Personal lessons learned from Hezekiah’s failure to take his problem to God 519-1 - 12 - 7

I was lying in bed yesterday morning thinking about all that I had to do. I’m stocking up on inventory for my summer shop that opens in three months, now where did I misplace a bag of strands of beads? What to do about my shop in a mini-mall that’s growing stale, reorganize it and add more inventory? What of all the wash I have piled up? The night before I was having problems updating my e-commerce carts from which I needed to delete items going to the mini-mall. And finally, finishing my assignments for Isaiah week 12 and starting the final. Then there is Ezekiel week 23. And to think I’ve been retired for years.

I was thinking about what I was going to do rather than letting go and asking God for guidance. I received a quick answer, the Wi-Fi went down so unplug it for a while and plug it back so that it would hopefully reset itself. Wow, do I need to unplug and reset! So after doing several loads of wash I was to spend a quiet evening watching TV, quiet that is until Gary Stearman’s show. Gary was interviewing author Michael S. Heiser whose book I ordered, “The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible.” The book had me at the opening, now to find time to read it. Full disclosure, I also bought the audiobook so I can listen to it as well.

I was raised in a conservative Protestant church and later converted through marriage to the Episcopal Church. As a conservative Protestant I rather neglected the Word rather listening to the one Scripture the pastor spoke on each Sunday. In the Episcopal Church we followed a liturgy along with the priest. As I recall the only real difference between it and the Catholic Church is that it was in English. Thankfully as a very young child I had some exposure the Word at the local Baptist Church. The supernatural, a mystery or something to avoid?

In more recent years it’s been evangelical churches for me. First the local Baptist church and then the Assembly of God (AOG) Church. I find that I’m having difficulty adjusting to the Pentecostal service. I’m a quiet and reflective person and often when several people start speaking in tongues it sounds like babble to me. It is my understanding that one person speaks in tongues at a times and another person interprets. I have yet to hear an interpretation of anyone speaking in tongues. No interpretation, just everyone doing his/her thing. To me this marginalizes the gifts of the spirit rather than enhancing them.

I just seem to be out of step with my friends at the AOG or perhaps I just overthink our differences and exercise discernment where none is required. However, there does seems to be some tendency towards The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Nothing new here, just recycled Eastern religion that I was exposed to and rejected decades ago.

So I asked God for guidance and ended up doing some reflection as to where I’m going in my Christian life. Since I was led to Mr. Heiser’s book, perhaps it will help me sort it out with respect to the works of the supernatural.

As for personal lessons, reinforcement of the years this passage has keep me focused on what is really important, Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” [KJV]