I Kings 19:11-13 “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake; And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”
II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
My wife started feeling contractions during the birth of our first child early on a Sunday morning. They were spaced out sufficiently such that we were confident that we could go to church before going to the hospital. We created a carefully designed and calibrated monitoring and control system to ensure that we were tracking the situation. My wife would nudge me with her elbow every time she had a contraction, and I would diligently keep track of the spacing based on the nudges. It was simple, but functional.
Before the church service, we went to our large adult Sunday School class, and the teacher’s (and associate pastor’s) wife ended up sitting immediately behind us. The lesson was on the importance of marital fidelity.
The lesson started, and it was a fiery one based on the topic. Our teacher was rightfully stressing the importance of the issue, while Melonie and I were listening. All the while, she was nudging me (for the timing of the contractions) and I was tracking them. It wasn’t until a few nudge-cycles in, conspicuously timed just after a particular admonition on fidelity to the men, that we realized what it must have looked like to our teacher’s wife in the seats behind us. When the class ended, we ensured that she knew what was going on with the nudges and that they had nothing to do with concerns about fidelity.
How is the Lord nudging you today?
It comes through His still small voice and through the reading and preaching of His Word. It is a carefully designed and calibrated monitoring and control system that helps us to know what is right, what is not right, to stay right, and to get right. It is designed for our growth, maturity, protection and provision, and we are foolish to ignore it.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO DILIGENTLY AND RESPONSIVELY LISTEN TO GOD’S NUDGES IN OUR LIVES. Those nudges are a carefully designed and calibrated monitoring and control system designed to give birth to righteousness, impact, and human flourishing.
