The sufferings of Christ
As I sat with my Scripture verses from Philippians 3, I was to pray, with Paul from v.10,
“…to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…”
I spent time, feeling hesitant about praying this. If I’m being honest, it felt like too hard….
God, I need a sign!
In my earlier years, I took the verse in Jeremiah about God having ‘a plan and a purpose’ for me as a surefire way to ‘miss’ the will of God. I would get completely wrapped up in restlessness and frantic prayer, begging God to show me the decision I needed to make. Should I do this… or that, God? Should I take this job… or not? Should I say ‘yes’ to this opportunity? Is this from you, God? Please, I need a sign, God!
Sitting with Scripture
This morning as I sat with this Psalm, I felt something catch my attention in the first line. I know that when that happens, it is God inviting me to stay there for a bit and to explore a bit deeper. It is hard to describe because it feels very small, and quite subtle. As I sat, I realized that the idea of needing justice today didn’t resonate with me and so I told God that. But rather than just carrying on to the rest of the Scripture, I realized that there was a question from the Spirit in response: