For the last few years, every January I have set aside a time to seek the Lord. A type of “first fruits” if you will. The “first fruits”thought is taken from Leviticus 23:10 “When you come into the land which I give you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest” We think of this with our tithe, but for the last few years I have done this with the first part of my year.
It has looked different- a couple years I did a food fast- one year I did a clothes fast (which actually lasted an entire year and I had more clothes given to me that year than I ever have). Last year I did a noise fast for January. Where for the month of January I cut off the “noise” of life. No television during the day and whenever I got in the car I would leave the radio off. What I discovered last year was how distracted we keep ourselves. And then we wonder why we have trouble hearing God. I figured it out pretty quickly. Because sister never has any time when things are quite! Hard to hear with talk radio or Rascal Flatts in your head…
So, this past Friday I was complaining about not being able to hear God. “Lord, I’d do what you want me to do if you’d simply tell me.” And then I realized, the noise was back. The clutter was back. I never had any really quite time to afford him to speak. So, on my drive to meet Philly at our new little favorite pizza place in Murfreesboro I cut off the noise. To my wonderment I could hear.
In the beginning of 2010 the Lord gave me a word for that year “be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10. As I have begun this new year asking Him what He wants to say to me this year it is the same word. “Be still and know.” Maybe it is because we live in a day and age where being still is so difficult. Maybe it is because I’m so hard headed and stubborn that it is going to take me two years to get it. But no matter what the reason the beauty is in that in “being still” we can hear Him speak and in hearing Him speak we can “know.”
What might he be asking of you this year? What scripture has He given you as a word from Him to begin 2011? What first fruit can you offer?
