I hope those who follow my posts will excuse lengthy posts but I feel like too much of our 'confidence' today has become 'abbreviated', and we lazily prefer 'pop tart' sustenance over a healthy meal. (Hebrews 5:13-14)
I feel the same way about practiced performances and sermonettes in our pulpits. I often tease my congregation with something I heard long ago, 'sermonettes make Christianettes'.
We are all in such a rush today without realizing that our 'busy-ness' (spelling intentional), often leads us to 'spiritual breathlessness', which leads to 'spiritual hypoxia' ,which can lead to 'spiritual cardiac arrest' ( I hope the reader understands the metaphor - John 6:63).
We must all step back from our many diversions and perceived necessities to understand once again what is truly and eternally important.
There was a time not too long ago that we didn't 'allot time to God' giving preference to our own pursuits, but we sought Him with great hunger and thirst and time was of no relevance when it came to experiencing His 'Presence'.
My daughter and son-in laws' home burned down recently with a total loss.
I have watched them struggle to hold everything together in their lives and begin to rebuild from nothing. In that fire they both lost pets, treasures, and memories.
I watched them grieve and the pressure of the trauma build and felt very frustrated that I could not take that pressure off of them.
Day before yesterday, my daughter called me to share with me that as she sat in the camp trailer they are living in until their home can be replaced, she was overwhelmed by all that had happened and cried out to the Lord. When she finally had opportunity to step back from it all and 'be still' for a few moments everything pressed down on her. She then took her devotional and read her scripture, after which she called out to God.
She said that in a moment, God's Presence filled that little camp trailer and she and God had a revival meetin'.