Obviously, I've been doing a lot of things besides writing this blog. Lately, I've been outside pretty much all day, every day. Yesterday, it was supposed to start raining at some point in the afternoon. I decided to see how much I could get done in the garden before the rain came. By this time, it was almost 4:00, and that was when the front was supposed to come through.
I grabbed a pail, and a pair of scissors (to cut stinging nettle to make quiche), a package of purple bean seeds to plant, and my trusty shovel that's been a constant companion this spring. As you can see in the picture, three of my squares are not only not planted, but I haven't even dug in the compost, yet. It was my plan to ready another square for planting.
As I stood in the garden, softening up the bean square soil with my hand, the wind started to howl. Our property has many basswoods, which really catch the wind because they are so tall. They stand as sentinels behind my vegetable garden and nearby food forest. I love the wind, so I look up, and the light behind the trees has that "going to storm" look to it. It's all wild and wonderful, and suddenly I have one of those "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening" kind of moments.
We live in the country, and I'm usually talking to God out loud while I work, asking Him about what to plant where and telling Him that something is pretty, and whatever. No one can hear me, and it's just become what I do outside. So, that's normal, but asking Him to speak back is not typical for me. For one thing, I'm just too afraid that my imagination would take over and put words in my head.
There have been a couple of occasions in my life when I've heard God speak loud and clear, literally like someone speaking in the room. There have been a handful of times when I've heard God speak in my soul or my head or whatever you want to call it, and I knew that I knew that I knew that it was Him, and even had it confirmed later that yes, it really had been. (If you've experienced that, you know what I mean) There have been times when God spoke and I had no idea that it had been Him until afterward. And, there have been many times when I heard a whisper that was so light that I am just not sure. Was that God? Was that me? There are times when it didn't matter, because the words were scripture from the Bible. But, if it wasn't from the Bible, was it really God? Speaking to me in a gentle whisper?? Yesterday, was one of those times.
So, I'm in garden, looking up at the tossing trees, and that light that says a storm is coming, the wind whipping my face, and I say, "Speak, Lord. Talk to me." And immediately, "Hurry" comes into my head. Hurry? With the garden? So, just in case, I stop with the beans and go cut my stinging nettle, because we're going to have that for supper. That done, I get ready to plant my purple beans, and while I do that, I'm talking out loud to God. "Was that You, Lord? Hurry? Are you just caring about me not getting wet?"
I'm bent over, popping beans into the soil, and into my head comes, "Finish the work. You have less time than you think you have."
I stand up and look at the sky. "Lord? Is that really You? This isn't about the garden, then? If that's really You, could you please confirm this somehow?"
Now, in the immediate, I certainly did have less time than I thought I had. I hadn't started digging the new square for planting, and in fact, I wasn't even done with the beans when the rain started. I hurried then! I needed to finish the beans before I got soaked.
As I ran to the house, I'm thinking about those words. It really didn't feel like me talking to myself, because why would I say that? "FINISH THE WORK. YOU HAVE LESS TIME THAN YOU THINK YOU HAVE." If it was God, what did it mean? Is my personal time nearly up? Is the world's time nearly up? And if it was God, what work did He mean?
So, I get in the house, and I'm praying for confirmation of some sort, but none came - nothing big and flashy, any way. As the evening progressed, I remembered something that J.D. Farag had said. (My paraphrase of it) "If you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus was calling you home tomorrow, what would you do differently today?" I think he was speaking of the rapture, but it could also be our personal "Judgment Day" at any time.
So, I realized that whether that was truly God or just my conscience, it is true. We all have work to do, that God designed for us - and us for it.
For we are God's handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
And we always have less time than we think we have. So, what work for me, specifically? I guess I will be praying about that. Maybe I'm supposed to write more, here. I've used the excuse that my brain doesn't work so well these days, but God will supply what I need, if this is part of what He wants me to do. I haven't written a word here since November, but somehow, in the last month, people from Russia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Israel and six other countries have found my posts. No idea if I helped anyone. That's in God's hands.
So, were these words are really from God? Finish the work. You have less time than you think you have - and if they were from God, is it just me that has less time or all of us?
I don't know. But, a reminder that we, as believers, are each still here for a reason. In any case, I like how the New Living Translation puts John 9:4:
We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us
by the one who sent us.
The night is coming, and then no one can work.
John 9:4
P.S. If those words were from God, I really don't want it to mean a personal "time is short," but all my days are written in God's book, and I know that all His plans for me are good. I am trusting that my sins are forgiven, because Jesus paid for them on the cross. And because He lives, I will also, forever and ever with Him.
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