I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you;I will sing praise to your name, Oh Most High. ps. 91-2
Sleep is always the place that stress and fear most affects me, and, as of recent months, I have been battling insomnia (supposedly a sign of the onset of menopause!) on a nightly basis, so when I fall asleep instantly and stay asleep for a full 9 hrs then I must "recount his wonderful deeds!"
After I posted yesterday morning I was determined to keep my mind in a posture of faith, my iPod played repeatedly "You Never Let Go" and Ps 33 trooped through my mind. There really is power in captivating your thoughts and dictating their direction. I ended the day with my Neighborhood Prayer Watch which I started a few months ago. During our time of crisis here prayer times really became central to our church community in a way we had not experienced before...sadly. In the heat of the battle we were gathering 50+ strong, reciting psalms, pleading on behalf of the nations of the ME and it really was an amazing experience. But, of course life began to resume its normal pace, everyone went back to work and business crept back in and yet Egypt and the surrounding countries remain in a state of crisis even if we are not breathing the tear gas this time. The church has continued the prayer times, but for me in particular, it was hard to make as it unavoidably crept into my Caleb hours. One of the great benefits of my present living status is that I live in very close proximity to other strong believers and church members who share a vision for ME and prayer. So we have begun praying Monday nights after we put the kids to bed, and it has really grown to be a priority and a bond of commitment in our week. The focus is not on our personal needs but on Egypt and surrounding countries. Now any of you who know me would know that being a prayer warrior or being remotely excited about prayer time is FAR from my usual priority and has always been a source of guilt and disappointment in myself. So to find a time, community and joy in such a task is evidence of the Spirit's work in my life as well. All of this is a long explanation to say that yesterday which started under a fog of fear ended clear and light and peacefully and offered me literally the best night of sleep in months!
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