Tuning in....

Ephesians 5:18-19  "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;"

I stopped by Home Depot on the way home last evening.    I had just enough time to pick up some things I needed and still be on time for dinner.  As I pulled into a parking space,  Matt Redman's song, "Ten Thousand Reasons"  came on the radio.  The Celtic-flavored tune and the soul-stirring lyrics glued me in place for an extra 5 minutes, and afterward I found myself singing/humming/whistling/worshiping as I traversed the parking lot and walked the aisles of the store.

As the song played in my head, I quickly found what I needed and headed back to my truck with just enough time to make my deadline.  That's when I saw him.  A twenty-something young man was trying, without much success, to fit two good-sized kitchen chairs into his Mustang coupe.  We both  laughed at the "tight fit" and I walked on.  He was still struggling with the chairs as I drove past, and the Holy Spirit put on the brakes.  "Help him.  Offer to take the chairs to his home."  "But I'll be late for dinner!", I countered.  "Just do it", was His reply.  I backed up, rolled down the window, and offered him my assistance, which he gladly accepted.  He lifted the chairs into my truck, I followed him to his house, he thanked me, I blessed him, and I made it home just 5 minutes behind schedule.  And the song resonated louder in my soul.

I have found, time and time again, that worship sets the stage for interaction with God.  It increases the sensitivity of my spiritual "hearing aids", allowing the Holy Spirit to more effectively direct my steps.  According to the verse in Ephesians 5, a heart filled with worship is an indicator of being controlled (filled)  by the Holy Spirit.  It's designed to be a never-ending cycle: the Holy Spirit moves me to worship ("singing and making melody with your heart") and that, in turn, tunes my heart to better hear and respond to Him, which moves me to worship... and so on.

Lord, I love the "afterglow" of obeying Your prompting.  It's hard to describe the joy that results from partnering with the Holy Spirit in ministry, even in something as mundane as transporting a couple of chairs.  Let's do it again today!  I'm tuned in.   Amen.