21-Day Fast, Day 6

Whenever God does something new, He involves people — often unlikely people, frequently surprised and alarmed people. He asks them to trust him in a new way, to put aside their natural reactions, to listen humbly for a fresh word and to act on it without knowing exactly how it is going to work out. Reading the Bible without knowing in advance what God is going to say takes humility. Like Joseph, husband to Mary, we may have to put our initial reactions on hold and be prepared to hear new words, to think new thoughts, and to live them out. We all come with our own questions, our own sorrows and frustrations, our own desires. God will deal with them in his own way, but He will do so as part of His own much larger and deeper purposes. Who knows what might happen, this year, if even a few of us were prepared to listen to God’s word in scripture in a new way, to share the humility of Joseph, and to find ourselves caught up in God’s rescue operation?

Pray:

Speak to us, Father, in a new way as we read your word. Help us to hear your voice and follow where you lead.