Once upon a time, to make a phone call when we were driving anywhere, we had to find a phone booth to make that call (usually found outside of a convenience store). Today, we can carry on phone conversations in our car!
With so many life-changing conveniences, we still get perturbed when we are \u201cinconvenienced\u201d because one of our \u201cconveniences\u201d has issues. Like dear Siri in my \u201cconvenient\u201d cellphone. Sometimes she doesn\u2019t listen well. Sometimes, Siri simply gets it wrong. I can\u2019t tell you how many times friends and family have laughed at what I texted because Siri misunderstood me. Siri \u201cheard\u201d, but didn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lord, forgive me, because sometimes I\u2019m just like Siri. Sometimes I hear, but don\u2019t understand or even WANT to understand. There are times I believe God is trying to tell me something, but I choose to filter His words through my own rationale or feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like a couple of nights ago when I received a private text message asking me to be the speaker for a September retreat in Frisco, TX. My first thoughts were: \u201cI can\u2019t! The time isn\u2019t right. I need to be on stand-by for my sis and mother-in-law in Tulsa who might need me. Gas prices are out the roof. This means bearing the responsibility for a successful retreat. And these days, I don\u2019t even want the responsibility of a cat, dog, fish, or even live plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I replied to the sender that we could talk the next day, but I planned on saying \u201cno\u201d! I breathed a \u201cquickie\u201d prayer asking for God\u2019s thoughts, but I might have had my fingers in my ears!
The next morning, after my usual morning routine, I pulled out my \u201cWordle\u201d spiral binder where I write down random 5-letter words for the New York Times \u201cWordle\u201d game. Wordle is one of those \u201cbrain\u201d activities that helps keep our minds sharp and intact. I opened the binder and flipped the page, and I kid you not. On that page, were these words that I had written, but don\u2019t remember when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRETREAT \u2013 Elijah had called down fire from heaven. He defeated the prophets of Baal and led the Israelites back to faith in God. The long drought came to an end. Victory! But then, after one death threat from Queen Jezebel, Elijah ran. After the victory, he was worn-out, dispirited, afraid and needed angelic help. Elijah RETREATED to seek the Lord at Mt Horeb where Moses received the 10 Commandments. He arrived tired, lonely, afraid. He left with a renewed sense of confidence and direction. Are you drained physically, emotionally, spiritually discouraged, weary? What do you do? Let\u2019s go on a RETREAT today! Let\u2019s take time with Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can\u2019t make this stuff up. God wasn\u2019t about to let me say \u201cNO\u201d! Divine intervention comes in many ways. Sometimes it may be through His Word when we open it. Sometimes it may come through a friend or relative. Sometimes it can come directly through His still small voice. Never should we EVER discard God\u2019s voice through whatever means He so chooses. This day, He was loud and clear through a notebook that I must have quickly needed to use to take notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, I believe the Lord is saying to me AND you to keep our ears and eyes open to His leading \u2013 to His voice \u2013 however He chooses. I hear Him saying, \u201cDonna, can you hear me now?\u201d And, Donna says in reply: \u201cForgive me, Lord! Here I am. Send me! May my filter always be YOU, Your love, and Your Word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BTW \u2013 after the precious retreat director and I talked and prayed, plus the notebook, I said, \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Once upon a time, to make a phone call when we were driving anywhere, we had to find a phone booth to make that call (usually found outside of a convenience store). Today, we can carry on phone conversations in our car! With so many life-changing conveniences, we still get perturbed when we are \u201cinconvenienced\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24183],"tags":[1210,24179,1769,3413,24181,18341,12024,24182,40,3632,3636,7654,13120,3428,18117,24180,24178,23040],"class_list":["post-16430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-here-i-am-send-me","tag-blog","tag-brain-activity","tag-christian","tag-conveniences","tag-ears-and-eyes-open","tag-filter","tag-hearing","tag-here-i-am","tag-inspiration","tag-john-1027","tag-my-sheep-hear-my-voice","tag-phone-booth","tag-phone-call","tag-retreat","tag-send-me","tag-sharp-minds","tag-siri","tag-wordle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16430"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16433,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16430\/revisions\/16433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}