The Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he? Recently, at a lovely, mini-retreat I attended, one of the facilitators, David Dayler, from the Hamilton Chancery office, gave the afternoon reflection and reminded us that God often spoke to the people of the Old Testament. “Why doesn’t God speak to us now?” is a question he’s asked all the time. His ready reply is that God does speak to us just as often…but we’re not listening.
Recently, on my way to work, I was pondering and praying as I so often do. Something in particular was niggling at me – something I want to tackle, but fear stops me in my tracks. I’ve wrestled with this very thing for years in fact, but this time I put up a little prayer for some guidance and encouragement. In the course of that very day, two things came across my desk (or over my computer screen). The first was in reference to St. Teresa of Avila and the writer finished with, “When faced with the unexpected, may you, like Saint Teresa, trust in God and be open to the possibilities.” The second was a quote from Saint John XXIII – “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do.”
Wow! It’s as if the heavens opened up and God bellowed, “Are you listening, Margery? It’s me, God!” Yes, I heard him loud and clear. I smiled the rest of the day and then I said to myself, ok, now get to work, you just can’t sit there and expect things to happen, you have to put in a little effort yourself, you know.
That’s the way it is with all of our encounters with God. We do have to do our part, but it sure feels good, when we sense that he is truly on our side. So, listen carefully, with an open mind and heart…and be prepared to get to work!
