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When we consider the events of the past year, Mother Nature played a prominent role. The first weeks of January 2005 saw us focused on the destruction of the Asian Tsunami. The Atlantic tropical storm season set a record for named storms and hurricanes. Most notable was Katrina's hit on the Gulf coast and the ensuing flooding of New Orleans. Late in the year there was also the earthquake in Pakistan which left thousands dead and over a million homeless.
When I read about these natural disasters, it reminds me of how fragile life is. Entire communities have been wiped out with mankind almost powerless to stop the power of creation.
Psalm 90 speaks of the brevity of life and verse 12 says, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." This is my 2006 prayer for each of us in Fort Lee Gospel Church. May we "number our days aright" and in the process, "gain a heart of wisdom."
Earlier today, as I was having my car worked on, I had a conversation with a woman from New Orleans. She was readying her car for a trip back home. As she spoke of the destruction to her city, it seemed that her major concern was to get the party started again. She spoke much about the fun of Mardi Gras and their Halloween events. If the flooding of New Orleans was God's wakeup call to a city in need of "numbering its days aright," the resident I spoke with missed the message.
For us as believers, I wonder if we allow the troubles of this life to "teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a
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heart of wisdom?" Our challenges in the new year may not be of the life and death variety, but we can be sure that we will face some difficulties. The key is to learn from the events of our life and gain wisdom in the process.
One way that we can turn the challenges of life into wisdom experiences is to stay in regular communion with God. I am speaking about personal devotional time set aside every day. Throughout the Sundays of January, our worship services will take time to speak about the importance of time spent with God.
If you do not currently have a routine to read the Bible and pray daily, we encourage you to start with just 10 minutes a day to read a few verses and pray. If you do take some time to read and pray, but are sporadic, we encourage you to get back in the habit a daily time with God. If you do the same thing, at the same time for 30 days, it becomes a habit. Some of you may choose to read through the Bible in a year. Others need to start a prayer journal. Some of you may want to add 15 minutes to your current pattern of devotions. Other ideas include a weekly meal time set aside for fasting and prayer, monthly prayer retreats, memorization projects or meeting with a prayer partner. In the words of the old adage, "Just do it!"
My hope is that 2006 will be a year of great personal growth for those of us who worship at Fort Lee Gospel Church. As we all work towards a "heart of wisdom," we will be a church pleasing to God. Have a blessed 2006!
-Pastor Rick
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