Why wait when you can worry and work? That question can easily serve as the motto for our rapid-pace society. From a distant vantage point, we must surely appear as busy ants in a colony - and our activities just as important.

I remember a man whose seemingly ceaseless activity was abruptly halted when someone asked him: "have you ever prayed about where you are going?" His response was to stop and pray. And, his life deflected in an entirely different direction.

"But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me." (Micah 7.7)

The prophet Micah causes us to consider a similar question: Have you stopped to pray? Have you sought out Yahweh God? Have you waited for Him, or are you too busy working and worrying? 

To "watch expectantly" is more than casual consideration; it implies urgency and importance. It is to view our time with God as the key appointment of the day; not something done if there is time left over. 

A friend recently introduced me to the secret of fifteen minutes. Secure a timer, and designate fifteen minutes of time for tasks and activities that should be priorities. At the end of fifteen minutes, we'll have a fair idea as to whether to devote more time, or schedule another fifteen minutes another day. 

Is time with our Father in prayer worth fifteen minutes? Is it possible to deliberately schedule time for this priority? Of course it is. And, we might find ourselves resetting that timer for another fifteen minutes. Our fifteen minutes can easily stretch into a half-hour, or an hour. 

We do those things we consider important. And, the act of doing reinforces importance. The hardest part is just getting started. 

Let's let Micah challenge us to action with a key priority. Seven is a number of completion and perfection, so let's pursue a level of completion and perfection in our lives with the "Micah 7.7 plan". Fifteen minutes a day in watching expectantly, and waiting for "the God of my salvation"; claiming the promise that "My God will hear me". Are you in? I'd love to hear from all who are willing to begin with a basic fifteen-minute discipline. 

Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2012