Help us to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer
This week I’ve been thankful for having prepared a few posts in advance, to take advantage of the “scheduled posts” feature built into WordPress. Without those two things I would have struggled to do much on the blog at all. Whereas, I spent a few hours last weekend writing the majority of what has been published over the past week. Which is just as well, as my health took something of a nose-dive Monday night. It looks as though I’m in to yet another bad patch for a while. Very frustrating, as I’d only just started to feel I could make the most of feeling a bit better for a while.
Hitting this bad patch has rather curtailed my Lenten plans for this year. I had hoped to attend our Church’s weekly study group; and had intended to make it across to Midday Prayer most, if not all, weekdays. Hopefully things won’t last as long this time and I’ll manage at least a part of those before the end of Lent. And, as a ministry team at church we are looking at this year’s Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book — Why Go To Church?: I shall still read the book, even if I don’t get to discuss it much. The other main thing I wanted to do for Lent I should still be able to; and that is to get back into the habit of saying Morning Prayer each day. It’s a habit that has slipped a bit the last few months.
With having to re-think my Lenten plans I thought I would look back in the blog to Lent of last year, to see what I wrote. You can find the entry here. I had chosen for my post this First Sunday of Lent, the same post title, saying much the same too — I feel as though I could have almost just copied it out again. Sadly, that includes trying harder with Morning Prayer: I managed that for quite a while, but not the full year.
Perhaps the biggest area I need some real growth in is the “wisdom” part of my chosen phrase. This latest down-turn in health has hit me hard, mentally. Things were just starting to pick up again, and I was re-developing some confidence in my Church-based ministry. This could be depression talking, or it could be wisdom, but maybe it’s time to completely re-think my ministry. I don’t know the answer to this one yet. But it could be the most important thing I could do this Lent, come to a decision about my future ministry.
God, help me to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer, so that I may ultimately serve you in the way that you want me to — even if that is different to what I would like.
Heavenly Father,
your Son battled with the powers of darkness,
and grew closer to you in the desert:
help us to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer
that we may witness to your saving love
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Additional Collect for The First Sunday of Lent
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council
About Paul Sibley
Andrew Gosden (now 18) has been missing from his Doncaster home since 14 September 2007. The search continues.
Elizabeth Jackson on 
Paul, I am holding you in prayer my friend. If I can say one thing it is this, do not worry that you miss morning prayer on occasion. Live in His Grace as God will not love you any less if you miss prayer, it is all about Him, not about us keeping a ritual as if that can do anything more or extra in our life of faith. You ministry is as strong as ever, stay positive my friend. Selah
Thank you Steve, your prayers and kind thoughts are very much appreciated.
Dear brother,
A couple of things hit me as I read your post. 1) I need to be praying for you and others more faithfully, and Lent is a great time to start that. 2) A couple of disciplines have been lacking in my life: a) silence (which has always been a struggle for me; I have a motor mouth) and b) devoted time to create (I’ve really fallen away from devoting time to writing – not for an occasion but just for the LORD). Lastly, 3) I feel that, with the past two (fairly weird) years in Bolivia coming to a close and knowing which churches we are looking at in the States, I too am going to have to reexamine my role, my ministry; I’ve been a worship leader for so long and I see that need becoming less in the next church we join, so I’m gonna have to be open to see how the LORD wants to put me to work next. Thanks for helping me not feel so alone in these struggles.
And I pray that the LORD gives you a holy Lent, blessed in ways you can’t even predict.
Thank you brother, for thoughtful comments, and especially for your prayers. Both very much appreciated.
How much longer have you got left in Bolivia now Tom? It’s going to be strange when you move back to the US. I pray that you will find the role that is right for you, your family, and for God. I’m sure he has something special lined up — maybe something where a “motor-mouth” will be a great help. My thoughts and prayers will be with you as you try to discern God’s will for the next stage of your life.