Day 44 - Issue 26
Exodus 32:22-23 NLT
“Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses…”
Moses, having discovered the golden calf, asks Aaron why things had got out of hand. Aaron tries to soothe him, laying blame on the people. However, it was Aaron who had failed. Waiting is tough for the human heart to endure.
When I began my journey into contemplative prayer, five minutes of silence seemed an age. My mind was distracted, aware of physical discomfort and longing for an end to this self-induced misery. I got nowhere fast. Yet, the learning was, over time and with instruction, that God was not at my beck and call. I served God and God did not serve me. The contract is that I surrender all to Jesus and live as God’s slave (1 Corinthians 7:22). Slave is a harsh word, with many evil connotations. It means someone who is the legal property of another, as we are, by choice, of God. It originally meant captive, and I am indeed captive to Jesus, a choice made because I was first captivated by God.
Waiting is critical to discerning God. Yet, contemporary life doesn’t lend itself to listening or waiting. I am currently training employees in ‘Resilience in the Workplace’. It’s clear that no one thinks there is time to pause and reflect. Learning, the art of listening and being attentive to God, is increasingly challenging year on year in our culture.
Moses commanded the Levites to kill the disobedient Israelites, as God had promised he would but then changed his mind at Moses’ request. We may helpfully think of the need we have to put to death all the distractions that obstruct us from growing in God and our refusal to wait in patience for the Lord to reveal himself. Prayer and worship are good for our health.
QUESTION: How can you deal with the distractions that rob you of a healthy life?
PRAYER: Lord, grant peace of heart and mind to all those learning to wait on you.
