Last year I was on a Bible reading plan that would take just 1 year. Many days had me zooming through four and five chapters at a time. It was a great read. But this year I've started a new plan. To say it is a tad slower than last year would be like saying that Katy Perry has skewed just slightly off the path her parents planned for her.
Three months into this year I am in the middle of Exodus. I'm not a math whiz, but 1 book of the Bible each month has me finishing in about 2016. (Though I could probably crush some of those Minor Prophets in less than a month.)
One positive from all this is that I am paying more attention to smaller details. Recently I breezed through the 10 Plagues on Egypt. In Exodus 8, frogs have overtaken the land. Clearly there were no French chefs in the land, because no one seemed to think this was a good thing. But a couple of things stand out in this story.
First of all, why did the Egyptian magicians make more frogs? If they wanted to show their power, why not make the frogs disappear? 'Look Pharaoh, all those frogs that disgust you....we've made more!'
The second interesting detail comes from the resulting conversation. Moses and Pharaoh get together for a little pow-wow. Moses tells Pharaoh that he can choose when the frogs go away. Pharaoh replies, 'Tomorrow.'
Tomorrow?!?
If I had been Moses I might have asked Pharaoh if he was serious. You can choose whenever to get rid of these frogs and you're putting it off until tomorrow? Am I missing something? Aren't these frogs disgusting? Wouldn't you prefer them to be gone, oh say, right now?
Maybe Pharaoh is a big-picture guy. Perhaps he's trying to be cool, not letting on how much it bothers him. 'Frogs? I like frogs. Had a pet frog as a young kid. No problem.' I guess I can see that. After all, this is only the second plague. Perhaps Pharaoh will be less patient after plague #7 or 8.
I know patience is a virtue, but it makes me wonder if there are times when we should be less patient. When I am violently ill I am not patient. The last time I got sick I asked God repeatedly to either take the sickness away or just kill me and get it over with.
But what about those needs that don't impact me today? What about those requests that come to me from friends and family members? Why is it easier for me to ask for patience for someone else in their situation than it is for me in my situation?
What about when I meekly ask God to change something over the next 6 months? Is this wrong? God may have forever, but with my desire for all things deep-fried I am limited to another 40 years here on Earth. Maybe less. Shouldn't I be more urgent in the things I ask for?
The problem in my life is that this forms a habit in me. I put off asking God for things until I am in crisis mode, when I really feel the need. I readily acknowledge I can't make God do even the smallest thing He does not want to do. Yet something tells me I should be more urgent in my asking.
I think there are some key factors that would help motivate us to pray more urgently. It's something to think about and I will be doing so over the next couple of weeks.
What about you? Have you ever put a time-line on God?
Three months into this year I am in the middle of Exodus. I'm not a math whiz, but 1 book of the Bible each month has me finishing in about 2016. (Though I could probably crush some of those Minor Prophets in less than a month.)
One positive from all this is that I am paying more attention to smaller details. Recently I breezed through the 10 Plagues on Egypt. In Exodus 8, frogs have overtaken the land. Clearly there were no French chefs in the land, because no one seemed to think this was a good thing. But a couple of things stand out in this story.
First of all, why did the Egyptian magicians make more frogs? If they wanted to show their power, why not make the frogs disappear? 'Look Pharaoh, all those frogs that disgust you....we've made more!'
The second interesting detail comes from the resulting conversation. Moses and Pharaoh get together for a little pow-wow. Moses tells Pharaoh that he can choose when the frogs go away. Pharaoh replies, 'Tomorrow.'
Tomorrow?!?
If I had been Moses I might have asked Pharaoh if he was serious. You can choose whenever to get rid of these frogs and you're putting it off until tomorrow? Am I missing something? Aren't these frogs disgusting? Wouldn't you prefer them to be gone, oh say, right now?
Maybe Pharaoh is a big-picture guy. Perhaps he's trying to be cool, not letting on how much it bothers him. 'Frogs? I like frogs. Had a pet frog as a young kid. No problem.' I guess I can see that. After all, this is only the second plague. Perhaps Pharaoh will be less patient after plague #7 or 8.
I know patience is a virtue, but it makes me wonder if there are times when we should be less patient. When I am violently ill I am not patient. The last time I got sick I asked God repeatedly to either take the sickness away or just kill me and get it over with.
But what about those needs that don't impact me today? What about those requests that come to me from friends and family members? Why is it easier for me to ask for patience for someone else in their situation than it is for me in my situation?
What about when I meekly ask God to change something over the next 6 months? Is this wrong? God may have forever, but with my desire for all things deep-fried I am limited to another 40 years here on Earth. Maybe less. Shouldn't I be more urgent in the things I ask for?
The problem in my life is that this forms a habit in me. I put off asking God for things until I am in crisis mode, when I really feel the need. I readily acknowledge I can't make God do even the smallest thing He does not want to do. Yet something tells me I should be more urgent in my asking.
I think there are some key factors that would help motivate us to pray more urgently. It's something to think about and I will be doing so over the next couple of weeks.
What about you? Have you ever put a time-line on God?
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