Isaiah 63:7
I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the LORD has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done...
The Lord has brought me through 30 days of rising early before the dawn. I've called it 5 whatever, because although my alarm sounds off at 5:16 am, that is hardly the time I rise.
I may not be consistent in the details of this discipline, but I have certainly seen a dramatic change in my life. The alarm is always set, but it is God's grace and the Holy Spirit's leading that is guiding my life more than ever. Sometimes I'm up. Other days, I'm not. But just as the Scriptures declare, God's mercies are new every morning and I look forward to realizing that truth every approaching evening as I consider the next day.
Believe it or not, I am no more tired today than I was a month ago. But I am, for the most part, much more peaceful. It makes me think of Isaiah 26:3,
because he trusts in you.
I've experienced a taste of perfect peace as I've steadied my life and my thoughts on the Lord, turning to Him with my time and my devotion, and casting all my cares upon the cross. Life's challenges are still the same, if not more so, than they were 30 days ago. I can become easily overwhelmed by life throughout the day, by am more quickly drawn back to the Lord and word than ever before. Nothing externally has changed to make this possible. There are still challenges: the demand to be frugal in this economy, figuring out how to parent our twins during the challenging 3 year old year, working through the sibling conflicts of my older girls, figuring out how to help friends whose marriages are falling apart, preparing for all the normal wedding details for my sister while not getting too emotional about the absence of my father, learning to be a Mary instead of a Martha as I guide our upcoming women's retreat along, and in all of it, not forgetting to love on my husband with oodles of respect, find time to encourage friends who are always encouraging me, and to remember that I am the daughter of King who needs to attend to Him first in my life. With all this normal stuff, it could easily be an overwhelmed life. That is what I was living, until I resigned from I Am Just So Overwhelmed club and signed up for membership in the 5:16 club.
Life has not changed. My circumstances have not changed. But my heart and my faith has. I trust God more, as I've come to Him each morning, giving my time and my focus all to Him. I have seen Him truly order my days, which has built my faith up and filled me with peace in the midst of a crazy life. Do I stumble and fall into the temptation to doubt, crank about problems, and be plain old ornery. Of course! I have old habits that die hard. But a transformation has definitely occurred in my soul, and my ongoing prayer is that it would continue. The real test is ahead of me. 30 days is just a drop in the bucket.
The question before me now is whether am I willing to commit to the Lord my time and my heart by pressing on as a 5 whatever gal? I certainly hope so! I covet your prayers and your accountability. Anytime you want to send me an email (extragrace at gmail dot com) or leave a comment, go for it! Isn't that what the body of Christ is supposed to do for one another? It may humble me at times, but that is a good thing.
The thrill of being at this point in the journey is that I can confidently testify to Psalm 34:8,
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
I pray that you would consider becoming a 5 whatever gal, too. It is a flavor-filled experience, chock full of blessing as we give our lives over to the Lord and take refuge completely in Him.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Heavenly Father, thank you for this 30 day experience and utterly life-transforming challenge to give up my time to spend with you. I pray, Lord, that I would continue to submit to your way for my life, your calling, your instructions, and your love. Keep me, O Lord, from my rebellious and sinful ways. Lord, take my hand and lead me in your way everlasting, for your glory sake. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Are you ready to become a 5 whatver gal?
Posts
3 Comments:
This was so encouraging. God truly does bless our efforts and the best intentions of our heart - for He knows our heart. What a blessing - this post - and really inspiring me to challenge myself in some new ways, too.
What a great testimony to the importance of starting your day with the Lord and how He'll keep you with Him all day because of that.
I've been doing the 5:16 *although I adopted your 5-whatever label:) for a week. It's so odd. Our situation has been significant trying with my hubby's appendectomy in the midst of our financial crisis, but I find myself more at peace than ever, more in love with my husband than ever, more serving. Isn't it amazing!?
Glad to be your sister in this 5 whatever journey!
I am very encouraged by your testimony.
It is similar to what I am doing now, but not on my own. I have a couple friends and we link up on the telephone at 5.30am almost every weekday. The times of prayer have been so great and refreshing. Sometimes we start a little later and sometimes none of us wake up so we have no prayer, which is ok. But in the midst of it all, and we've only started about 3 weeks ago, God is doing an awesome thing.
So I pray for you that you will continue to persevere to put God first. He will reward you, for sure.
Look out for change.
Blessings,
Vickie
Blessings,
Vickie
Post a Comment
I'm so glad you decided to leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'd also love to follow up with you, so be sure to leave your email address or a link to your blog! If you'd like to contact me directly, just pop an email to Lisa at extragrace at gmail dot com.
Blessings, extravagantly,
Lisa