Day One
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What
shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles
seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them
all.
Matthew 6:31-33I must admit I’m highly anticipating time alone with You in silent prayer, fasting and listening…and perhaps a little writing…on my personal retreat to the Abbey of Gethsemani. I wonder if You are as anxious to respond?
I’m also surprised Lord. It seems there
is more interest than I imagined coming from friends and family about my desire
to spend such an extended and focused amount of time searching with You. Maybe
it’s my excitement rubbing off on those I’ve shared with about the trip. Maybe
it’s Your Spirit working in all of us. Regardless, I believe I’m hearing loud
and clear from You, even prior to my journey, that I’m to share this experience.
You and I will be sharing a lot of course; but other inquiring minds are
curious and why not share with them as well about the spiritual disciplines.
I’ll be writing out a daily journal which
will be sent out on my return. Lord, I pray for You to help me stay out of the
way during this time of scriptural study, reflection and scribing. I know my
tendency is to set an agenda and “expect” You to reveal some great mystery to
me. Granted, You never fail to enlighten on these trips, but I’ve always come
away with a completely different epiphany or illumination than that I had been
searching for. That’s what makes the journey so intriguing: After choosing to
follow; the map, the route and the destination is Yours alone to reveal. Thank
You for Your patience and desire to lead.
The hard part as always is letting go.
It takes at least a day for to sluff of the cares of the world. If I can forget about phone calls, my next
meal and what is happening on the radio and news shows, I’ll be all right. You’ve
walked me through this before: Maybe that’s the most fun of this; I know it can
be done because
So this time my expectations will be no
expectations at all. Sure, You’ve put certain issues and questions on my heart.
I’ll study them as given, but I desperately want this time alone with You to be
Your time to work on me, not, the other way around. I pray this also on behalf
of those following along: Please guard us all from distractions so that we can
listen and respond as You would always desire us to do: In obedience.
And for those following with me (please
don’t follow me, follow Him!) Let the greatest Rabbi we will ever know lead you
to your own new discoveries by this path. I would love to hear from you though
as you read along because He may be teaching us as a class as well as individually.
That’s what He did with his first disciples! He is just as likely to teach me
through your experiences. Imagine such a world!
Looking forward,
Mark C.
markc91754@comcast.net
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