Do you ever watch other Christians and wonder how they happened to be so close to the Lord – as if they were “friends” with God, sharing some special kind of intimacy? Have you longed to know God and walk with Him in that way? Have you ever asked God to DO and BE MORE in your life, only to find yourself ending up in a difficult set of circumstances you didn’t anticipate, and certainly wouldn’t choose for yourself or your loved ones?
I sure have… many times. It seems that every time I ask God to do and be more in and to me, He does… but… it comes through a “journey” with Him instead of an instant heart change. I may be a difficult learner, but I’m guessing I’m not alone. 😉
So often, in an answer to our heart cries for intimacy with the Lord, our lives and walks end up mirroring those of His children, the Israelites, when He delivered them from slavery, drew them to Himself, and took them to the land He promised would be theirs. Our modern day paths seem to have similar traps, roadblocks, impossible situations, as well as moments of provision, refreshment, conviction, intimacy, instruction, anticipation, and joy as we journey through the wilderness heading to our Spiritual Promised Lands.
If you find yourself on such a journey, you will LOVE Priscilla Shirer’s book, “One in a Million – Journey to Your Promised Land.” The Lord is using this book in a huge way in my own life as our family continues our journey to the Spiritual and the physical “land” God has promised us. I soaked in EVERY WORD, and was blessed on every page. You should see my book! There are more dog-eared pages and underlined paragraphs than not.
Priscilla invites us to journey along with her and the Israelites as God releases from slavery, guides and provides through the wilderness, reveals Himself at Sinai, and delivers His people through the difficulties and into the Promised Land. I know that many of you are on your own journeys of walking with God through what seems to be “less than ideal” circumstances. If you are longing for Promised Land Living – a deeper intimacy with God and the fulfillment of all He has promised, but don’t know how to get there, or don’t understand why the journey is taking so long, this book is for you!
In fact, this book IS for you… ‘cause I’m giving one away. (See details at the end of this post.) 🙂
The title, “One in a Million”, comes from the fact that although there were roughly two million adults who left the bondage of Egypt, only two (that’s one in a million who) dared to believe that God would actually deliver them to the land of Milk and Honey He had promised. The rest of the people lived out their lives wandering complacently close by, but never entering the Promised Land. Priscilla urges us to leave complacency behind and to be the “One in a Million” that will press on and press in to the Milk and Honey intimacy with God He offers for all who will believe Him.
I wanted to share a few quotes and truths from this book that have been like megaphones from the Lord to me. (There are so many good ones that I’ll need to use the next two blog entries to be able to share them all with you. They are that good!) [Quotes are in quotations. Sentences not in quotations are truths I restated for printing purposes.]
*The open road of freedom from slavery is a daily exercise routine in trusting God to provide what we need. (from p. 28)
*About the manna – God’s provision for His children after they left the entrapment of Egypt, but were looking back and longing for its flavors (Have you ever done that? I have!):
“The manna He’s asked you to chew on right now may be tough to swallow, but it’s the process through which your taste buds will be renovated and refined. I know its different. It’s supposed to be. Anything less, and years from now you’ll still be longing for a seat at Pharaoh’s table.” (p. 34)
* “God never fails to bring about abundant living in those who receive His gifts with confident gratitude. Rather than grumbling and complaining, at which the Hebrews became quite proficient (not that we haven’t given their poor record a run for its money), we must accept His ways, knowing that they are designed as much for our good as they are for His glory.” (p. 35)
* This one is long but so important. Priscilla was running one morning when she noticed heavy dark rainclouds. The coming storm prompted her to pray for God’s presence to rain and pour down on her life. Immediately a torrent of rain pounded the earth, and she became drenched. She turned and ran as quickly as she could toward home, back to the shelter that would shield her from the downpour. She says:
“I ran.
The Spirit Spoke.
‘This is what My people do, Priscilla. They pray for rain, and when it pours, they run back home.”
Yes, we want God to move. We ask Him to. We pray with boldness that the cloak of complacency will be removed, that the windows of heaven will open and He will display His glory and power to us and through us. We anxiously await His wonders in our everyday living, but when His move ends up moving us, we aren’t’ too sure anymore.
Running in the rain is a tad uncomfortable. When He calls us down a path we’ve not traveled before, around people we’ve not fellowshipped with before, we become concerned and cautious. This new unfamiliar path under the rain of heaven stretches our limited view of His majesty, breaking open the narrow boundaries of our religious habits and belief systems.
His Spirit quickens our own spirit to His fruit, His gifts, and His overwhelmingly abundant power available to us. We’ve not felt this before, and we’re not sure we like it – especially when others are passing by, peering out from their own pious safe havens with sullen expressions that reveal the way they really feel about believers caught up in the surge of the unusual.
It’s easier to remain in the safety of where we’ve always been, doing the things we’ve always done. When the heavens open, when the wind of God’s Spirit and the rain of His presence shower down upon us, we’re uncomfortable beneath the torrent of the unfamiliar. And so we run for cover – back to the comfort zone that has kept us from really experiencing God as He now wants to be experienced.”
Then she prayed: “Lord, let it rain, and give me the courage to stand under the heavens when it does. Cause me to be willing to go where You take me, even if the path is unfamiliar. Tear down any man-made religious walls that may keep me from seeing You fully. Forgive me for always running back home.”
That, my friends, is my prayer too… and it’s just what God has been answering as He has placed us on this present path, and placed this book in my hand. I’d love for this book to be placed in your hands too! You can find it at any Christian bookstore, on the internet, OR, you can leave a comment to this post. *Because I have internet intermittingly, I’ll leave the comments on until sometime Monday, and will post the winner then.
Check back over the next few days for more awesome quotes. I can’t wait to share them with you!
God is so good! His best is for each one of us to be that “One in a Million!” I want to be… How about you?
