Week 1; Prayer

Okay! Last day for this week's session, let's pray my post works this time (: [I've tried to make an entry all week but I've had the worst luck with technology]

♪ So, the intro to our first week's devotional being music related totally set the mood for me. As a music majoring gal, I am easily moved through music analogies and the idea of God being our hearts plectrum really got me thinking. When something can be called music, it has organization, prepared variables, and patterns communicating an idea.

I saw God as the organizer, our variables [e.i. tuned strings, fitted straps, etc.] are the key paths in life He is leading us through and the ideas are communicated to us through prayer. You don’t have to be ready for God to start creating a song out of your life, but you should know when to tweak any out of tuned strings that come up, or adjust your position so you’re comfortable to keep playing the piece confidently.

I feel like prayer has been very important to me through this journey to volunteer again with Sonshine. I am listening and looking inventively for all the signs He is trying to show me when I ask for guidance. After doing this weeks devotional, I now pray in the mornings and think, “I’m going to turn my ipod down and I want to spend this time with God. It’s my time to talk to Him without distractions,” and I feel like I would never appreciate that the same way if it were just another part of being a Christian.  Yes, free prayer is what sets us apart from most other beliefs, but I have come to thinking of prayer as an instrument. When a musician plays their instrument, they care for it and they will go play that beloved thing no matter what health they are in or what financial crisis is keeping them in back to back hours, or if they are well into a new hobby. A musician in love will. Find. Time. To. Play. There are no obstacles to keep us apart from our instruments because they are a part of us. Even in public, we tap out the beats privately, we’re feeling our hearts swoon in response to any signs or reminders of our instruments, it’s all second nature.  That is prayer. It’s always with us; we can speak to God anywhere, no matter what because He is a way of life to us by this point in the relationship! ♫

When I first served as a Barnaby, I got sick and had to go home after only a week of my session. I felt so defeated and like I had made a mistake. All my training and fund raising, and fighting those who discouraged me suddenly felt like a waist of time. I thought I hadn’t listened to God correctly and he was sending me home because there was no way I would have heard Him trying to correct me and acted on my own.

As it turned out, God helped me grow in such tremendous amounts later that year. He did have a plan for me and serving for a ministry wasn’t a mistake but it wasn’t the right time. I learned that not all of His answers will reveal themselves right away.

I had a sudden and strong urge to serve Sonshine again and God told me it would be a quick transition, and take me out of my comfort compared to the enthusiasm I had my first time. But I knew it would be okay. It is so important to pray at these times, in discomfort, for guidance, for reassurance, in praise. These are the expressions I come to Him in lately. (:

And He rewards me with love and joy. He firmly assures my passion and becomes the happiness that runs through to my veins and the cause of every motion I may move. Even though things in life aren’t going as well as I’d like it to, I know it can be an obstacle, an din the end, and even through the journey, God is supplying me with ease of mind and true joy.