Is your heart being stirred?

 I am sitting here at "the meeting place" staring out the front window watching the rain. People are rushing into the bakery and the coffee shop next door to get their sugar or caffeine fix to start the day. I am pretty content just to sit here comfortably watching the world go by. Yes, I have plenty of things to do today, but I have not been "stirred" to do anything except read God's word and contemplate its meaning. Many people will tell you that retirement is boring and so many retirees head back to work after retirement because they are bored. In the five years since my retirement, there has been no time for boredom. In fact, retirement is a misnomer. All I did was stop my life of teaching and begin serving the Lord, going where he called me, answering the stirring in my heart. 

I was reading the first chapter of Ezra this morning about the return of Israel from exile. After seventy years God decided it was time for these disobedient people to return home. He began this return by stirring the heart of King Cyrus of Persia and then stirring the hearts of the priests, Levites, and leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. 

"In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and send it throughout his kingdom:

'This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you!'" (Ezra 1:1-3)

"Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord." (Ezra 1:5)

I love this idea of God "stirring our hearts" to action. The word stir can mean to set into motion, to move. The definition I love the most is "to create a commotion" or "create a disturbance."

When God stirred the hearts of the king and Israel, I am sure it created quite a commotion, and the quiet days of sitting at home watching the rain was over. 

Seven years ago God stirred our hearts to retire from teaching. It definitely created quite a commotion and completely disrupted our daily lives. But, here we are five years into retirement and I have to admit, I really don't feel retired! God just wanted a change. If he had not stirred our hearts, life would have continued in the same old routine. Yet, He had greater plans. I had no idea what those plans were going to produce. As I look back, I am so glad he stirred my heart!

Is your heart being stirred? Is there an uneasiness in your spirit that you just can't explain? Maybe God is creating a commotion in your life. Maybe God wants to disrupt your routine to go in a new direction. Trust me, I know, people are going to say, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU CRAZY?" I might have said that a time or two about someone else's "stirring!" But, even when your family and friends are fighting your stirring, if it is truly from God, you MUST respond. We may not be happy about it, but if it is from God, only good can come of it!

After seventy years, God prompted a big move in Israel. Life was about to change. The stirring caused a great commotion and disrupted life. Sometimes God does that. We don't always understand it. We are not always happy about it, but we cannot serve two masters. God is our only master. We must obey!