Pa-tience ['pā sh ens]
noun.
1. The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset.
2. chiefly British term for solitaire
As we are still waiting to find out about where we are going to be posted we find ourselves living in the twilight zone. It is a place where everyone else have shifted gear and are moving towards a goal but we are still treading water.
We pray for patience!
I am tired, sad and hungry …. there must be more to it than this. The Bible promises more, my memory is filled with glories past, so why is there not anything here and now to quench my thirst? Here is my journal entry from today:
Talking about God like he is not in the room.
Praying like reciting a recipe or a poem that touches our lips but never our heart. Living like God is a good idea but poor reality. Saying we love Jesus with all our heart but there is no joy in our voice, no softness in our eye, it has become merely an intellectual position held in faith.There is a deep hunger in my heart, a thirst for more. It is like a deep call that has echoed so long that the words have been lost.
We have started 24-7-5 prayer here at WBC which means 24/7 prayer on 5 continents by the Salvation Army Cadets and colleges.
I had my second session in the prayer room last night and just as the first session the hour flew by like no time at all. It was like I hadn’t prayed for years. Something came over me and I ended up just shouting out the prayers and boldly proclaiming God’s victory. I also prayed some foolish prayers for our future ministry like “send me the ones no one else wants”, I know they where prayers inspired by God, but I also know I will come to wish I hadn’t.
Today I fear I will lose my voice. Maybe it is for the best, since I tend to get into trouble when I open my mouth….
As Cadets at the Salvation Army college we have the privilige of meeting a lot of officers. Some newly commissioned, some old in the game and some retired. What strikes me is how many of these officers seem to be burnt out and jaded. I do understand that being a Salvation Army Officer is hard work but surely it is also blessed work.
I saw an add yesterday on the train that said:
“if you like your job don’t bother with this add”
I prayed a prayer that I would never want to bother with that add. I want to be like the guy in Mary Poppins singing:
“Chim chimeny, chim chimeny, chim chim cheroo, I do what I like and I like what I do!”
Surely Officership is a privilege. To have a job where part of your work description is to spend quality time with God. A vocation where you are expected to spend time growing and maturing your faith, reading devotional books, praying, praising and functioning in your gifts.
I do understand that there are jobs that are less pleasant and some even unpleasant but we have that in common with the chimney sweep. I think that sometimes we get so busy with the dirty work that we forget to look around us and enjoy the majestic view. Like the chimney sweep we are “on top of the world” even if we do have our hands in the dirt!
