It's funny how God begins to prepare you for something, before you're even thinking about it. Lately, I've been getting very tired around 10:00pm - consistently and without reason. I've not been doing any crazy work to exhaust myself, nor have I been exercising to any extent. But it seems every night these past few weeks, the nods begin to happen!
The flip-side of that coin is that every morning, I've been awaken between 6:00 and 6:30 - And I mean wide-awake! I lay in bed and my brain starts revving for the day. It reminds me of the old movies when the characters go into a massive building or warehouse and flip the breaker and all of those huge mercury lights flicker and hum as the come to life with radiant light.
All of a sudden, I'm running through my checklist for the day (and sometimes the week). I think about the people I need to see and interact with and what we need to talk about. I think analyze the dog stirring at the end of the bed, looking up to check if anyone is awake yet to pet his chin. But the one thing that alluded me, the one question that seemed to go unanswered was "Why?" "Why am I so wide awake?" And "Why can't I stay up past 10:00 anymore?" The answer is found in 1 & 2 Samuel.
We find the answer in the account of King David's life. We see a young shepherd boy, anointed as king of Israel, for no other reason (not height nor strength, nor affluence of family), than the fact that God said so. This humble young man saw the Goliath opposing the Armies of Israel as he took provisions to his brothers. He saw the giant taunting the army, asking for worthy champion - Israel's finest warrior - to come forth and meet him in one-on-one combat. But he also heard that 9-foot behemoth curse God's people, then curse the God of those people. That was enough!
This "chosen one" hearkened back to his meager days of shepherding - Days spent in the fields, alone with his sheep and his harp and his simple sling. He remembered in an instant how he learned to peel the bark of of a tree with a small stone hurled at great speeds - The type of speed and precision that could kill an on-coming bear, or an offending giant!
You see, God had a plan! God was preparing that boy, 8th in the line of Jesse, for great things! It was that shepherd/musician who slayed the champion of the Philistines that day. Not a king, or a great warrior. Simply an obedient teenager that listened to God, and was prepared by God to do great things!
No... I am not planning on slaying giants - At least in the literal sense, but God is preparing me! I have been gently forced to awaken at an early hour and fall to slumber earlier that usual... All because God has a plan. I have been enjoying more time with Him in the morning. I have been able to see my wife before she heads to work. I have been getting the work done around the house that needs to be done...soon! And I am being prepared to get back into the swing of full-time work.
I am a morning person! I love the mornings! My thinking is clear and my focus is acute. In fact, I began writing this post at 6:30am! I may miss-out on some of my favorite TV series, but who really needs them?
God is omniscient, and He knows what He's doing. Thank you, Lord, for that gentle nudge that I have needed to prepare me for what's next!
In summary: I am being prepared, I am awake, and I am ready!
And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5:14-15
I love this scripture! And not because is a promise to give us everything, but because it is a promise to give us everything we need that is asked for in His will and His time. So many scriptures like this are pulled out of context and used to assert our Santa Claus or Grandpa-like visions of God. We see an old, long haired, bearded man, usually sporting a shiny white tunic or robe, glowing with a golden serving platter behind his head. And we dare to call this image God. We step in the queue, and prepare our wish list with expectation and enthusiasm, giddy like a child waiting in the line at Macy's on December 23rd. We approach God and ask - as if He owes us something or at worse, as if we deserve it.
I worked with a guy named Tommy years ago in one of many restaurant jobs I had. One day he asked me about my faith and what I thought about prayer. After my feeble attempt at explaining what I thought prayer was, he told me what he believed it to be...
"Prayers are like magic wishes. You only get so many of them during your life. When they are all gone, that's it. No more!"
That made me sad, and no matter how much I tried to let him know that prayers were not limited and that prayer was a wonderful conversation with God, he could not shake the misguided understanding that God was a magic genie and that he limited the amount of requests. He had it deeply ingrained that: God didn't care, that prayer was one way - just about asking for things, and that there was no method to receiving - Just luck.
Scriptures teach us that God loves us and wants the best for us. That doesn't always mean that He says yes to our requests, but it does mean that He will say yes sometimes (and no other times). But the one thing we really miss in all of these discussions is this: Are we asking in "God's will"? Are we asking for things that we want or are we asking for the things that God wants for us? And remember... God will only give us good things!
There is such hope in praying in Jesus' name and for his will. It frees us from having to worry about our own desires and needs. It allows us to focus on Christ and obeying His commands. It allows us to look to serving others and loving people with the love of our eternal, heavenly Father. Praying in The name of Christ brings wonderful results. And yes... sometimes the answer is "no". Sometimes the answer is wait. Yet other times the answer is a resounding, "yes"; and the abundance of God's grace and provision flows out like a rushing river - white-capped and uncontrollable! It's wonderful! It's scary! and it is such a blessing!
"Until now, you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and receive and your joy may be complete" John 16:24
I am a morning person! I love the mornings! My thinking is clear and my focus is acute. In fact, I began writing this post at 6:30am! I may miss-out on some of my favorite TV series, but who really needs them? 
