Moving forward by standing still

I'm amazed at how many times God calls His people to increase their faith by standing still.

Here are a few examples:

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Ex. 14:13-14)

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Eph. 6:13)

You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and seethe deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you. (2 Ch. 20:17)

So, why not try it.  Pause long enough to allow God to do something.

Team Teaching

Our pastoral team shared the teaching during the service this morning.  Amos, our children's pastor, wasn't able to participate in the teaching end of things but he gladly pitched in to do the announcements.  The rest of us--Connie, Lyndsay, and I--divided up Ephesians 1:15-23 and we each took a few minutes to talk about it.  The context was the apostle Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church.  Our context is prayer for Hanover Missionary Church.

It felt good to work collaboratively on such an important subject with a gifted pastoral team in a congregation that finding hope in surprising places.

I'm already looking forward to next week's guest speaker.