Urgencies and Emergencies

We live in a day of urgencies and emergencies. We have addresses but we may not be there. We have e-mail addresses but we may not answer. We have phone numbers but we also have answering machines to take our messages. Planned agendas often get bumped in favor of some sudden need either of our own or of someone needing us. In times like these, we find it incredibly difficult to “be still, and know” (Ps. 46:10) or as one translation words it, “cease striving and know.” I have found three things to be non-negotiable in these current circumstances. My time in God’s Word, the Bible, is invaluable. It really is my guide for faith and practice – “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). Likewise I must have times – planned and unplanned – to communicate with God. Prayer is the priority of the Christian life. How can a student study without a teacher, an athlete perform without a coach, a musician play without a conductor, a worker toil without a supervisor? How can I serve without continual communication with my Lord? One thing more is needed. I must have the mentoring, advising, supporting, counseling, directing, of trusted friends. When the voices calling to me are many and diverse, not to mention mixed with the world’s voices, I need help in hearing and discerning. Of the three this is the one most easily overlooked. The key word is “trusted.” In these days of distrust and mistrust, “trusted friends” are hard to find and maintain. If you have them, rejoice. If not, seek them soon. May your urgencies and emergencies be few this week.

Join me in praying for the following global concerns:
• My soon-to-be sixteen year old granddaughter, Whitney, and some of her friends who are on a mission trip this week to the Santiago Atitlan area of Guatemala.
• For Jan as she returns to the states from Spain for a much needed three month break.
• For missionaries and others as they continue to find creative ways to help victims of Cyclone Nargis in the two months since the storm unleashed its fury on Myanmar.
• Final preparations for ministries during the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.