Mondays

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.—Psalms 34:7-10 (NIV)

One of the consistent bits of counsel I have received from pastors who have mentored me through the years is to not take Monday as a regular day off. The rationale being that you’re too tired from Sunday to be much of any good on Monday for family. I took this advice to heart from the beginning of my ministry.

Mondays tend to be quieter days at the office so I generally plan my Monday’s to be in the office from 9:00am-noon. During this time I’ll plan my week and do routine office work. Then noon-5:00pm I take for spiritual study, prayer, and reading. This is time that is more geared for myself and renewing my spiritual tanks than for doing church related work.

I have come to really look forward to this time. It is the one long period of the week that I have set aside to be in prayer, the Scriptures, and in the tutelage of greats who feed my soul like Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, Fenelon, and others.

However, one of the things I have been learning is that God wants me to hold loosely to this time. Not that it isn’t important, but God does not want me to get dependant on that time for my spiritual refreshment and renewal….He wants me to be looking to Him and him alone for my renewal and refreshment.

Today was a great example of this. A family in the church was having some serious problems with a neighbor—problems that may well become legal ones—and asked for a visit for prayer, support, and encouragement. The time they had to get together was Monday at lunch. When things like this come up, I have been learning not to see them as interruptions, but as special appointments God gives to remind me where my strength comes from. We don’t always get to choose the time or manner of God’s blessings.

It is easy for us to get anxious when God’s plans take us in different directions than we had been expecting. The way to respond to the temptation to be anxious, frustrated, or upset when God takes away a blessing we have been looking forward to away is to be learning to recognize and submit to His mighty hand. That means learning to rest in knowing that God knows what He is doing even when we don’t.

You don’t need to be anxious because God cares for you. You are important to Him! The Church is important to Him! It is the bride of His Son. When we have needs, we can feel free to bring them to Him. We have his promise that He will listen to us and that He will provide all we need.

One of the reasons that so many Christians struggle with anxiety is because God’s plan for you includes bringing you into places where you quickly realize that you don’t have what it takes: you don't have the resources, the confidence, the man power, or the finances.

God is not interested in making you feel capable. He is interested in helping you see that He is capable. He does this because God wants you to see how trustworthy and faithful He is. Trust Him to give you all you need. You’ll be glad you did.