I am learning to deal with the effects of the chemo – not very well, yet – thus, the blog is sporadic. Please pray Ephesians 5:15 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway) for me.
I worked, while in seminary, and for a time afterwards, in project controls, or management, or scheduling – a combination of all the above. There were several different types of projects from significant infrastructure projects, to large automated warehouses, to technical development of software. While all of the projects were different, they all had similar pieces that had to be tracked and managed.
One of the more impactful items in any of those projects were “long lead items”. These are critical materials or functions that require a significant amount of time to either produce or acquire. They vary from project to project, but their delay of one day, will delay the project by one day, they are that critical.
In the past several years, it seems like the Lord has identified several “long lead items” in my life. Things I need that seem to be taking an inordinate amount of time to appropriate into my life.
As we were starting to put together this ministry from scratch, the thing that I kept hearing from the Lord was, “Trust me.” When I prayed about any issue, whether financial, spiritual, opportunities to serve – whatever, the answer was always the same, “Trust me”. I found that was easy to write in my journal. To acknowledge as a direction from the Lord. It was and is a whole lot harder to actually live.
Shortly thereafter, and currently, there has been another message that is similar. Isaiah 40:31 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells me that if I wait on Him, He will give me strength. Paul, echoes this in 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway). There he reminds me that Christ’s power is perfected in weakness. So the message was I needed to rest in Him and live and serve out of His strength. I have no idea. Again, easy to record in the journal. I can make observations about the text, even delve into the Greek or Hebrew – but to live it? I struggle.
This morning the Lord took me on an extended journey through several passages on prayer. Some of that I will possibly share in a later post. But the “long lead item” that stood out for me this morning was the admonition in Ephesians 6:18 (here @ Bible Gateway) to “pray at all times in the Spirit.” Confession, I do not think I know how to pray at anytime in the Spirit. I pray. I cling hard to Romans 8:26 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway). I do not know what else to do. From where I am now in this journey, it seems I am completely dependent on His lavish grace to do any of this. Which aligns very well with what I read in John 15:5 (here @ Bible Gateway).
There seems to be a lot in this journey with which I struggle. A lot that I seem to understand but do not apply very well. It is more than amazing that in spite of all that floundering, He loves me, died for me, and is working to perfect me, even when I can’t manage the “long lead items.”
I worked, while in seminary, and for a time afterwards, in project controls, or management, or scheduling – a combination of all the above. There were several different types of projects from significant infrastructure projects, to large automated warehouses, to technical development of software. While all of the projects were different, they all had similar pieces that had to be tracked and managed.
One of the more impactful items in any of those projects were “long lead items”. These are critical materials or functions that require a significant amount of time to either produce or acquire. They vary from project to project, but their delay of one day, will delay the project by one day, they are that critical.
In the past several years, it seems like the Lord has identified several “long lead items” in my life. Things I need that seem to be taking an inordinate amount of time to appropriate into my life.
As we were starting to put together this ministry from scratch, the thing that I kept hearing from the Lord was, “Trust me.” When I prayed about any issue, whether financial, spiritual, opportunities to serve – whatever, the answer was always the same, “Trust me”. I found that was easy to write in my journal. To acknowledge as a direction from the Lord. It was and is a whole lot harder to actually live.
Shortly thereafter, and currently, there has been another message that is similar. Isaiah 40:31 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells me that if I wait on Him, He will give me strength. Paul, echoes this in 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway). There he reminds me that Christ’s power is perfected in weakness. So the message was I needed to rest in Him and live and serve out of His strength. I have no idea. Again, easy to record in the journal. I can make observations about the text, even delve into the Greek or Hebrew – but to live it? I struggle.
This morning the Lord took me on an extended journey through several passages on prayer. Some of that I will possibly share in a later post. But the “long lead item” that stood out for me this morning was the admonition in Ephesians 6:18 (here @ Bible Gateway) to “pray at all times in the Spirit.” Confession, I do not think I know how to pray at anytime in the Spirit. I pray. I cling hard to Romans 8:26 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway). I do not know what else to do. From where I am now in this journey, it seems I am completely dependent on His lavish grace to do any of this. Which aligns very well with what I read in John 15:5 (here @ Bible Gateway).
There seems to be a lot in this journey with which I struggle. A lot that I seem to understand but do not apply very well. It is more than amazing that in spite of all that floundering, He loves me, died for me, and is working to perfect me, even when I can’t manage the “long lead items.”
Powerful reflections, Mike, born out of real wrestling, perhaps safe to say, suffering. I've sat here thinking how to respond and, as is very common these days, the Lord has taken me back 60+ years since he awakened my heart to the desire to follow Him. To say I have stumbled along that path until now would be generous. Time and time again I picked myself up (from my perspective, now knowing He picked me up) and sought to follow Him the next step.
ReplyDelete2 Corinthians comes to mind: "...we walk by faith, not by sight."
I'm not where I want to be, doing what I'm doing, but He is behind it all. My emotions are often in turmoil. But I am where He wants me to be, doing what I know to do. By faith in His goodness and plan. Someday I will see....
There are few people who finish well. I am privileged to know one who is leaning hard toward the finish line...
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