Learning to Walk, Not Run - Your Nightly Prayer - October 22nd

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Learning to Walk, Not Run
Your Nightly Prayer
By Kyle Norman

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“He has made everything Beautiful in its time.”  - Ecclesiastes 3:11

SOMETHING TO PONDER

I used to have the proverbial lead foot. Every journey was taken as a race. I would zip around in my car, weaving in and out of traffic. Other drivers were mere obstacles in my way. I saw the estimated times of arrival on my GPS as nothing more than a challenge: How many minutes could I shave off my time?

The outward effect of speeding about was obvious, I received speeding tickets. . .a lot of speeding tickets. It got to the point that my 4-year-old son would say “Uh-oh” whenever the mail was delivered. Beyond the hit to my wallet, there was an inward toll this impatience was having. Internally, my spirit was anxious. My heart and my mind were always projected onto the next journey I had to rush into. I was time-bound, ruled by the clock, perpetually preoccupied by the next thing.

Preoccupation means we fill our lives with events, actions, or worries before they ever become a reality. We constantly live elsewhere, never at peace, always restless before the Lord who calls us to rest in him. Instead of dwelling in the beauty of who God has called us to be and where God has called us to live, we cast our spirits into some distant vision of what life should be like.

The radical truth of our faith is that God meets us in the intricacy of our lives. God’s love and grace are not promised to who we will be; they are given to who we are. As Ecclesiastes reminds us, God has made everything beautiful in its time. If God has made everything beautiful in its time, then this moment is precisely the place where you can experience the Lord’s loving presence. 

What is the beauty of this moment for you? Where is the beauty found in who God has called you to be, in this moment? Where might God be asking you to attend to the Spirit’s work?

When we look at our lives from the standpoint of eternity, acknowledging that the true value of life cannot be found in earthly means, we free ourselves from anxious striving. The frenetic toil and intolerable scrambles of life fade away under the knowledge that God’s unyielding grace surrounds us. Of course, this doesn’t mean we can’t work hard or have ambitions. It simply means that the burden we feel to charge ahead, to carve a path, to create a legacy, and to earn success falls off our shoulders. We end up slowing down, and in doing so, create the capacity to breathe in all of God’s gifts, gifts that we could too easily speed past.

Can you slow down enough to recognise the beauty of this moment? When I finally eased away from relentless speeding, my vision of life around me changed. I would notice the driver in the car next to me, wiping away tears from her eyes, and so a prayer for healing and comfort would rise within me. I found myself talking with people about faith in the local coffee shop or the grocery store. I would notice the beauty of life around me. None of these experiences was forced or contrived; they simply happened as I allowed myself to live with God, in the beauty of the moment.

Recognising the beauty of the moment helps us walk, not run. We rejoice rather than worry. We pray rather than strive. God’s plan for this moment is more important than our plans, and it may just be that God desires us to share or receive a beautiful expression of Christ’s love. 

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Gracious Lord,
I can easily become overwhelmed by the busyness of my life. I can create visions of who I am to be and where I am to go, to the point that I lose your call to know you in this moment. Lord, forgive me when my strivings crowd out your call to be still in your presence.
Father, I pray that you increase within me the capacity for patience. Open my eyes to see the beauty of this moment. Help me to rely not on my strength but yours; move me into places where you call me to stop, rest, breathe, or listen.  You are Lord of this time, and I lay myself before you as your servant.
I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Solomon writes these words after he pens the famous lines describing the seasons to dance, mourn, live, and die. Things are beautiful in their time, not because they are necessarily pleasant or attractive, but because they are right. What is beautiful about this present time in your life?

2. Impatience often creates a sense of internal frenzy. What causes you impatience? How might you hand those things over to the Lord?

3. Directly after saying that everything is beautiful in its time, Solomon writes about how God has placed an eternity in our hearts. How does viewing your life from the standpoint of eternity change how you view success vs. failure, or anxiety vs. contentment?

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Manikandan-Annamalai

The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada.  He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others.  He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca.  He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.

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