42:20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’
I read a little farther today as I wasn't getting any takeaways, though the story was interesting. Ishmael was a bad dude but at least he got run out of town eventually.
But then I read the above and thought OH NO, you can just feel it. The remnant has asked for God to tell them what they should do and they pledged to do it no matter what--so I'm sure they are about to disobey!
I think I've actually been afraid to ask God to tell me what he wants to do in life because I'm afraid of what that might be. But if I do get the courage to ask, I best be prepared to do it when he gives me clear instruction.
knut
I'm really glad you posted this morning. I read the 2 chapters and had nothing. My reaction was the same as yours, in that the story is interesting, but.........
ReplyDeleteTo your point. I think we are afraid to ask God to point us in a direction, because we thing it'll be something crazy. Something like going to Africa as a missionary. I can tell you one story from my own experience....that I haven't told anyone. I was at a Men's retreat a 3-ish of years ago, and I was really asking the question......and all I felt that I was getting back was....."get ready". I must have wrote those 2 words in my notebook a hundred times. That's all I was getting. Those words scared me, more because I didn't know what that was really going to mean. But looking back on it now, it makes me chuckle. Since then, I haven't been nudged to go to Uganda, or to adpot 100 kids, or to give away all of my possessions. What has happened is that my influence in my job has increased by a factor of 10. I have been promoted 3 times, and now sit inside the top 1.5% of GM employees. God was telling me to get ready for his mission within the context of what I was already doing. Not something crazy. Now my personal mission is to look for why he wants me in this position. He put me here. So,.......I'm ready.
tp