No Ordinary Day

 

 

 

 

There was a thick fog all around the landscape outside my car and the sun was just starting to rise. I was out running errands early one morning, slightly groggy from lack of sleep and both mentally and physically sighing as I contemplated the day.

 

There wasn’t anything planned on my calendar that got me especially excited. My to-do list included: Get routine fasting labs drawn (thus the early hour), get tires rotated, type up the message to teach in women's ministry, and catch up on emails.

 

As I sat at a traffic light, running through that mental list, I have to admit that a wearying and slightly depressive haze settled over me. It was a “Is this all there is?” moment.

 

My thoughts weren’t exactly overtly sinful, but without gratitude and faith. I left God out of the equation and was subtly shutting Him and His majesty out of the moment, out of the day. This subconsciously continued until I noticed how the morning sunrise was making the fog glow all around me.

 

 I stopped my mental chatter for a moment and was reminded of how awesome my God is. As I was thinking that thought and taking a moment to praise Him for it, I heard Him quietly say:

 

"It’s not an ordinary day." -The Lord

 

Oh? I listened to His voice more intentionally now. "It's not an ordinary day"? Okay, Lord...what does that mean?

 

In response to that, the thought came to me that just like a fog that covers the ground and is visible for a short time, His glory can sometimes be briefly seen with my naked eye. Sometimes He breaks in when we least expect it and we gasp in awe, dropping our lists and our agendas to the ground.

 

The majority of the time, it takes intense spiritual concentration and eyes of faith to see Him. My sin naturally blinds me to His glory and blunts my perception of His spiritual activity around me. He’ll always give me little spiritual nudges and touches to draw me out, and if I’m faithful with the little light He offers, He’ll reward me with more.

 

 “..In Your Light we see light.”  Psalm 36:9 (see also Matthew 25:29).

 

I strongly believe that every day, regardless of how mundane or routine it appears, He wants us to intentionally seek Him to be made aware and sensitive by His Spirit to the deeper reality. He wants us to hourly press in.

 

Brother Lawrence, in Practicing the Presence of God, says:

 

  “..in order to form a habit of conversing with God continually, and referring all we do to Him, we must first apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty.”

Be still. He is God and He is with us.

 

“ 'Be still, and know that I am God.
 I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth!'
 The Lord of hosts is with us.." Psalms 46:10-11

 

The whole earth is full of His glory…whether we notice it or not.

 

"And one called to another and said:
 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
 the whole earth is full of his glory!' " Isaiah 6:3

 

The more we offer ourselves to the Lord, the more He’ll make us aware of Himself.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Matthew 5:8

All the time in the spiritual realm, battles are raging and victories are being claimed. There's never an ordinary day.

 

Every day His kingdom is pressing forward and ground is being taken. There's never an ordinary day.

 

This hour could be the one we or someone around us breathes their last breath of air on earth, and the first breath in eternity. There's never an ordinary day.

 

Every day the clock in Heaven that's labeled "The Return of the King" is ticking and He could break in at any moment in a way that EVERY eye will see (Revelation 1:7). There's never an ordinary day.

There's no such thing as an ordinary day because I don't serve an ordinary God. He can do anything at any time.

Oh Lord, enable us to be intentional about seeking you in the “ordinary”. Nothing that You do is ordinary, no matter how it appears. We want to see Your glory! Help us to press in to see it and obey the tiniest ray of light You give us. You’ll be faithful to give us more if we honor You with that gift. We love You! You are worthy of all praise and all glory! From this time forth and forevermore. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

 

In Christ,

 

Joy