samedi, mai 07, 2005

Keeping Company with God

Early this week while commuting to Ladner (about an hour or so from where we are staying) I had a moment of spiritual simplicity. I was thinking about my beautiful wife and two wonderful boys and how much I missed them-I have been with them everyday for the last eight months but now am working 8-13 hours a day away from "home"- and how much I loved them. I was laughing to myself over Zach’s vernacular-he has many funny lines in his toddler language. When he wants to be held he will run up to me and say, “Daddy hold you”. As I reflected on this the ache in my heart became tears in my eyes as I lifted my hands and said, “Daddy hold you”. At that moment I knew that coming to my heavenly Father is as simple as saying, “Daddy hold you”.
This week has been a week of simple spirituality. I have felt an ease in my heart as I have packed lumber and cement and generally worked long hard hours. In the midst of the mundane this week I have just been “hanging-out” with God. Clement of Alexandria said, “prayer is keeping company with God”. My day’s have become prayers; filled with work and conversation with God-“keeping company with God”. As I have worked I have been talking to God and He has been talking to me-through clouds, airplanes, other folks, the mouth of babes and through the still small voice in the quiet places of my soul. Tonight it was through a book and K.D. Lang’s C.D. Hymns of the Forty-Ninth Parallel.
Tonight as I reflected on this past week I have realized that it has been a week celebrating the fact that I can “keep company” with a God who has chosen to make Himself known. Tim Stafford in his book, Knowing the Face of God, say’s, “The God of the Bible…has no antipathy to flesh and blood; from first to last he has made himself earthly, material and historical. Heathen gods might be confused with impersonal natural forces, but Yahweh showed a human face; he spoke a known language. The God of Abraham…got involved…with the most mundane aspects of their [Israelites] lives. Human beings did not leave the earth to encounter God in spirit. Yahweh appeared on earth”. Again I find I can only rejoice in God’s amazing grace in coming to us. I can only mouth the words, “Daddy hold you” because God has chosen to come near.
Posted by Jeremy J Harnett :: 9:34 p.m. :: 0 comments

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---------------oOo--------------- Would you like some sleep with that stress?

Try moving half way across the country with a three week old cholicy baby, an extremely rambunctious 22 month old and 8 pieces of luggage (four of which we were charged a fee for at the airport in Regina); moving in and out of people's spare rooms in the process of trying to find a semi-permanent home for four months; going from part-time student to full-time heavy labouror (my hubby that is).... With little sleep, lots of activity, and no place to call our own my perspective has really been struggling to stay positive these days. I have seen the darker side of my flesh come out one too many times as my nerves have been stretched to their max.
Before we left Caronport a group of our friends prayed over us for this stretch of our journey. What a neat blessing and ministery to us. One friend came to me after that time of prayer and said she'd seen a picture while they had been praying. The picture was of Jesus and me walking together and Jesus was whispering secrets to me. That was all she saw; she couldn't tell me what the secrets were, and Oh! how I longed to know those secrets at that moment.
I've thought about that picture every day, and every day I've asked Jesus what his secret is for me TODAY. Each day I am craving to hear His words to me in the midst of my chaos and discouragement. And each day- some days more clearly than others- He whispers a little word of hope, peace and joy-renewing into my weary ear.
Pray for me in this time of roller-coaster emotions. But pray for your own ears to hear his secret for you today in the midst of your journey, wether it be sunny on your path today or soaking you in a downpour!

Tanya

Posted by Jeremy J Harnett :: 9:54 a.m. :: 1 comments

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