Yesterday was a roller coaster ride around here. Perhaps you can relate; perhaps you've also had days like that.
We received very good news yesterday concerning an inspection on the house we're buying in Spartanburg, and we were thrilled. Later in the day, we received what we thought was good news concerning an inspection on this house. However, it seemed that same news was being interpreted differently by our realtor and so we were confused. By the end of the day, we were feeling discouraged and frustrated. So, we prayed about it and went to bed.
This morning, I got up and had my prayer time as usual, then had my shower. When I plugged the hair dryer in to dry my hair, it wouldn't work. My first thought was, "Well, this is just great. What else can go wrong? Now the outlet doesn't work."
I plugged the hair dryer into a different outlet, and it still didn't work. And my thought was, "Well, this is just great. Now, on top of everything else, we'll have to buy a hair dryer." I headed to the guest bath to use the spare hair dryer we keep in there, and I noticed that the plug had two buttons on it, a red one and a yellow one. It was a light bulb moment! I went back to the original hair dryer, pressed the red reset button, plugged it into the outlet, and it worked perfectly!
Little foxes. Not literal foxes, although depending on where you live, actual foxes may be an issue. These little foxes are the irritations of life that can rob us of our joy. The frustrations and discouragements and hair dryers that won't work. Life is not all about "big" events and "big" decisions. Life is also, perhaps even more so, about the little everyday things. The little foxes.
We're halfway through our 40 days of prayer and fasting. And it still isn't about the food. (See http://susanssittingroom.blogspot.com/2015/03/whats-point-anyway.html for more on that subject.)
These 40 days are about seeking the Lord. About learning to trust Him in all things. About seeking Him in the big decisions of life. About praying for our nation and our world. For our cities and our neighborhoods.
But these days are also about seeking the Lord and learning to trust Him in the little things. Things like frustration and discouragement and confusion. Things like the little foxes that are "ruining the vineyard" and messing up our day. Things like hair dryers that won't work!
These 40 days are about "fixing our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2), and not on our circumstances. About trusting that "God will supply all our need." (Philippians 4:19). About knowing that He is working all things together for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28-29).
These days are about learning to "give thanks in all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Seeking God. Learning to trust. Giving thanks, even when there are little foxes.
That's what it's all about.
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith develops endurance." (James 1:2-3 NASB)
"What limit is there on what God will do for us when we seek His face?" - Don Wilton
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