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DECEMBER 8, 2014
The Day God's Extraordinary Interrupted My Ordinary |
"The Angel of the LORD appeared to him ..., " Judges 6:12a (NLT)
Another day of errands. Same cycle every week. Grocery store. Gas station. Dry cleaners. Target.
I dread errand days. I whine about the fun and exciting things I can't do because of the mundane tasks I have to do.
But one particular week, God interrupted my ordinary with the extraordinary. You know, one of those moments when it seems God speaks directly to you ... as if He has heard the banter in your head and addresses it head on?
I was studying about Gideon, a warrior from the Old Testament who also became a Judge over Israel. We initially meet him in the midst of his mundane in Judges chapter 6, when "The Angel of the LORD appeared to him ...," (Judges 6:12a).
No thunder. No lightning. No pomp. No circumstance. Very quietly, the Angel of the Lord came to speak to Gideon in the midst of his ordinary tasks on an ordinary day.
Gideon's story remained heavy on my heart. Do I look for God in the midst of my ordinary? No, I don't. I just want the mundane over so I can get on with my day.
Yet, I want to experience the extraordinary! But I look for it in the grandiose, the uncommon, the bigger-than-life. So, I prayed for a Gideon moment: God will You show up in my mundane? I want to see You. I want to experience You in my ordinary tasks on an ordinary day.
God answered that very day, but not in the form of an angel. In the form of a 7-year-old boy.
While checking out at Target, I noticed a young boy standing behind me, proudly toting a HUGE Nerf toy (almost as big as he was) and tightly gripping a handful of gift cards. I learned his name was Luke. I asked Luke if the toy was for him. Shyly, he shook his head yes. It was for his birthday. His mom said he received some gift cards and was spending them all on this one item!
God met me right there in the checkout lane, in that shy smile, and moved my heart to give and my mouth to speak. I asked Luke's mom if I could buy his gun as a birthday present.
In that moment, I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking. It didn't make logical sense to offer this to a child I didn't know. I just knew God was calling me to do it — and I obeyed.
A huge grin spread across Luke's face. "Really?" he asked. I nodded my head yes and suggested that he could then spend his gift cards on something else. Tears leaked from his mama's eyes as I shared my prayer that morning.
I stopped by customer service, and as I turned toward the door to leave, Luke's dad, with Luke by his side, stopped to say thank you. But it wasn't the thank you for the gift that touched my heart. It was the words that followed, thanking me for the lesson Luke learned.
Luke decided that instead of spending all his gift cards on another new toy, he would only spend four so that he could give one away.
I'm so grateful God spoke to me in His Word that day. I'm grateful that "word" led me to pray a Gideon prayer ... for God to meet me in the ordinary to experience the extraordinary. I'm grateful God answered that prayer. And I'm so grateful that in meeting me, God also met Luke.
And somewhere in this city, another little boy on another ordinary day will meet an extraordinary God through a tender-hearted little boy named Luke.
Will you join me in praying a Gideon prayer ... for God to interrupt your ordinary tasks on an ordinary day to intervene in an extraordinary way? Let's invite Him to open our spiritual eyes so that we can see Him more clearly than ever before.
Heavenly Father, I invite You to show up in my mundane. I want to see You. I want to experience You in my ordinary tasks on an ordinary day. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 Samuel 3:10b, "And Samuel replied, 'Speak, Your servant is listening.'" (NLT)
RELATED RESOURCES:
If you've ever searched for how God's Word could actually apply to your life, you'll appreciate Living So That: Making Faith-Filled Choices in the Midst of a Messy Life by Wendy Blight.
Stop by Wendy's Blog today for a chance to win a copy of her book, Living So That, and a $25 Target gift card. Just share your Gideon prayer or tell us how God has shown up on an ordinary day.
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Pray your Gideon prayer, asking the Lord to make Himself visible to you (as He did to Gideon) in the midst of your mundane. Pray that He will open your spiritual eyes to see Him in a fresh way.
Record how God worked through your prayer in your Bible or a journal.
© 2014 by Wendy Blight. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org