Beyond Common Sense

Having a pastor-husband has many wonderful perks.  We can go to the mall at 1:00 Tuesday afternoon.  (Can’t stand crowds!)  We can spend a weekday with my in-laws who are no longer able to drive to our house.  We can take an afternoon and cut my mother’s lawn.  Our time schedule and our lives march to the beat of a different drummer and is measured by a different clock!

However, one of the “down sides” of having a pastor-husband, whose office is in our home, is that I’m never alone; and I have found that I can be a loner, even though I am in the ministry.  (Or maybe it’s because I AM in the ministry!)

Well, today I am alone!  Now, I KNOW what I should do – CLEAN!  The dust is so thick the plants are choking!  And we do have a Cocker Spaniel – need I say more?  But I don’t want to!  I’d rather do anything but clean!  I LOVE a clean house, and once I get started I’m fine; but sitting here at the computer tempts me with a thousand other desires: most of them are just plain time-killers?

So, is it God’s will for me to clean?  🙂  How do I know?  I’m being a bit facetious, but how often do we wrestle with that question: knowing God’s will?  Is there some secret formula for finding God’s will in our lives?

It’s the week after Easter.  What were the disciples doing?  How did they know what to do?  This one is simple.  Jesus gave them specific orders: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” (Acts 1:4) Interesting that Peter went fishing!  I don’t remember seeing any places to fish in Jerusalem!  The command was clear: WAIT – the one thing that is hardest for us to do!  “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Ps 27:14)  When the way is not clear – WAIT!  I’ve made more blunders by pushing ahead to do MY will rather than wait on the Lord’s leading.

So what if we don’t have a clear mandate like the disciples did?  Paul gives us another great example.  When Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, Paul simply says, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6)  Right now, we are dealing with an important decision in our church. I know what I’d like to happen, and I do pray for that situation to come about; HOWEVER, I must always couch it in, “Lord, thy will be done.”  If it is not God’s will, it won’t be right and all will suffer.

Ask and wait, and keep serving the Lord.  When we were in India, we saw a great illustration of this truth.  We were in a nice restaurant.  It was early and the place was not crowded.  As we were seated and then received our meal, there were about 5-8 waiters standing across the room watching us. If we so much as blinked an eye at them, they were by our side, asking if we needed something!  That’s waiting and serving!  May we be so tuned in to our Master!  (And yes, I will clean today!!  As my mother used to say, “We don’t want the Board of Health to come and kick us out!”)

 “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.”    Psam 57:7