LAYING A FLEECE BEFORE THE LORD

 

     I don't believe in the Horoscope at all. I personally think it should be renamed "The Horrorscope!" I don't believe you can actually travel back in time and I certainly don't believe in gazing at a crystal ball to find out what the future holds.That is straight from the pit of Hell! This past week I have been praying a lot about decisions I need to make. As many of you know I have had reoccurring back issues for many years. I had to reduce my number of hours I work at Chick Fil-A because of these back issues and terrible back spasms I get. This means I will need to find either another line of work or another part time job. I will confess that I have stressed over this a lot. I mean I realize I am an ordained pastor but I am a human being as well! Last night during the night I experienced the feeling of anxiety where I had trouble sleeping. I have spent a lot of time praying about my future, In fact, after attending a Men's Breakfast on Saturday morning with the men from my church, I went to Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai, NY and walked along the beach praying, listening to worship music and asking the Lord what His plans are for my life. I also thought a lot about what it means to be "Laying a fleece before the Lord." In the bible, laying a fleece was something Gideon did in order to make sure he was hearing from God.

     In Judges chapter 6, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and were in bondage to the Midianites. An angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, a prophet, and calls him to deliver Israel. In a nutshell, Gideon overthrows the altar of Baal, a false God, we see the Spirit of the Lord rest on him, and the Lord gives him a sign to show him he is called to deliver Israel. That sign is called "a fleece." What they did in Bible times to "Lay a fleece" meant to take a fleece of wool and lay it down overnight on the threshing floor. If the fleece was wet from the dew and the ground was dry, it was a sign from God. In the story of Gideon, he wanted to be sure so he laid the fleece a second time on the threshing floor. This time he asked if the fleece was dry and the ground was wet. It would be a sign from God and God would speak to his people. In today's day and age I don't believe we as Christians need to be doing this. I do believe God does speak to us and He shows us what His will is for us. I also believe that after we pray for something and ask God for direction, He will either give us a peace about it or no peace at all. His answers are always yes, no or wait. I'm from New York and I can tell you New Yorkers don't like to wait. However, as a Christian it is important that we wait on God and not try to rush Him! After all, He is God and we are not!! 

     Writing this blog was a challenge! I wish I had answers to all of my life's questions but I don't. In the meantime,I just learn to trust in the Lord more and more and fully rely on Him!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!