There was a man who went to the wailing wall to pray twice a day for 25 years. A friend asked, “What do you pray for so diligently?” The man replied, “In the A.M. I pray for world peace and the brotherhood of man. In the P.M. I pray for the eradication of all illnesses and disease.” Troubled, the friend asked, “But there has been no progress with either issue for decades. How does that make you feel?” The man lamented, “Like I’ve been talking to a wall.”
He feels my pain! You’ve been there right….hour after hour talking to God with little perceived response. So, to learn how to better hear God I’ve been working on that “30/12 Challenge” I posted about Wed. What a special experience, you might want to try it! Here’s another insight that could bless your effort.
My friend Marla shared these thoughts on her coffeeshopjournal blog:
When God wants us to experience a change of perspective, He often does it via a change in scenery.
“So Jesus took the three disciples to a new place, a high place, a place that was far removed from civilization.”
Here’s the bottom line: Where you are geographically affects where you are spiritually. A few years ago I came up with a simple formula:
Change of Place + Change of Pace = Change of Perspective.
Marla’s onto something here, which explains why mission trips can have such an impact. It also explains why leadership planning retreats are often held off-site and in a casual environment.
What’s your experience…tell me about how changes in geography and pace impacted your perspective or connection with God?
What are the advantages to pray while facing a wall? Could it help with focus in something like a 30/12 challenge?
Hummm…they must have been blogging about these things decades ago.