This morning as I awoke I had a clear impression of an outline of a lesson for Sunday School. The thing is, I was already prepared to teach the first in a new video series so I thought, “Nice, but not today.” Then I went to church, arriving by 7:00am, as is my practice. We have a group that meets for prayer at 7:10am to prepare for the day’s events. When I walked in the leader had out his Bible and was reviewing the text for the day’s sermon from John 8. When he read it, one of the verses fit right in with the outline that had been in my mind as I awoke. Again, I thought, interesting, but not today’s Sunday School lesson. Then I went in the classroom, prepared the video player and got ready for class, including setting up a paper chart board for the discussion time. When everyone arrived, I once again had an urging in my spirit to go with the outline which had been given to me on awaking. So I told them that, even though we’d been scheduled to begin the video series, I was going to exercise teacher’s perogative and do something else. Actually, the outlined lesson lays a nice groundwork, setting up the topic for the video series on discipleship, which was the point, I’m figuring.
We had a lively interactive discussion, everyone jumping into the conversation at some point or another. I’m not sure how much of the material was new to anyone there. I have certainly taught the concepts we discussed before. It was about imputed vs. imparted righteousness, justification versus sanctification, possession of incremental degrees of knowledge about God/Jesus versus belief that demands obedience. But it was the simplicity of the outline and succintness of the concepts that seemed to be the point.
Well, I guess I was obedient on the matter, though it wasn’t until the third time of feeling the urging that I said “yes” and diverged from my plan to what I felt was God’s plan.
In our 7:10am prayer time I had prayed for the lessons that were to be taught that day, in classrooms and in the sanctuary. Also, that people would feel the Holy Spirit’s presence and be moved to greater commitments. When I arrived in the sanctuary for the worship service myself, I quickly felt God working in my heart. As the music and offering time was concluding, I was feeling God’s presence and tears began to well up in my eyes. Then the last song before the message was sung and in it was the phrase “this crying land” that we sang just as my tears began to fall. I remembered in 1997 God had spoken to me about me being like “the land”, like “a field” where He would bring a harvest. (Topic for another time.)
I do believe that my teaching is for His glory and for His purpose. I’m not sure what this morning’s diversion from the planned lesson accomplished, but I’m sure God knows and I trust that He will show me in time, if I need to know. For now it is enough to know that I followed His lesson plan for the day.