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Sometimes
we have to make an extra effort to hear God. Jeremy Harvey
reports. |
 od’s
word talks about Him having a plan for our lives - plans for good
and not for evil. This is wonderful, if we have the time to spend
to find out what those plans are and how to put ourselves into
them. Sometimes the treadmills of our busy lives mean that
we have no time to step back and make the decisions we need to
make.
I
found myself in that position I had serious questions about a
number of issues that I simply did not have time to think or pray
through properly. Consequently, I had no answers.
The
solution? - to take three days retreat from work and from family,
by myself to ask for God’s help to understand how to resolve these
questions. A telephone call to an old friend gave me a back bedroom
to do this in - free of interference and pressure.
The
practicalities - sitting alone for an extended period of time
with an active mind that is prone to wander is a daunting prospect.
So I set myself some objectives, a structure and a timetable.
What were the solutions I looked for, how and why did I feel the
way I did, and then to structure the day. This concentrated the
mind on the issues. I allocated time for worship, Bible study
and prayer. Interspersed were some practical jobs - cooking tea
for my friends when they got home from work, for example.
The
result - some clear direction on the issues that troubled me and
a direction for the future. Even more valuable was having a renewed
sense of God’s care for my path in life. Three days of prayer
does not sound like a very exciting experience, but it was a hugely
valuable one and one to be repeated.
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