

Everything was going swimmingly with the interview, until God spoke.  He pulled back the veil. It was over lunch one afternoon …

• First, they took me to an old southern country club for lunch. It was like something out of Jim Crow 1930s, with the black waiters in their tuxedos, saying almost, “Yes, sir, master.” Mary Louise and I were appalled.

• Second, something was said that made the existing staff of the church think that they didn’t have to “impress me” anymore, that they could just be themselves. Therefore, they spent the whole lunch gossiping and laughing about the quirky people in their congregation.

After lunch, they dropped us off at our hotel, confident that they had their new pastor. Mary Louise and I climbed out of the car, and as they sped off, we looked at each other. As husband and wife we both smiled and said simultaneously, “We’re not coming here are we?”

God broke through my pride. God broke through our desire to be closer to “home.” God broke through our will and allowed his will to be done.

Thank God!

Our decision would have been simpler if we would have followed Pastor David Chotka’s second Biblical step to hearing God’s voice – surrendering our will and desires. Nevertheless, we did do something right. We were consciously seeking God’s will throughout that trip.

God is always speaking. Two things help us hear him. 1) Consciously seeking his will. 2) Putting aside our own desires.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s glad he’s

with a church family

with a spirit of joy

instead of a spirit of gossip