As the Scriptures said, “The Lord God banished [Adam] from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken” (Genesis 3:23, NIV). I was lonely in our new community. Gone was my busy social life with garden club, friends, and leadership in our children's activities. I felt as if I had been banished. Searching for new friends, I went to a community gathering where the speaker talked about spiritual disciplines, a concept new to me though I had attended church sporadically all my life. The speaker enumerated several spiritual disciplines as she explained, “Disciplines are things we can do to reach out and respond to God's love.” I was missing three of the ones she mentioned: a Christian small group, daily prayer, and Bible study. Then, a new friend invited me to her “prayer and share” group at church. I was surprised to find these women digging into scripture with passion and intelligence.
When they prayed aloud, I listened - and learned how to pray. I began to read the Bible and to pray at home. Soon my new friends enlisted me in caring ministries. God had given me new ground to work. Banishment was not the end of the story for Adam and Eve. It was a new beginning for all humanity. And my “banishment” was a new beginning for me. What feels like the end of something good may actually be the start of something better.
Profile Background:
(Written by Margaret Daubert – (Washington, U.S.A) from the Upper Room Ministries)
Prayer Response to this featured article:
We pray we hear God’s voice calling us home when we wander away. We pray that God lets us have the sensitivity to hear His voice. We pray we hear the sounds of God's presence.
(The unrecalled date/year of published time)
No comments:
Post a Comment