Crack That Egg, Sunny Side Up!
by Paul Lawrence
Ever seen a chick hatch out of an egg? It starts off by tapping a small hole and eventually breaks its way free into a new world that is a lot different and maybe a little more scary and exciting than the egg it was used to living in.
We are so used to staying in a mould or shell that it takes great determination to change. Many have trained themselves to sit quietly or passively during devotion times, but the Lord shows through His Word that we don`t have to sit quietly or passively in His presence all the time. Maybe today we should break out of the shell a bit and have a noisy time before Him, or a dancing time, or perhaps even a praise and clap time. Maybe today is the day to break out and tell the Lord our true feelings. Jonah certainly let the Lord know his true feelings at one point of his mission!!! `Just kill me now, LORD! I`d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen` (my paraphrase of Jonah 4:3).
Maybe today is the day to break forth into songs of love to the Lord. Even if we don`t know any words we can make them up and break out of that mould of silence we have trapped ourselves in over time. Let`s follow the example of those in the Word of the Lord who encourage us with these words:
`I will sing a new song to you` (Psalm 144:9).
`Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD` (Psalm 134:2).
`Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music` (Psalm 98:4).
Perhaps we can even take it a step further by standing to our feet and trying a dance. As David once said; `Let them praise his name with dancing and make music` (Psalm 149:3).
Like the eagle in the egg, sometimes we have to break out of where we`ve put ourselves. This may not seem possible but the Lord is there to encourage us, for He says `it is not by our strength nor by our might but by His Spirit` (Zechariah 4:6) and we can ask Him for strength and help in anything.
Maybe we have to work through a number of shell layers today as we try this out. Maybe there`s the `what do I sound like shell?`, or the `what will others think of me shell?`, or the `what if I get it wrong shell?`, and possibly the `what if I make a fool of myself shell?`
So, let`s do something different today, let`s start chipping at the shells we`re in and see what`s out there, and see what different emotions we feel and share as we delight in the Lord. After all, the Lord is the One who sings over us, so there`s no higher example. `The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing` (Zephaniah 3:17).
Prayer: Lord, I want to break out of the shell I`m in but I don`t know how. Please help me today. Thank You. Amen.
Paul Lawrence is the Centre Director at Ellel Grange, UK and is married to Anne, who is the Deputy Centre Director for the Grange. He has lived in Africa for over 20 years and China for 5 years. His passion is to see the Lord do bigger and greater things in peoples lives that they cannot do on their own, not just in healings but also in the fun things of life. His belief is that nothing is ever big enough and as a team we can achieve anything if the Lord is at the centre.
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