TIMING

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--TIMING

Five minutes to free-write about it

-------------------------------------------------

Friday's prompt made me think of how important it is to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and quick to obey before the moment passes.

Most times I do respond right away to spiritual promptings, but other times I don't, and the moment passes, and the opportunity is lost. 

Just this morning, for instance, I was talking to someone at church and had a strong prompting to ask him a certain question, but it felt awkward and I didn't do it. Maybe there will be another opportunity, maybe not, but I'll never know what the Lord might have used that question to accomplish had I obeyed at that moment in time.

The same thing has happened in my writing. I'll feel prompted to write a post (especially on my other blog--At The Foot Of The Cross), but I'm in the middle of work or what I think is some other priority, so I just quickly scribble a note or two on a scrap of paper so I don't forget to do it later, but when later comes, the passion of the moment is gone, and if I do write something anyway, it does not have the impact it would have had, had I done it when I first felt led to do so.

Which made me think of a passage in the Old Testament (Numbers 14:1-45) about the consequences of missing God's timing.

The spies sent out to scout the land of Canaan brought back a negative report, and as a result,  instead of trusting God, the Israelites disobeyed Him and refused to enter the Promised Land because they were afraid. Then, when God told them they would die in the wilderness for their unbelief, they tried to make up for their disobedience by setting out to fight their enemies even though Moses warned them not to do it because God was no longer with them. 

They refused to listen, did it anyway, and as a result, they were defeated.