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Thanksgiving was last Thursday. Black Friday followed that day, and now Cyber Monday is now upon us. Did I miss something? Aren’t we suppose to bring in the holidays with joy and excitement as to what they really mean?
The excitement seems to be on how cheap you can buy something before someone else gets their hands on it.
A true story emerged from Black Friday. A woman outside a Walmart store, just before they opened for Black Friday, pepper sprayed everyone around her so she could get in ahead of them. I have to hope that the police came soon after that and put her in a place where there are no bargains.
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The excerpt I have for today from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is about the rat race we live in. It is about getting caught up in the frenzy that we allow ourselves to be in. It tells us to slow down and know that God is near.
_________________________________________________________ Just A reminder that there are only 27 shopping days until Christmas. It is Cyber Monday, and I want you to have a quiet time of ordering right from your computer. No rush; no fuss. The book, ” Signs of hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,” is on a special Christmas sale. In the stores it is $19.99, but on this site it is only $15.99. The shipping has been cut in half as well. A total savings of over $6.00. You need to order by December 17th to make sure the book will get to in time for Christmas. Just go to the top of this page and click on “Bookstore.”
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Chapter 18
He Who Kneels Before God Can Stand Before Anyone
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 17:6
It seems that everyone is on the fast track these days. You get passed by cars even though you are going the speed limit. The commuter trains are jammed full. Everyone you see has a cell phone up to their ear.
Some call it the “rat race.” However, even rats stop whenever they want to.
We feel like we need to climb the ladder of success. Some do it in such a way that anyone in their way will be stepped on. They don’t realize that each step on the ladder is made of paper, and although they may make it up to the top, the trip back down is very fast! You can be king of the mountain today, but you could be a has-been in the valley tomorrow.
I think back to a time when things weren’t so frantic—to a time when you could lie in your front yard and watch the clouds go by; a time when you could play with your dog; a time when you had a leisurely barbeque in the backyard and everyone in the neighborhood was there; a time when there was just your wife and you and no children.
Those were the days, my friend, and you thought they would never end. And they weren’t just the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer—much of life went at that pace. Then you noticed you didn’t have time to lie in the front yard. You were too busy mowing it and trying to keep it looking better than the neighbors’ lawn. You stopped having pets around because no one was home long enough to care for them. And the barbeque was long ago replaced by a quick wave to our neighbors and food from the drive-through. What’s a barbeque???
You now have three children—and they are very costly. Two are in college, and the other needs new equipment to be able to play on the school football team.
Are you on the fast track? Instead of a racing on an oval track, are you simply going in circles? Is there no end to the cycle?
Did you know that the oceans even stop to rest? They flow back and forth every day, but there is a short time when they reach their peak and do not flow anywhere. They stay still for about half an hour and then they start to flow the other direction. It is called high tide.
When you go crabbing (a sport, not an attitude!), you see the rope line to your trap going one direction and then at high tide the rope slacks and even disappears down into the water. Then when the ocean starts up again, the rope does a complete turn and heads the other direction.
I know how it is to feel we can’t take the time for even a short pause like the ocean does each day. It seems we feel we have to keep going no matter what. We feel driven—we are driven.
I know what that’s like. I’ve been there. I have wanted to be near the top. I have wanted to be more important. I have wanted; I have wanted; I have wanted.
Then one day I read this in the Bible: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). That hit me right between my “wanting to be important” eyes. God cares more about my spending quiet time with Him in prayer than He does about how important I am.
Think about this: A thousand years from now, will it matter how important you were in this world? Will it matter what title you were given? How hard you worked for that title? Nope. The meek (not the “top bananas”) will inherit the earth. Your success and your money do not go with you to the cemetery.
Instead of fame and fortune to pass on to our children, God wants our legacy to be a quiet and humble spirit that waits on Him.
When I really understood Psalm 46:10 for the first time, I realized that I needed to slow down, take time for prayer, and spend more time with God. I needed less time in the rat race.
“But I don’t know how to pray; I don’t know what to pray for,” is a common lament. Romans8:26says, “We do not know what we ought to pray for” and that “the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” Paul was talking about people who feel just like us. And in other places, Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6) and “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians5:17).
You can pray for your children, your parents, your church and your neighbors (even the one with the dog who barks all day!). How about something unique? Pray for yourself. God doesn’t think we’re being selfish when we pray for ourselves. He wants to hear about our hurts and our concerns.
God doesn’t turn anyone away. He didn’t turn away Moses. He didn’t turn David away. He listened to Job. He listened to Sarah. He listened to Doug. He will listen to you.
God listened to me. I learned what a comforting feeling it was to have my heavenly Father listening to my cries. He spent hours with me helping me through some very tough times. The times I thought I wasn’t going to live to my next breath, He was there to help me through the storm.
Asking God to be on our side is like living in a muddy polluted river and suddenly having fresh water flow into it. It may take awhile for it to completely clear up, but with God’s help and our prayers, it can be a rich productive river again.
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Ephesians 6:18
Further Adventures
I remember when I first started coming out of the web of fear and anxiety I had been stuck in for many years. The web kept pulling on me, trying to keep me from getting away. I struggled because I wanted to finally be free. It was an exhausting hard-fought battle. Little by little I was able to get my arms free, and then my legs. Finally I was able finally able to leap into the loving arms of God.
You can do the same thing. It will not be easy to rid yourself of the poisonous bite of the spider (Satan.) He will try to suck all the energy out of you even though you are struggling to free yourself. Turn to God, and let Him stamp the life out of the spider. Once you are free and strong again, He will continue to be there to protect you from all enemies for the rest of your life on earth.
Something to Ponder
Isn’t it funny that the faster we go the more behind we get?