The
GPS project was developed in 1973 to overcome the limitations of previous
navigation systems, however, engineering and study designs date back to the
1960s. GPS was created and realized by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and
became fully in 1995. Three men are
credited with its invention: Bradford Parkinson, Roger L. Easton, and Ivan A.
Getting.
In
2000, the U.S. Congress authorized the modernization effort, GPS III. Fast forward to September 24, 2014. Where
would we be without the use of our GPS?
Today, with a few simple keystrokes or voice command to our smart
devices, laptop or desktop we can easily obtain help: step by step directions
using public transportation, walking or driving and weather conditions. But there are approximately 20 other uses for
GPS some of which impact our everyday lives.
For example:
·
Fleet
tracking: allows you to determine when you can expect your Home Shopping
Network/QVC orders; medicine delivery; etc.
·
Cellular
telephony: in laymen’s terms part of this function allows emergency responders
to locate 911 callers
·
Astronomy
– the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, galaxies, planets,
moons, and nebulae)
·
GPS
air trafficking: aids with travel arrival and departure regardless of whether
your flight is for the occasional vacation or the regulars who travel so much
that flight attendants know them by name.
Yesterday’s
Love, Life and Victory session struck a chord with me, especially towards the
end of the call when the dialogue turned towards God’s silence which can be
utterly frustrating if we allow it to be.
I want to dovetail off yesterday’s dialogue for today’s declaration and
dive a little deeper into the dialogue about God’s silence.
· During Monday’s
declaration Dionne accidently muted her phone during the height of her narrative. I, personally, was on the edge of my seat as
I listened intently to her and then suddenly there was silence for
approximately 3-4 minutes but it seemed like an eternity.
· For most black
Pentecostal churches the only time the “church” is quiet is when no one is
there but many of our Caucasian churches have mastered the art of silence as
they wait before the Lord.
The
answer for me is that we don’t trust it (the silence). Something about it seems awkward especially
if you’re a “talker”. To avoid the
awkwardness we will talk, shuffle, move something, click a pen constantly, play
with are hair, engage on our cell phone anything but sit or stand in silence. But if we fill our space with constant noise
(e.g. interruptions, talking, singing, movement, etc.) how can we ever hear God? Of course we know he has the ability to speak
through whirlwinds as he did with Job in chapter 38 but that doesn’t happen
very often, it would freak us out and be almost abusive.
Why
is the silence important? Because we
learn the discipline of listening.
· Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your
own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (NLT)
· I love the KJV: And
that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your
own hands, as we commanded you
Listening
for what?
The Call:
· The call to
obedience and salvation – “Today when you
hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.
Hebrews 4:7b (NLT)
· The call to
ministry (service to others, your purpose):
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 (NLT)
The Sound:
· The sounds that
alert us of our next assignment to those who may be in anguish, pain, depressed,
frustrated, etc.; the sound that alerts us of possible confusion and/or danger
from those that are liars, thieves, manipulators, robbers, abusers, etc. so we
can counter their evil plans; the sound that allows us to be complacent and
settle or whatever the case may be
· The sound to be
equipped: When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly
a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house
where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire
alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. Acts 2:1-4 (CEB)
I double dog dare you to go somewhere, intentionally look for and purposefully find quiet. When
I’m
out of time, so we’ll pick it up tomorrow
In
His New Excellence,
Tania
Not Tanya
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