We are six days into our Week of Prayer here at First Baptist Church. Each day a different member of our church family has shared a devotional to encourage us in our prayers. Today's devotional was submitted by Dana Edwards, who has been here at First Baptist since his birth! The same is true of Dana's wife, Leanne. Both have been actively serving the Lord here for many, many years in various capacities. Currently, Dana teaches an adult Bible School class and participates in our monthly nursing home ministries, among other things. Leanne serves as a deaconess and teaches a children's Bible School class. The Lord has blessed Dana and Leanne with four children: Ben, Celia, Jake, and Kaitlyn. In today's article, Dana shares what the Lord has taught him about calling on His name.
I work in advertising as an art director. Advertising is a very deadline-driven field. It seems that nobody really plans ahead and the art director is always designing at the eleventh hour to save everyone’s bacon.
There was a nine-year stretch in my career where I worked on my own. I was a freelancer. I had a mixture of ad agencies and my own clients for whom I worked. I was a one-person operation. Whatever work needed to be done, I was the one that had to do it.
There was a specific lesson the Lord had to teach me five or six times before I grasped what I was supposed to learn. Every once in a while I would have more than one job that needed to be completed on the same impossible deadline. I would immediately go to work designing. And worrying. As the deadlines drew closer and closer, the effort and the anxiety grew greater and greater. It seemed like the clock on the wall was really a fan.
Finally, when it was certain that I would never be enough time to finish all the work, I would call out to the Lord and say something like “Lord, you’ve got to do something here. It’s humanly impossible for me to accomplish what needs to be done.” Each of those half dozen or so times, the phone rang within half an hour with a client on the phone explaining that something came up that was going to push back the schedule. Each time, I found myself laughing in delight and praising the Lord for His goodness.
I believe there were two primary lessons the Lord wanted to teach me through these experiences. First, the Lord wanted me to know I could call on Him in the day of trouble and He would answer me. That His ear was inclined toward me and he delighted in meeting my need because that would bring Him honor. Psalm 86: 4-7 says “Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me.”
The second lesson he wanted me to grasp (and this is the one that I didn’t learn until the last time) was that I didn’t have to wait until the last possible minute to call on Him. I finally realized that I could call on the Lord the minute I was aware that the schedule would be tight. That He would give me the peace of the Spirit in the beginning, middle an end of the trial. What a difference it was to call on Him at the start and enjoy His presence through the whole process instead of just at the last second.
Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear --
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
–Joseph M. Scriven
I work in advertising as an art director. Advertising is a very deadline-driven field. It seems that nobody really plans ahead and the art director is always designing at the eleventh hour to save everyone’s bacon.
There was a nine-year stretch in my career where I worked on my own. I was a freelancer. I had a mixture of ad agencies and my own clients for whom I worked. I was a one-person operation. Whatever work needed to be done, I was the one that had to do it.
There was a specific lesson the Lord had to teach me five or six times before I grasped what I was supposed to learn. Every once in a while I would have more than one job that needed to be completed on the same impossible deadline. I would immediately go to work designing. And worrying. As the deadlines drew closer and closer, the effort and the anxiety grew greater and greater. It seemed like the clock on the wall was really a fan.
Finally, when it was certain that I would never be enough time to finish all the work, I would call out to the Lord and say something like “Lord, you’ve got to do something here. It’s humanly impossible for me to accomplish what needs to be done.” Each of those half dozen or so times, the phone rang within half an hour with a client on the phone explaining that something came up that was going to push back the schedule. Each time, I found myself laughing in delight and praising the Lord for His goodness.
I believe there were two primary lessons the Lord wanted to teach me through these experiences. First, the Lord wanted me to know I could call on Him in the day of trouble and He would answer me. That His ear was inclined toward me and he delighted in meeting my need because that would bring Him honor. Psalm 86: 4-7 says “Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me.”
The second lesson he wanted me to grasp (and this is the one that I didn’t learn until the last time) was that I didn’t have to wait until the last possible minute to call on Him. I finally realized that I could call on the Lord the minute I was aware that the schedule would be tight. That He would give me the peace of the Spirit in the beginning, middle an end of the trial. What a difference it was to call on Him at the start and enjoy His presence through the whole process instead of just at the last second.
Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear --
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
–Joseph M. Scriven