Every six months, my department has a half day of prayer offsite individually. A few weeks ago I had my first half day of prayer with work.
I wasn’t sure what it would be like, praying for 4 hours consecutively. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. I had been looking forward to it for months, wondering what it would be like to be silent with the Lord for such an extended period.
I got up that Monday morning and made my way to one of my favorite places in Nashville: Radnor Lake. Every time I’m there I’m blown away by the Lord’s creation. It just feels like a really special and sacred place.
I found a dock that no one was on, plopped my belongings down, and opened my Bible. Where to begin? The weeks leading up to this moment had been really hard. I had a lot of questions.
So I sat and prayed and talked to the Lord and soaked up uninterrupted time with my Heavenly Father. I prayed over Psalm 51 and asked the Lord to renew a steadfast spirit within me, to make my spirit unwavering in the pursuit of His love and His people.
It’s funny what you’ll hear when you stop to listen. Yes, I heard from the Lord that day, but here are other conversations I heard too:
- A woman talking about her brother’s girlfriend that no one likes
- A musician who used to love to play at Puckett’s in Franklin
- A couple trying to figure out their morning schedule now that they had a baby
- A woman distressed about her husband not being able to partake in the hobbies he loves due to health issues
And so many other conversations I heard from people making a loop around the lake. Things they didn’t mean for me to hear, but I did in my silence.
I wonder how many days I’m allowing the chatter in my mind to cloud what the Lord is trying to speak. If it’s so easy for me to overhear what is not meant for me, why is it hard for me to hear the Lord’s voice speaking to me?
Obedience optimizes joy. It’s a recipe that’s been stirring up in my heart. I want joy, but I deny obedience. I declare I know what’s best, even when I know I don’t.
I heard the Lord loud and clear that day at Radnor Lake. It’s a story for a different day, a story that glimmers of His goodness, but that’s not the story of today.
Today I’m thinking about what I can do better to shut the world out and sit in the silence of my Father. How do I make good habits stick?
I don’t want to miss what He’s saying. And I hope you don’t want to miss what He’s saying to you either. He’s speaking to each of us individually.
The blueprint of your life doesn’t mirror mine. How wild is that? Each life designed for a specific, intentional purpose. How are you living out that purpose today?
Lots of love,
msv
Mary Spencer Veazey 