Scripture
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
~Psalm 32:8, NKJV
Quote
To pick up on nonverbal communication, you must be focused on your instructor.
~Charles F. Stanley
Quality restaurants employ a mai·tre d’. It is the person you may not see unless you look closely. You will seldom hear them because they communicate with their waiters non-verbally. They never hollow instruction across the restaurant. The LORD works in a similar fashion: He seldom hollows or screams. In most cases He leads gently and it is up to us, the servants, to keep our eye focused on Him. Where would He have me go today? Whose table am I to attend and what am I to serve? Someone out there needs a word of encouragement, some one else needs a word of faith. My prayer is; “LORD lead me to this person.” To be effective in ministry, we have to keep our focus on HIM and He will point us in the right direction. I like to be at the right place at the right time. Trust me, I have been at the wrong place at the wrong time far too many times. In the old days I was prone to get a bigger hammer but I am learning to lean; learning to wait and see what He wants me to do. Usually that means I must reach a place of neutrality. A few weeks back, the question was–“Do I need to visit the hospitals in Birmingham?” I struggled with this in my prayer time until I reached a state of neutrality…“LORD, it doesn’t matter. I will go if you say go or I will stay put and pray if you say pray.” This week it is the SBC. I always wanted to attend one convention from gavel to gavel with all expenses paid but that is like the John Deere tractor. To be honest, I no longer have that desire. I really don’t want to go at all but I feel compelled to go. I would be thrilled if the LORD told me to stay at home. I am resolved to go if He wants me to go or to stay if He wants me to stay.
I’m certainly not saying that I respond to the LORD’s every beckoning nod, but I am learning. He is the only One who knows where I need to be. When I was younger, I wanted to be in charge and I wanted no one to tell me what to do. Now that I am old, I don’t mind so much. June gives me endless instructions from taking my meds to what I wear to church. Now she over does it sometimes by telling me to do something that I am already doing but the bottom line is: I need instruction and I don’t resent qualified people telling me what to do. Recently I worked in VBS at DBC on the refreshment team. Janet Fields was my team leader and of course Mandy is the VBS Director or head honcho. I did what they instructed me to do and everything went fine. Both are superb supervisors who know what they are doing. Of course I would have trouble taking instructions from someone who didn’t know what they were doing.
About to hit the road…headed to Nashville and the SBC. I hope you have a good day and a good week.