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This is where I found myself yesterday as I came before the Lord. My devotional led me to Job. God's Word started to unfold before me as He prepared me for the day.
Boxes are blocking our home, deadlines are coming closer and closer and the stress of a seemingly impossible task daunted my early morning checklist. I stopped...God was speaking. I know He speaks all the time...I am usually the one not listening.
The passage in Job jumped from the pages
The Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Job 42:10
Okay Lord, I hear you. It is time to pray for my friends...but I already do! Or at least I feel I do.
"If you are not now receiving the "hundredfold" which Jesus promised (see Matt. 19:29) and not getting insight into God's Word, then start praying for your friends; enter into the ministry of the inner life......the real business of your life is intercessory prayer." My Utmost for His Highest - June 20th
Wow! the megaphone was loud and clear. Excitement welled up as I entered into the business of life....intercessory prayer. The rest of the day was filled with text messages and phone calls from friends going through major trials. The joy of intercessory prayer ignited a moving away from self. The prayer warrior in me began to pray and praise.
God then spoke to me once more in the beginning scriptures of Job 42. These scriptures breathed breath back into my "navel-gazing" day and life came forth. God's word is truly living and mighty to direct us back on the path when detours try to knock us off the course for our life.
Job 42:1 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent [1] in dust and ashes.”
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent [1] in dust and ashes.”
Now may I be busy with the real business of life and not focus on the events that pull at the true business of life.
Oh Janette, this is like a refreshing drink of water this morning!! I've been a navel gazer lately too. Even my prayers for others are sullied, I think, because of the amount of poor, poor, pitiful me prayers preceding and following them.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, I AM praying for you during your uninvited transition, and this post convicts me to be more fit for an audience at the throne when I'm doing it.
Janette,
ReplyDeleteI am also praying for this transition time for you.
Another beautiful and wise post. You are a blessing!
Thank you!
Praying for you in this transition. Remember that God is on the throne and will get you through.
ReplyDeleteWonderful and convicting! Good for you Janette, to stop and listen, when the list screams of all the 'to do's'. Wise words that I need to heed as well.
ReplyDeletePraying that the boxes and deadlines diminish smoothly.
xo
Oh I am with you. Love Oswald Chambers. I used to do his devotional but kind of forgot about it. Maybe I should start it again.
ReplyDeleteWe all let ourselves fall into
ReplyDeletethat navel-gazing mode from time
to time. It's ok as long as we
pick ourselves back up and get
our eyes back on Jesus and His
business, which you are doing.
Wonderful words here today,dear
Janette. And know that I and
many more are busy praying for
you and yours!
Love,
Sandy
Oh Janette how often we ALL fall into "navel gazing"...what a perfect description of it too....What you have said here today is both convicting and soo true. I remember when I was in the midst of my breast cancer ordeal feeling the Lord urging me to pray for those who sat in the doc. offices with me....and how my mind became occupied with doing just that and somehow the time passed soo much easier as well. Moving IS an overwhelming experience, but know that there are many praying you through. One task at a time....HUGS to you, Debbie
ReplyDeleteApparently God is speaking the same word to some of us! I just left Kim's blog. Different words, same message. I'm praying for you, pray for me?
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Debbie
Very wise counsel from the Lord. I will take it to heart and apply the praying for others more fervently. The Lord is digging deep right now and healing a lot in me. A bit tired and worn out at this second. Thank goodness it is summer break and I am not on full time duty in school right now, perfect timing. [o; The Lord's timing is always on time, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteBlessings and ((HUGS))!
-Mary
Great post, Janette! So true that our self-focus takes us away from true intercessory prayer! Thanks for sharing the passages in Job and the devotional snippets from Oswald Chambers. Have a blessed week attending to the "real business of life!"
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Janette!
ReplyDeleteAnd so we are reminded once agian that the world does not revolve around us. To be truly happy, we must reach out to others, through deed and prayer. Great post. I know I am mightly guilty of the pity party myself. Love the idea of navel-gazing. Very descriptive. Hope the rest of the move goes smoothly. Looks like ours has been put of for awhile...
ReplyDeleteOh Janette thank you so much for this post This is a reminder I need in my own life right now.How easily I slip into the self focused type of prayer, I naval gazer myself. I stand freshly convicted.
ReplyDeletei never fail to get a WORD here my friend. thank you for your obedience to God's leading in your life!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wise encouragement, Janette, to get my eyes off myself. We are facing a trial with one of our children and these are the times we can become more self-focused than ever. Thank you for the reminder and the challenge to keep looking out.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your sweet comment on my Father's Day post.
Hope your packing days go as smoothly as possible. It's been a long time since I've had to move but I remember how overwhelming it can feel. I'm amazed you find time to post but so thankful you do .... especially today! And I almost forgot to mention that a friend shared that verse in Job with me day before yesterday!! Think God is trying to tell me something??!!
When you commented on my post, I didn't realize we'd read the same devotional! It really was powerful, wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteGod be with you and may His light shine upon you, and may you have peace.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring post! I'll be praying for you :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Marcia
Dear friend,
ReplyDeleteThis was exactly what I needed to read today. Thanks for the good word.
Love,
Dianne
Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHappy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Every moment, thank God.
True and very true. The stresses of life can steal us from the real business of our lives.
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts! Marsha
don't you just hate it, i mean love it, when
ReplyDeletethe Lord nails you like that? well, sweet
friend, i will redouble my intercession
for YOU. i anticipate the inevitable,
supernatural intervention of God and
expect a miracle for you.
Don't you just love how God can reach down and just touch us so tenderly with His word and minister to us.
ReplyDeleteBlessing dear friend.. keeping holding onto Him
I love how Scripture just pops out at us and smacks us upside the head. What a cool reminder for me today. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJanette, this is really a word that I have longed to hear again. About a year or so ago, God pointed me to this very verse, and I did start praying for my friends then.
ReplyDeleteBut it gets buried underneath the pile of the daily grind, that's right.
I needed to be reminded again. And so thanks to you for this timely post.
I also read the Father's Day post before this one... Benjamin's answers are amazing! 20 feet tall... wow, that's a giant of a dad!
Thanks for sharing your heart. I continue to pray for you in this major transition of your life.
Walk through the open doors for God knows which doors are closing behind you. He knows best!
Much love
Lidj
Janette,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great God we serve!
I also don't hear Him speaking, I am thankful for your reminder.
Dear Father,
I want to pray for your blessings to flow over Janette and her family; like a warm summer shower may Your blessings flow over them. Father I ask Your hand to guide and your voice to be heard. Your will be done in their lives. In Jesus name, Amen.
Oh Janette, this is so humbling. That if we branch out and really pray over our friends then God lifts us up and works in our lives even more. I'm going to Job to meditate on this a bit more.
ReplyDeleteMay God bless this time in your life and, today, I will be praying for YOU, my new virtual friend.
It is so easy to get caught focusing on the problems in my life. Sometimes it seems so overwhelming to me and I wonder if God is listening. However, I DO KNOW HE hears and is at work even when I don't see the results yet. Thank you for reminding me of what I know but need to practice. There are times when I don't even have the words to pray.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and love,
Debbie
Lovely post! You reminded me stop right now and pray for our neighbors... Thanks! Will be eager to learn the number of boxes and other fun moving stories. God Bless YOU!!!
ReplyDeletexo
Leslie