Today’s scripture: Judges 6:36-40 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Kristin Lee):
In today’s scripture, Gideon converses with God, asking for a series of signs to make sure he fully understands the task he feels God has assigned him.
Lucky Gideon, right? He undeniably knew what the world needed from him! (I’m still searching; how about you?) He was even able to eliminate his lingering doubts by not only talking to God, but also receiving the specific feedback he requested. (I’ve asked for signs, and then when something happens I’ve asked, “Is that a sign, God?” Sound familiar?)
The reading caused me to recall recent sermons about living with greater authenticity and hearing God’s voice. I think one way to hear God’s voice is to pay special attention to disruptions.
In the correctional facility where I work, eligible pregnant offenders are able to have a birth coach in the delivery room at the hospital. One eligible offender wanted her husband, the father, to be with her, but he didn’t meet the policy criteria for birth coaches. The father called repeatedly, asking for an exception to be made. His requests were denied. He’d never missed the birth of one of his children, he said. One of his children died in infancy due to health problems, he said. He sincerely wanted to be there.
Policy also states that infants cannot be in the facility visiting room until they are 30 days old. Since this infant was going to be living with her mother at the prison, the father would not be able to even see his baby until it was a month old.
I’m one of the staff able to pick the babies up from the hospital, and I’d arranged with the hospital to pick her up at 8:00 a.m. I drove into work early to check out keys for a vehicle, and was told by the control officer that the hospital had just called. The baby wasn’t ready to go home. I went on to my office and arranged to pick the baby up at 12:30 p.m. For my second attempt to pick up the child, I made it all the way to the front seat of the vehicle when I got the call from the hospital saying the baby still wasn’t ready. I went back to my office. I was finally able to pick up the infant at 2:30 p.m.
As I returned to the facility with the infant, a man came out of the visiting room saying, “That’s my baby.” He had come to visit the mother and just happened to be present when I returned. If I’d brought the baby back the first or second times I’d tried, he wouldn’t have been there, and he would have had to wait for a month. As it was, he was able to hold his daughter while I checked the vehicle back in and took the hospital items up to the mother’s living unit.
Even though I hadn’t spent any time that day thinking about my prayers for my life to change so I could be the person I think God wants me to be, I found myself feeling as though God had talked to me through those interruptions. I had to be patient in bringing back the baby, and I was able to see a father hold his daughter and kiss her for the first time.
Now, I just need to be patient with my prayers. Asking for signs, like Gideon did, isn’t the only way to hear God’s voice. Availing ourselves to disruptions, and prayerfully considering them, is another way.
Thought for the day: Was that a disruption to my day? Or was God redirecting me?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.