Pace-maker

I was on a walk yesterday and passed a young mom walking with her daughter (12 years old or so) .You could tell they were happy to be doing this together and her daughter seemed to be proud to be keeping up.   I commented “you all are looking good”…and the mom jokingly responded:  “Thanks, She tells me that I am pacing her.”  I thought about that the next few blocks and considered my pacemaker: God, who is constantly in the business of pacing me.  For He is the ultimate pacemaker of all of our lives.  

There are times when we need to slow down and times when we need to pick it up.  But too many times instead of relating to the things God allows to happen in our lives to pace us, we go into self pacing  mode and many times get tied up in knots because we either get stuck in slow mode due to pressures and overwhelming responsibilities or we got going too fast and get burnt out and our need for a peaceful countenance is overruled by  just trying to catch a breath and keep up with what life has offered us. 

I heard a sermon today on prayer:  It was based on Ephesians 6:18 

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on ALL occasions with ALL kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for ALL the Lord’s people. 

And this verse followed: Thessalonians 5:16-18 ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

If we want to let God be our pacer-maker then we have to let him be a part of  ALL of our lives not just the big things,  the little ones, but all the in between things that seemingly are insignificant. When we prayerfully submit our requests, and are honest about our dreams and wishes, anxieties, disappointments etc.  it is then that God helps us to again put into focus his sovereignty and the truth that his good purposes for whatever has come our way will not be thwarted. For nothing that happens is by chance. Sometimes, no probably many times, keeping pace with God’s purposes means waiting for direction, watching for closed doors and open windows and standing confidently on God’s truth and promised provision.  

By God’s grace, we can choose to wait as he intends. “Waiting on the Lord is the opposite of running ahead of the Lord, and it’s the opposite of bailing out on the Lord,” writes John Piper. “It’s staying at your appointed place while he says stay, or it’s going at his appointed pace while he says go. It’s not impetuous, and it’s not despairing.”

I always thought that “praying continually” meant moment by moment but today it was explained to me that praying continually means always be prepared with prayer in any situation.  It was suggested that if we simply pray using three headlines… we will be prayer ready for anything that comes our way.  

Pray with Thanksgiving…blessings, outcomes, help, appreciation, but most of all for who God is …loving, full of grace, forgiving, powerful, etc.

Pray asking God for Help… we all need his help, direction, and wisdom even if we think we have got a situation under control.

Pray by  Fessing up…be real in where you have fallen short; in relationships, in sins, in wrongful behavior,  in self serving attitudes, being impatient, lacking humility….those are just a few of mine… 

Just three prayer topics:

1) Thanksgiving,

2) Help,

3) Repentance

can be a start to staying in concert with God. Let him pace you according to HIS purposes in/for your life and settle into a relationship with him by being transparent. He already knows your story and mine ... but when we begin to acknowledge to him what we recognize about our feelings, emotions and hardships etc. it is then that God helps us to embrace HIS love, compassion, forgiveness, grace, understanding and ultimate friendship. 

Be on your way this day, and just consider little prayers as you embark on your chores and responsibilities….for peace will find a place to land in your heart if you give God the reigns at days’ start.  Blessings!

By the way, when you think of a pacemaker... we generally think of an instrument that assists the heart...well in this case...God is the instrument.

Praise God wherever you are or whatever situation he has allowed you to be in...for his Glory will shine through!

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