This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge.  You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.

Today was a day not unlike yesterday.  It was filled with a lot of distracted silence and little changes.  I want to highlight one quick event that I think is relevant to this “Thirty Days” experiment.

Today when I was driving home from work, it was pouring down rain.  My thoughts as I made my way home were on the relative lack of difference I had noticed between today and any of the days before this challenge began.  So, I did what humans do and began to complain to the Lord about the situation.

It was at this point that I noticed a guy walking in the rain with nothing to shield himself.  As I drove past him I felt my heart go out to this guy who had to walk in the rain.  In a way I haven’t felt in a little while, I began to think maybe I should slow down and offer the guy a ride.  I quickly wrote off the idea as something not from the Lord and went back to my complaining, but as I did I realized that quite possibly the sense of compassion I felt in my heart might just be the Lord speaking to me.  So I turned around.

I would like to end this story by saying that I picked up the guy and he came to know Jesus.  I would even enjoy saying I picked up this guy and feel like I really did what the Lord said.  In reality, by the time I turned around and went back to where he was, I couldn’t find him.

So here’s the lesson from today: I could have obeyed quicker and at least seen if there might have been fruit. But because I didn’t I have no way of knowing whether the Lord was the One pulling the strings of my heart or not.  I suspect He was.  But the only way I will ever know is if I trust those tiny, faint, gut level leadings that I’ve not always been convinced are the Lord.  Should I feel bad about today? Probably not.  Jesus still loves me and He will speak to me again.  But should I learn from today and trust Him while He’s leading me tomorrow? Absolutely.

So, if you heard His voice but weren’t sure today, there’s grace for you.  But as we walk this road, let’s see if we can respond faster and respond rightly and see what the results actually are.

What are you learning?

Join us on the “Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness” experiment.  For the rest of September we are spending 30 minutes in silent prayer listening to Jesus and then acting on what He asks us to do.  Then we blog about the changes that are occurring in our lives through the marriage of listening and obedience.  It’s not too late.  If you’re just checking out that experiment feel free to jump in.  And if you want more information, you can check it out here.

Photo Credit: Calendar by Adreanna Moyer Photography

This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge.  You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.

So I’m checking in to report on the Day 1 of Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness.  The time that I was able to sit in front of the Lord and actually wait on Him has been difficult.  Any of you who have tried to pray for longer than you normally would can probably indentify with this situation.  You want to take time aside and listen to Jesus but as soon as you set down, your mind starts thinking about the latest show you watched or something left unfinished at work.  That was my day.

If you’re taking the challenge and went through what I went through today, do not loose heart.  This is extremely normal.  And while we recognize that trying to wait on the Lord and listening to Him can be difficult at first, the harder thing to do is to really believe that what we’re doing at this stage counts.  The dry, mundane, distracted times of prayer actually are building something inside of us.  God sees what we’re doing and counts it whether we feel super connected or not.

On the fruitfulness side, I haven’t seen a whole lot of what I call obvious fruit.  No one came to know Jesus today, no one repented of their sin, I didn’t heal any sick people.  But just like the distractions, I kind of expected this to be how this thirty days started.

However, I did notice today that my heart was full of more peace than it normally would be.  I had a crazy day at work.  It was the sort of day that makes postal workers go…well…you get the idea.  But through it all, I had this peace that kept my heart at rest.  I was more attentive to the Lord’s presence and that was extremely helpful.

The other thing that I noticed today that was different than other days is that the motives of my heart are becoming more clear.  This is a good thing, because it’s giving me a chance to repent and clean out some junk that should have never been there.  I’m also beginning to see a few situations the way I believe the Lord sees them and I think that will bear fruit later, even if it’s not bearing fruit right now.

Part of this journey is learning that fruitfulness doesn’t come over night.  So if you’re in the same place I am, don’t give up and don’t be discouraged.  The Lord is working internally, and some times that takes time.

If you’re taking the challenge, leave a comment in the post below and let us know how it’s going.  Or, if you’re blogging on your own site, drop us a link so we can check it out.  Thanks for going with me on the journey.

Join us on the “Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness” experiment.  For the rest of September we are spending 30 minutes in silent prayer listening to Jesus and then acting on what He asks us to do.  Then we blog about the changes that are occurring in our lives through the marriage of listening and obedience.  It’s not too late.  If you’re just checking out that experiment feel free to jump in.  And if you want more information, you can check it out here.

Photo Credit: Calendar by Adreanna Moyer Photography