JUNE 2017

​     Normally, I like to start my little articles with a story of something fun, funny or silly that the girls did and think about it in terms of what we can learn from where those lead.  There are always stories I can use from our families lives, but today I want to tell on myself.  As I got ready for Easter and the series to go along with Easter and as we started to talk about summer and what worship was going to look like in the summer, I listed out all the dates,   slotted in the sermons, when Easter was, when we were starting the summer schedule (this week by the way), and Pentecost.  But apparently in the shuffle, I was off a week.  In my head, Pentecost was last week, but on the calendar, it is this week coming up.  If you were thinking there was something off about your pastor, you were right (really there is more than one thing off).
     But I was so excited to get to Pentecost.  I was so excited to share the truth that God provided something even after the cross, even after the empty tomb, even after Christ was seated beside the Father, another helper.  Maybe it is because I know that I am in such need.  Maybe it is because I find myself depending.  Maybe it is because I truly believe that, like Good Friday and Easter, Pentecost is a game changer.  But as I think about what I did, I think I can learn something from it.  Don’t get ahead.  We are going to talk about how Moses did just that in this next sermon series.  We see King Saul doing it when he is supposed to wait for Samuel to offer the sacrifice in 1 Samuel 13.  Saul waits the 7 days he was supposed to, but Samuel hasn’t shown up and his men are starting to scatter.  Saul sacrifices the offering himself and as soon as he is done, Samuel shows up.  We see it with Peter trying to get Jesus out of the garden by fighting with his sword.  We see it in ourselves, as well, I am sure. 
     Aren’t there times that we think we know what to do, or we think something is supposed to happen?  But, the truth is, all we have done is used our wisdom and not listened to our Lord, to the Spirit.  Aren’t there times when we think we need to say a word, because we think it will change something, but it isn’t the right time and looking back we can see we should have been a little slower to speak.  It isn’t even a question of simply wanting to say or do the right thing, but also doing it in God’s time and way. 
     The Israelites heard the report from the spies that went to check out the promised land.  After hearing the report, they decide not to go.  So God declares they will not enter, but wander for forty years.  The people then decide that they should go, and they try, but fail.  God’s desire was to bring Israel into the land He has promised, but the people had the wrong time. 
     There are lots of scripture that remind us to wait and sometimes it is easy because we aren’t sure what to do anyway.  But sometimes we just get ahead of God.  We think, surely this is what He would want me to do.  This is another reason why Pentecost is so important, because the Spirit will guide us.  Before we go forward with what we think is right, we should go to the Lord to seek His counsel.  When God says go, we go.  If God says stay, we stay.  If God say no, then no. 
     So be assured, Pentecost is coming.  I was just a little early.  Be assured that the Lord is working and has a plan.  Don’t get ahead.  I’ll leave you with two of my favorite verses about waiting.  Psalm 27:13-14 “I am still confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.  Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
 
Because of Him,
Lynn