About a year ago, I came across an author that God has just given the ability to speak right into my circumstances and to just be a timely message from Him. Her name is Frances J. Roberts, and she has written several small devotional books – which I HIGHLY recommend – first and foremost, “Come Away My Beloved.” I’ve also read “Make Haste, My Beloved,” “On the Highroad to Surrender,” and “Dialogues with God” – from which this next passage is out of.

You’ll notice the unique format – a prayer, and then God’s response to that prayer (based on scripture and just Holy Spirit discernment on her part). It may not be for everyone, but God has used this author’s words as His Words in my life so much that I just have to share!

This message came today, in light of studying about intentionally taking time to be still and reflect on God, His Love, and just being available to Him in my every day, every hour, every moment life. It’s actually pretty amazing just how good I am at completely missing Him and the point of all this sometimes!!! But He’s also so faithful to speak to me and lead me back to His green pastures and still waters to restore my soul!

Enjoy!

Unfinished Tasks (The prayer)
“My Father, I am not capable of doing all those things that are demanded of in the course of a day. For every task completed, numerous other needful duties are left undone. This is not a complaint that life is over burdensome, but rather a cry to Thee for understanding and for wisdom to improve the situation: how to reach the end of the day with a feeling of some degree of satisfaction in a job well done. It is not restful to, as it were, sleep on loose ends – to be forever uncomfortably aware of there multitudinous tasks still waiting.

For as time passes, so much of what we have failed to accomplish can no longer be done at all. Surely there must be enough time and enough strength provided to do the vitally essential things. Dear Father, I not only fail to accomplish the task, but lose my sensitivity to Thy guidance, and in doing this, I soon have also lost the joy I would have had if I had pleased Thee.”

Give Me the Firstfruits (God’s response)
“O my child, do not bring Me the unfinished tasks. There will always be work to do. This also can be a snare of the enemy, for he would deceive you into feeling that all work is worthy in itself – that simply to be occupied is good. This is not true. To sit still, yes, even to have recreation, is sometimes just as important and ofttimes more so. If you were a hundred people, you would discover that you would have a hundred times more unfinished tasks!

Give Me a heart that has learned to become quiet and to rest. Anybody can do work. Few people know how to be quiet. being quiet is not being lazy. Most lazy people are never truly quiet. Those who do the least frequently talk the most and are seldom able to be still and collect their wits.

You must be able to collect yourself – to take time to absorb the Spirit of God. For to be freshly filled with the Spirit will bring the guidance and direction and wisdom and the will to do His bidding. The purpose of spending time with God is more than simply enjoying His Presence: It is to fit you for the labors next at hand. The Mount of Transfiguration was not a separate play from the deliverance of the demoniac. It was the first scene. Christ’s words to the impotent disciples leave us in no doubt as to this (Mark 9:1-29: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%209:1-29&version=31)

So come to Me, as I have so often invited thee to do – heart open, hands uplifted and empty. Don’t bring Me your work. Bring Me yourself. It is you that I love, not your enterprises. The more you draw near to Me in singleness of heart, the clearer will be your guidance on life’s pathway and the less danger there will be of substituting human activities for Spirit-directed ministries.

Keep your heart tender, lest your work become destructive.”

So – apparently I’m a lot more rebellious than I thought.

I was driving to meet a friend at Starbucks for our usual time of catching up and trying to figure out all the mysteries of life, and apparently didn’t realize how anxious I was to get there. So, flashing lights behind me, I pull over, sighing and blaming my husband for frustrating me and ‘making me drive fast’ because I was frustrated.

And so the usual question – do you know why I pulled you over, etc., etc, and may I see your license and registration. So, I give him my id and then scramble in the glove compartment for the most recent insurance card. Sure enough, it’s not there, but he offers to take the expired card and look it up on his computer. So, more ammo to throw at my husband – i call him, make sure he know that I’ve been pulled over, and that it’s his fault that I don’t have the current insurance information (that he confirms is sitting at his desk at home).

Then, as i wait on the officer to come back, it hits me. I totally deserve this. I don’t have any excuses. I was speeding – I broke the law, and I was getting what I deserved. And on top of that, in the way that the Holy Spirit can be so untimely :), He brings to mind the passage about receiving the measure of mercy that I give out.

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:12-13

And I think – oh man, am I in trouble! I had A LOT of opportunities before i left home to be merciful with my husband, to give him a break and realize most of my attitude was because I was just in a bad mood, not because of some things that he had forgotten to do lately. And so I’m thinking – here it comes. Big ticket heading my way with my name on it.

And then the officer comes up, and brings it to my attention that my license has been expired for almost a year – and did i realize that. I’m freaking out inside, not even sure what they do for that type of thing, all the while trying to stay composed in front of the officer. He asks if someone is home that can come get me. I explain that my husband and I only have one car and that he’s at home carless. But I do mention my friend that I was on my way to meet, and he encourages me to call her. So, totally loosing it as he walks back to his car, I call my dear, sweet friend, balling my eyes out, telling her that they’re coming to take me away and she needs to be here! 🙂 So, she says she’ll be right there.

And then – totally unexpectedly, the officer comes back, and tells me the verdict. Instead of giving me a ticket for driving without a license (which I guess they can do since it’s been expired for so long), he just gives me a ticket for an expired license, and a warning for the speeding. He asks me to stay there until my friend gets there, and he leaves.

And I totally didn’t get what I deserved! And then it hit me, again, in the way that God’s grace just flows, that I don’t get what I deserve every single day. I don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy, but He extends it from the cross 2000 years ago to me today. I don’t deserve the blessings in my life, and yet it continually pours out His love and blessings on me. And I have the nerve to withhold mercy from the man that i love most in my life (besides Jesus) – just who do I think I am? How can I lose sight of this and go about my life, complaining because I don’t get things my way. PRAISE GOD I DON’T GET THINGS MY WAY! Because my way, what i deserve, is death.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” -Romans 12:1-2

So, yeah – I’m a lot more rebellious than I thought – I was breaking about 5 laws without even trying – and didn’t recognize my need for mercy. And how often do I go about life like that – not realizing my need for mercy, and not realizing just how much each day I break more and more of God’s laws, His perfect standard of holiness. Praise God for Jesus Christ, my Savior, Who took my place so that I could become Righteous (rightly related) to God!