99 Days – Undone 31
Undone Thirty-One is an invitation to watch and wonder at God’s presence in the world before, during and after CHIC 2009.
Watch
“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3
The writer of Psalm 5 (David of “and Goliath” fame) sets an example for us in how to live in prayer. David says in the morning he goes before God. He starts each day acknowledging that God is present and active in his life. Then David says he lays his requests before God and waits in expectation to see what will happen. David believes that God is going to do something and he commits to spending his day watching to see what it is. He is not suggesting that if he prays in the morning he is guaranteed to receive whatever he asks for by nightfall. He knows it doesn’t work that way. But what he does, in asking and expecting, is set himself up to watch and see what God does.
Wonder
“On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” Psalm 63:6
In a later Psalm, David, who starts his day by talking with God, writes that he ends his day by remembering God. In fact, he thinks about God all through the night. One can imagine that at the end of the day he looks back in wonder at the ways in which he has encountered God. On some evenings he is able to give thanks for the ways in which his morning prayers were answered, on others he gives thanks for the ways that God blessed him in ways he didn’t even know he needed. Because he began the day in expectation, and spent the day watching, he can end the day wondering about how he experienced God’s presence throughout the day.
Undone Thirty-one is an invitation to follow this pattern and to watch and wonder for an entire month. It is not a formula or a program, but rather a practice. It is a practice that is thousands of years old. It is a practice that believes the promises in the Bible that God is always with us and encourages us to live out that belief.
Details
- Undone Thirty-One is for anyone going to CHIC 2009 (and beyond) to join.
- Undone Thirty-One begins on July 1 and continues through July 31. We hope that it will become a habit for those who participate and they will find themselves watching and wondering well beyond the thirty-one days.
- Starting at the end of May, the CHIC 2009 website will have a link to resources for you to access and use.
- The web link will include a morning devotional/scripture/thought to start the day and remind you to watch for evidence of God’s presence in the world, and an evening pair of questions to review the day and help you wonder about how you encountered God.
- Starting June 1, the CHIC 2009 website will have a place to sign up and declare that you plan to participate in Undone Thirty-One.
- Warning: Participation may result in your coming undone.
