Devotional and Discussion THought of the Day:

⁷  So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸  And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. ⁹  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.    Ezekiel 37:7-10 (ESV) 

St. Aidan’s Prayer for the Holy Island of Lindisfarne

Lord, this bare island, make it a place of peace. Here be the peace of those who do Thy Will. Here be the peace of brother serving man. Here be the peace of holy monks (servants) obeying. Here be the peace of praise, by dark and day.Be this Island, Thy Holy Island   Lord, Thy servant make this prayer, be it Thy Care.  AMEN  (taken from the Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings from the Northumbria Community) 

Yesterday I wrote a blog about the feeling we can sometimes get that leaves us feeling that we are spinning our wheels. Where we become so desperate that we question our holiness, and try to motivate change by heeding to old ways and traditions that would make us seem holier, or changing everything up to try and manipulate effectiveness.  There are times in ministry for those things – both of those things, but when we feel ineffective, when we feel like we are spinning our wheels isn’t the time.

It seems my devotions are stuck in this vein of thought, this what do we do when we feel dry and barren, when our work is not producing what we expect it too. The days when we feel like giving up. I”ve had those days, and sort of on the border of them now.  Some would just pick yourself up and spin a positive feeling and get moving.  It’s funny how many people on Facebook are posting things like that, not to anyone, but just as their status.  Makes me wonder how many are tryingto find the motivation to get up – to get moving themselves.

But a barren peice of land, and a barren heart have much in common.  Someone has to come along and bring life where there isn’t.  In Adian’s prayer, the One that can make this happen is God.  It is no less in our lives and in our ministry/spiritual life. It is God who comes along, God who takes the brokenness, the dryness, the lifeless and breathes His Spirit into us in our baptism, and calls that promise to mind – along with the promise He will never leave or forsake us.

in the Old Testament, they had these times as well – which is why they were called to hear and remember the entire covenant often – not just the law, but the covenant including the promises.  It is why Luther calls us to remember our baptism, not just the actual act of it, but the very work of God as He cleansed us, as the Holy SPirit was given to us, and therefore life breathed into us.   It is what when we take and eat His body and drink His blood He comes to mind, His presence, HIs love. It has been done.

It is in those remembrances that we realize He is present, even if the turmoil has distracted Him from our presence.

And then we realize that perhaps we’ve mistaken a time of God given rest, as a time of barrenness… Breathe in deeply, and with that breath, know His love, the Spirit’s presence, His work through you.

For the Lord is with you!

And rejoice!

He will bi