“I am so afraid for my three children. I don’t know whether I should ask if they can accept me back at my previous job. There is no future here”. Marjorie shared as she blankly stared outside the window of the restaurant.
“I literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire. I recall writing in my journal that I was hearing God instruct me to stay on just a little longer”, Marjorie continued with what almost seemed like soliloquy.It was as if I was not sitting across the table even as she processed her own thoughts out aloud.
I had agreed to meet this lovely girlfriend for a coffee date after a bold headline on the paper- MILLIONS IN FINTECH FIRM’S ACCOUNTS FROZEN.I wasn’t even aware she had changed jobs as it was barely a month and a half since our last phone conversation.
“Pearl, I was fed up, more like terrified. I brought in Ken and here he was having meetings with the CEO in my absence. I almost felt like a lot happened at night perhaps since I never saw them together,” She mused, distress written all over her face replacing her usual beautiful bright smile.
You see,I had had the privilege of hearing Marjorie’s beautiful journey with Jesus. Hers was such an admirable walk that easily drew one to love and desire what she had. A deeply personal walk with the Lord that was evident in almost all facets of her life. She had made mistakes before, yes, but had dusted herself up and was determined to single-handedly give her children the best.
“Can you imagine Ken started telling everyone boldly that he was now taking over my role?I felt so threatened as it definitely meant the two of us could not be retained. He was more seemingly ambitious than I was, more aggressive. I had taught him the craft, but he did not hesitate to cut me off”, shared Marjorie tears now welling in her eyes.
I reach out to hold her hand as I whisper a quiet prayer beneath my breath, “Lord give her peace.”
“I missed God and should not have moved!God never gave me peace about accepting this new offer and clearly, I now see why” .
She quickly reaches out for her handbag and opens a beautiful red covered journal to show me a highlighted paragraph .
” See this Pearl,eight months ago, God actually told me to stay put and that He would promote me there(previous workplace) but I packed and left instead”, Tears are now freely flowing down her cheeks and I quickly move to give her a hug.
Can we miss God?
In the book of 1 Kings 12 & 13 we see God send a man to King Jeroboam with a message. He was to speak against the king because he had led Israel to worship idols and that God would take away his kingdom and give it to another. The King stretched his hand instructing his soldiers to seize the man of God but his hand shriveled. He then asked to be prayed for which the man of God did and his hand was restored.
What happens thereafter to this man of God is where we draw our study for today. God had spoken to him and had instructed that he was not to accept any food or drink while on his journey. We see his response to the king in turning the king’s offer down in 1 kings 12:8 “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9 For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’” 10 So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
When an old prophet in this town heard all that had happened, he went after him and invited him to his home-making the same offer that the king had made. See what the old prophet then tells him when he declined- verses 18&19 of chapter 13 says “the old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house. This story ends so badly because in the end,his body was found lying with the lion that killed him and his donkey standing right next.
The gift of discernment- the ability to tell what is of God and what is not. The ability to judge correctly. I have read this story a few times and keep thinking…oh wow…he missed it and lost his life.
Can we miss God? Perhaps it felt like God took too long and you just said yes to that young man.Deep down though you know your relationship doesn’t have God’s approval.Maybe you were under so much pressure at your work place that it only made sense to take up the next job that opened up.However,you can see the same personalities you needed to conquer that seem to have followed you in your new job.
This young prophet heard so clearly the first time but how could he get it so wrong? Wasn’t there a more lenient consequence in missing God’s voice. Why? Because we too can so easily miss God’s voice as well. 1 john 4:1 says- Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. The young prophet did not test.
In fact, soon after he had eaten, the word of the lord came to the old prophet, and he told the young prophet in verses 21& 22 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. 22 You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore, your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.The old prophet had lied the first time but this time round the he actually was speaking God’s voice.
Gifted for everyday living-should that not be our desire? 1 Cor 12:6-11 tells us of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit. It’s so easy to think of some of these gifts as being a preserve of people who are serving God in church or something,like you know pastors, apostles-men of cloth? Think of the Gift of performing miracles, gift of healing, gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues and gift of interpretation of tongues. I know right-that’s for men of God it would seem.
I have been learning that in my simplistic way of desiring to walk with the Lord, His Holy Spirit also desires on his part to give us these gifts for our everyday living. Of course, there are those gifts that are manifested publicly in the body of Christ. Picking from the story of the young prophet and old prophet we just read, perhaps you are desiring to distinguish God’s voice from every other voice? Are you and I able to test a second voice if we heard God in the first place? Could be you want to make an investment and you are not at peace with it. But someone else convinces you to go ahead and oh no you lose money. That has ever happened to me.Or perhaps you are like my friend Cate,it looks so bad here.Surely God cant be in it so i better ship out.
Let’s pick another gift-word of knowledge. Daniel was divinely not only able to know what the King had dreamt but also what the dream meant. What if you have been planted wherever you currently are, to bring another gift aboard- God’s divine wisdom into an organization, in your family or friend’s life through the gift of wisdom? It might be a simple statement you make but God has laced it with His wisdom.
Shouldn’t we be grateful that we don’t need titles in church to ask for this gift of discernment and the other gifts? That we can simply ask or perhaps even discover that which he has already given us. May he show us how we can tap into these gifts in everyday living and ultimately to edify the body of Christ. Mathew 7:11 says that He give good gifts to those that ask .He then helps define this good gift in Luke 11: 13 that If we then, though we are evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” So BOLDY ask God for His Holy spirit and He will you with every perfect gift from our Father.
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