This is a feature Guest Post by Bob Evenhouse. If you are interested in writing a guest post for the Manturity Blog, please visit the Manturity Contact page.
I am thirty, but I am much older. In fact, I am older than
God per a quote by GK Chesterton that I will share in a moment. My life
consists of much of the same day in and day out. I am married, have wonderful
children, a stable job, a house that is not falling apart, lots of friends, and
I just finished a novel. I am blessed but I find at times that spiritual
progress is lacking. Life, if not lived, can grow stale, unexciting, and make
me feel, well old. Wonder and joy have been sapped and replaced by the weighty
fatigue that can accompany being a responsible adult. I need to renew and I
know it. I need to pray and believe that God can wake me up, raise me from
my drowsiness, and bring me life; a rich full life.
Have you ever felt this way? Have you experienced the weight
of life, the desire for wonder and excitement again? It comes and goes for me.
I believe, like many things, admitting this desire aloud and especially in
prayer can bring about an inner revival that can change the course of your day,
week, month, year, and life. But do you believe it? Do you believe that God can
change you? That he can call you from the self imposed slumber and do something
amazing for His Kingdom?
Let’ have a look at the nation of Israel . Please open the scriptures
to the book of Malachi chapter 3 verse 10.
If you’ve read the Old Testament you know how much promise
came with Israel .
They were given everything and yet did not live to the potential God called
them. Even the great kings like Solomon, the wisest man in the history of the
world and David, the man after God’s own heart, did not listen to prophets and
committed horrendous acts.
These horrendous acts may have been moments of passion. But
my guess is they happened slowly. David was supposed to be at war with his men,
not at home spying on women. For him, it started as any other day and ended
with adultery and later the murder of the woman’s husband, an honorable man.
In Malachi chapter 3, Israel has turned away yet again,
either through conscious decisions or lackadaisical faith. God asks them to be
a giving people once more and says:
“Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I
will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that
you will not have enough room for it” (Malachi 3:10b, NIV translation). In this
context God says do not worry about the food that you horde! Don’t keep it to
yourselves because I will provide for you. In fact he says he will throw open
the floodgates of Heaven to do so!
If you believe what the scriptures say of Heaven, stop and
imagine that. Imagine cleaning up the area of your life that needs attention.
Live life with purpose and obedience and He will pour open the floodgates of
Heaven? If you believe this, pray it. Open your lips right now.
My response – “Really Lord? I’m in.”
Now does not mean God will let you win the lottery, find a
spouse, stop you from sinning again and again, land that job, or make that
sale? Maybe, but probably not. This is a
call to wake up and live. To live every moment with purpose and obedience
because this is what we have been asked. The Author of life has made life
simple: to obey.
Now, obedience may seem plain, dull or boring, but consider
this. Obedience might mean moving across the country or to another one. It
might mean starting that ministry you’ve considered for some time or leaving
your high paying job so that you can spend more time raising your kids. It
might mean volunteering or speaking or simply having that conversation you have
rehearsed a thousand times with that person you need to share your faith with.
If you find waking up hard and still struggle with the
monotony of life, consider this quote by GK Chesterton who was a spiritual
father to C.S. Lewis:
“…perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is
possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every
evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be that God makes every daisy
separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the
eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father
is younger than we are. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere
reoccurrence; it may be a theatrical ENCORE.” (Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 44-45).
So reader, where does this find you? Where are you today?
Are you living every moment of the day as fully as you can? Have you struggled
with obedience or the monotony of the every day?
Kneel down. Stop what
you are doing and pray. Pray for direction and stop to listen. It may not come
right away, but God is speaking to you. God is seeking you. Listen to what He
is saying and believe He will move you.
If you feel led or inspired please share below. Both stories
of coming alive in Him or how you know you need to do so.
Thank you for reading and live well today.
God Bless.
Bob Evenhouse is a freelance writer in Grand Rapids MI
Bob, thanks for sharing your heart in this article! I really like how you throw out challenges and questions throughout. The prayer at the end is critical. I think a lot of us could use this prayer much more often... Keep it up brother!
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