A Season of Sifting
I had a light-bulb moment last night. I've felt like I have needed to be active in a ministry or small group or something because I know God could make a difference through me but when I tried to think of something to do, it was so forced and unsupported, like I had nothing to give. So I settled on the idea that my "job" was to pray for my family and friends, to learn to pray specifically and expect affirmative answers.
Well, I'm learning that prayer is something... um, duh... that I should do without ceasing anyway. In bible study this past week I encountered a fresh view on what my season might be right now. It totally goes along with the prayer that Jenny sent me earlier by Charles de Foucauld. The bible study speaker talked about how she had just been through a season of sifting which she wished never to go through again, although she couldn't have come to where she is without it. Two years earlier she had spent a lot of time in the Word, memorizing scriptures, studying, researching. She said she'd never been more "in love" with God than that year. Then one day a year ago the sifting began.
Luke 22:31-32 says, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." The first 'you' is plural, meaning Satan was asking to sift all of the disciples. But the next 'you' is singular and directed at Simon only. God was allowing Satan to sift only Simon. And then Jesus was praying specifically for Simon and expecting him to do great things for his brothers in Christ when he had made it through.
I believe the sifting going on here was just like what it sounded like. God was allowing the testing of Simon in order to sift out any unwanted things. The speaker in bible study spoke of how she had three specific things that needed sifting before she could move on in her ministries and her faith-walk with Christ. She had to be rid of her pride - just as Simon did. The next verse is where he tells Jesus he will go with him to prison and death if necessary. Soon after he falls flat on his face in denying he ever knew Christ.
She also had to get rid of her victim mentality. Everything could not be blamed on everyone else. She had to take ownership of her choices and their outcomes. And then she had to let go of all those "embedded impurities" she was carrying around like baggage. I can identify with so much of this!
God won't hand us over to be sifted unless there is something that needs sifting! I don't know if that's a good or bad thing... HAH! I do know that it is where I'm at. To exploit yet another analogy you've all heard, I am a vessel. God empties and fills me according to His desires and my willingness. What I'm experiencing now goes a little beyond that... He's emptying me and chipping away at the actual vessel.
It's almost as if He's trying to make one of those mosaic-like vases out of me. There are a lot of things in my life that He has been removing and now He's taking away some pretty integral parts of my life and thoughts. I guess I just have to remember that there are some things in my life now that can't go where God wants me to go next. He is taking away those things and the only possible way to survive and get past this time is to just hand it over and rely on God for my needs, to make Him my Enabler!
I can tell you that I agree with the speaker in that this time of sifting is less than wonderful to go through. It tests everything I believe in and tests my faith and ability to let go. But Jesus said he'd pray for Simon so won't he pray for me, too? And part of me is excited to see what God might use me for when He's done. If nothing else, if He never uses me for anything, I will have a lot less junk to carry around and I'll feel a whole lot prettier!
Well, I'm learning that prayer is something... um, duh... that I should do without ceasing anyway. In bible study this past week I encountered a fresh view on what my season might be right now. It totally goes along with the prayer that Jenny sent me earlier by Charles de Foucauld. The bible study speaker talked about how she had just been through a season of sifting which she wished never to go through again, although she couldn't have come to where she is without it. Two years earlier she had spent a lot of time in the Word, memorizing scriptures, studying, researching. She said she'd never been more "in love" with God than that year. Then one day a year ago the sifting began.
Luke 22:31-32 says, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." The first 'you' is plural, meaning Satan was asking to sift all of the disciples. But the next 'you' is singular and directed at Simon only. God was allowing Satan to sift only Simon. And then Jesus was praying specifically for Simon and expecting him to do great things for his brothers in Christ when he had made it through.
I believe the sifting going on here was just like what it sounded like. God was allowing the testing of Simon in order to sift out any unwanted things. The speaker in bible study spoke of how she had three specific things that needed sifting before she could move on in her ministries and her faith-walk with Christ. She had to be rid of her pride - just as Simon did. The next verse is where he tells Jesus he will go with him to prison and death if necessary. Soon after he falls flat on his face in denying he ever knew Christ.
She also had to get rid of her victim mentality. Everything could not be blamed on everyone else. She had to take ownership of her choices and their outcomes. And then she had to let go of all those "embedded impurities" she was carrying around like baggage. I can identify with so much of this!
God won't hand us over to be sifted unless there is something that needs sifting! I don't know if that's a good or bad thing... HAH! I do know that it is where I'm at. To exploit yet another analogy you've all heard, I am a vessel. God empties and fills me according to His desires and my willingness. What I'm experiencing now goes a little beyond that... He's emptying me and chipping away at the actual vessel.
It's almost as if He's trying to make one of those mosaic-like vases out of me. There are a lot of things in my life that He has been removing and now He's taking away some pretty integral parts of my life and thoughts. I guess I just have to remember that there are some things in my life now that can't go where God wants me to go next. He is taking away those things and the only possible way to survive and get past this time is to just hand it over and rely on God for my needs, to make Him my Enabler!
I can tell you that I agree with the speaker in that this time of sifting is less than wonderful to go through. It tests everything I believe in and tests my faith and ability to let go. But Jesus said he'd pray for Simon so won't he pray for me, too? And part of me is excited to see what God might use me for when He's done. If nothing else, if He never uses me for anything, I will have a lot less junk to carry around and I'll feel a whole lot prettier!
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