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Driving....driving...driving...
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(Sign) "Road work next 8 miles"...
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(Sign) "Reduced speed ahead"...etc.
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Have you ever been driving on the highway (motorway, autoroute, autobahn...etc.) feeling content and relaxed and making good time, and then seen "the signs"? So what's our reaction to this forced change in our pace? Well...that depends. Are we in a hurry? Did we have any advanced notice of it? Does it slow us down a lot? Is the road very rough in the work areas?
Why do we have highways? Usually the smaller streets between places are not sufficient for the amount of traffic that is currently there or that is expected to travel that route in the future. I've recently had the "opportunity" to drive between Glasgow and Edinburgh twice where there is some major road work going on. It's a drive that everyone dreads, and a highway is long overdue. It will eventually be able to handle more traffic and handle it better.
Did you know that even the Bible has several scriptures that deal with highways and even roadwork on highways? Consider the following:
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In Psalm 84:5 it says, "How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee;In whose heart are the highways to Zion!"
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Proverbs 16:17 says, "The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;He who watches his way preserves his life."
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Isaiah 40:30 says, "A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the Lording the wilderness;Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God."
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Isaiah 62:10 says, "Go through, go through the gates;Clear the way for the people;Build up, build up the highway;Remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples."
When we encounter the construction on the highway, we may take solace in knowing that this temporary, if severe, annoyance will make the road much more effective. In our lives, this can also be true. As we're purposefully "motoring down the road of life", small and large problems can (will) arrive. We go to God and ask, why? We were making such great time! What's up with this?! Our ability to deal with these problems in an effective way, in large measure, can depend upon how we view them. Do we think that God is out to get us? Is this punishment?
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Sometimes the answer is that God knows that some of the "highways in our heart" (see Psalm 84:5 above) have need of remedial care. Perhaps He also knows that the highways in our heart are destined in the future to carry much more traffic than they currently do. This is an exciting thing to know that God wants to use us! But, maybe the highways in our heart will need an upgrade for that. And be forewarned...highway construction and widening is not micro-surgery! Ever seen a highway built through rock? A bit of dynamite goes a long way! Yes it's hard and the process can take "too long" but the end result is that our lives and our heart can truly be a "highway for our God!" (Isaiah 40:30)
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I think I can say that God is doing some road work now in us and I believe that there is more to come. I'll let let the prayer requests elaborate on that further...
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- Health - Angela has struggled with a virus for the last 3 weeks, with the main symptoms now being a raspy voice and fatigue. Once lunch is prepared, she is done for the day. The kids miss getting out of the house with her. With no idea how long this will last, it has been discouraging for her and for me. Pray that I would be an attentive husband and father for the duration.
- Trip to France - On Wednesday the 30th, I fly to France for 6 days to pick up our mini-van and a few things from storage, and then drive to Normandy to participate on the worship team for the "Unissons-Nous!" (Unite Us!) conference. A friend is coming to support Angela while I'm gone. Pray for safe travel, the Lord's blessings on the conference, and for the family in my absence.
- Finances - God has shown much favor in provision to us while going through the problems with our car. God has even blessed us with specific finances for this trip to France. My prayer right now is that I continue to to trust in the Lord as the source for all we need. It's a "dangerous" prayer, but I really want to be operating regularly in a place of faith where God has to come through or we sink. That may or may not specifically be with respect to finances, but I know my propensity to trust in my resources...the ones I can see! I typically want to operate only in "safe circumstances," but I know that "without faith, it is impossible to please God." As we want to please God above all else, we need to trust in Him above all else...above even our bank balance.
- Visas - Continue to pray that all bureaucratic obstacles to our visas would be removed now that they are in the process, and that they would come in God's perfect timing.
- Moving issues - Considering Angela's state, we are wondering whether we need to use a moving company, which is more costly. Hence, we need wisdom and guidance to pull this move off without having a set date. Continue to pray for the right house for us in France. House-hunting has been impossible for us to do, so we have to believe that God is doing it for us!
- Reconciliation School Prep - I'm currently doing some "required reading" in preparation for staffing the Reconciliation School. I'm enjoying the books, wonderfully provided by our friends, but I'm not as focused as I want to be. (I wonder why?) I also am concerned about how God is and will be doing His "road work" in me through this process and through this school. I really want the most out of it because I feel like there are deep things that God wants to do and that there is preparation necessary in my heart for how God wants to use us in France. None of that comes easily. I can see the heavy equipment coming...
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Prayer Requests