I have been studying and reading about the role we must take as a Servant Of the Lord. As much as we would like to think we are the masters of our soul, we are not. Our timing is not God's timing, what we think are our needs are not what God has planned for us.
It is hard to serve the Lord, we want everything our own way. And though we pray for things to go right, for God to heal illnesses (And he certainly has the power over all these things) some even pray for riches and success. But once you become the Servant of the Lord, you learn to WAIT upon the Lord.
Psalm 41:I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
When my hubby was so ill with cancer, I prayed for his healing, it was not answered. I prayed for God to lessen his pain, it was not answered. I BEGGED for him to not suffer the ravages of cancer any longer. Then God took him home. For 7 yrs. I was learning to be the servant, caring for my hubby and living a life of almost complete isolation except for the eternal chemo, doctor, lab visits and radiation treatments. I did all this willingly because I loved my husband so much. I did have faith in God's will and plan but sometimes, it was hard to accept that my husband's healing was not in the plan. He was a gift of God and God took him back...
I do not press God for answers now. I have learned to Wait upon the Lord and my life is easier now. I believe he has a purpose for my life because He left me behind when He took my sweet Bill. I feel the sanctification of the Lord and His Son Jesus in my life and continue to serve where he sends me. Whether it be bringing a hot meal to an ill neighbor, running an errand for them or simply picking up their mail, such small things to brighten their day and I know I am serving God in my own humble way. For even our Lord took the role of a servant Washing the Disciples Feet in John 13:1-17 Years ago, I started a tradition of washing my hubby's feet around Easter time and he said it was a feeling like no other when I showed humility and love for him by this simple act.
I have been working a lot subbing at a chiropractor's office and the work is hard physically and mentally. But I am serving there, also. I meet many Christians there and they tell me their struggles and I LISTEN (the magic word) and then I tell them I will pray for them. They are relieved and I am enriched by their smiles.
"The heavenly Father still sanctifies people today. Before a person places his faith in the Savior, he is spiritually dead and, in fact, an enemy of God (Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 5:10). But the moment someone chooses to trust in Jesus Christ, his sins are wiped away, and he is adopted into God's family. That individual is set apart as a child of God, with a sacred purpose. This means believers are not here to chase after personal gain but to serve the Lord and bring Him
honor and glory." (Source: Dr. Charles Stanley)
Have you accepted your role as a servant of the Lord? Instead of a chore, it becomes an affirmation, however small the effort on your part to do something for others so that they might see the Lord in your eyes, in your heart and on your lips. What greater reward?
Make a list for yourself of ways you can serve right where you are at this time.
Keep a journal of what you did for others and how it made you feel.
And pray that God will guide your path in all that you do and your road will never be rocky but firm ground on which to place your foot one step at a time.
Psalm 119:105 (KJV) ” Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path “.
