Routine ?

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Are you a spontaneous person, or do you prefer routine ?

I find a routine comforting, especially in times of great uncertainty.

My days begin with prayer, as I sit in my chair, facing the direction of Ireland.

As much as I enjoy routine, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

This morning a ship is here, but it is not one of the fishing boats that I am used to seeing.

A Canadian Navy ship is here.

I do not know it’s purpose.

It is a reminder however, of men and women in the military, whose valuable work protects all of us.

I continue my prayers, but now they are for the people on that Navy ship.

Such is the nature of intercessory prayer. It is prayer for the needs of others.

The people on the Navy ship do not know that I am praying for them, but God does.

I notice that my beeswax candle should be replaced now, as it has grown short.

These candles are also part of my morning routine.

They remind me to stay optimistic.

God is in control.

Published by Sally

I am a retired Sociologist/Educator from Ontario. I now live at the very edge of the North American Continent. I spend my time in contemplation, spiritual reading , intercessory prayer, and maintaining a spiritual garden grotto as a place of prayer in my backyard by the Atlantic.

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54 thoughts on “Routine ?”

  2. Sally, do you light a candle every time you pray?

    “…and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.” (Rev.8:4)

    I love that visual. Your candle is a light of hope AND a fragrant incense that rises with your prayers to God. 🙂

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    1. Hi Sara Jane ! Thank you for the reference from Rev.8:4
      Yes, during my morning prayers I do light a candle.
      I use only beeswax candles, as these are symbolic.
      The light from these candles is possible through the wax created from thousands of bees who have gathered pollen from flowers, which have grown from sunlight.

      There is only one place on our island , in St. John’s, that sells beeswax candles, so I stock up.

      I am going to re-read that reference from Revelation.
      Thanks for this kind and insightful comment. 🤗🌷

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  3. What a beautiful view you have for devotions Sally. I can imagine you spend many hours looking out to sea. With my tumour impaired brain I need routine as a coping mechanism. Yet I appreciate the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit in life when it happens, it thrills my heart! God bless you sister.

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    1. Thanks, Alan. I enjoy routine, but also appreciate the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit. God delights in blessing us.
      I do watch the sea much of the time. It has many ‘moods’, and also many sounds. 🌷

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  7. I like a bare skeleton of routine, such as living in the same home year after year, knowing which roads lead where in town and in the surrounding region, and what to expect as far as seasons and weather go. And I’ve found that with covid, the lack of routine in regards to going to church has been a bit strange.
    But for the most part, I love to be spontaneous, whether in prayer or in service for the Lord. The Lord uses each one of us

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      1. Yes, so true. ‘The Lord uses each of us in His service according to the bent with which He has created us’.
        We are members of the body of Christ, and He places us all where we can best serve Him.
        Thanks for your insightful comment. 🤗⚘

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I like routine too Sally, but what you said is right we should make room for the unexpected.
    A wonderful way to start your day and a blessing to pray for others as it is for them too even if they do not know you do so.

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    1. Hi !
      Yes, so true..’we should make room for the unexpected’.God likes to surprise us sometimes.

      Yes, intercessory prayer blesses the prayed for, and the pray-er as well.
      Thanks for your comment. 😄🌻

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    1. Hi Pene ! Yes, we are perched high up overlooking the sea. We can always see and hear the sea. It is moody – sometimes it is as calm as a pond , and other times there are big waves.
      Blessings to you and your family as well. 🤗⚘

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  11. I found it very moving that you prayed for the navy when you saw the ship this morning. You have such an amazing ministry. A also love the view from your window! It looks like you live on the very edge of the ocean?

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    1. Hi !
      Thanks for your kind comment. Yes, we live at the very edge of North America.
      Our house is actually on a finger of land that juts out into the Atlantic, and so we can see the ocean from every window. 🤗

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      2. It is especially beautiful when there are huge icebergs, and whales jumping. And it is funny when we see seals swimming by. They are really cute. 😄

        Liked by 1 person

  12. I think I am a mixture of both. I love my routine morning prayer because if I don’t do it then it isn’t likely to get done. If I get into other things first it isn’t good. On the other hand, I do like to do things spontaneously. Yesterday I called a friend to see if she wanted to do something today. I didn’t know what at the time. Later I asked her if she would like to go to a local place where they sell tons of garden plants in the summer but now they have their indoor plants and poinsettias along with decorations, local honey and locally produced jams. So I picked her up and we decided to stop for lunch first. On the way I chose a different route than normal as I had seen a web site about a Tree Trunk Tour mainly on one street. All along the way are tree trunks that have been carved into wonderful creations and seem to have been stained and varnished. They are beautiful. Neither of us had ever heard about it before. My friend suggested we return by the same route to see them again. So yes, some routine is necessary for me, but I need room for the spontaneous, too. And I agree with you about the need to be ready to be spontaneous in intercession. I was headed in one direction this morning when I just knew the Lord was telling me to go in a completely different direction. And according to what I heard from someone tonight, it definitely had good and positive result. I guess we need to be ready for anything when we walk with the Lord.

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    1. Hi Diane !
      The Tree Trunk Tour sounds fascinating. I could picture in my mind the place selling indoor plants, decorations, and other nice things.

      Yes, I so agree with you, intercessory prayer requires us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting.
      It is good that you listened to the Lord when he directed your prayers where they had a good and positive result.
      Always great to hear from you. 🤗⚘

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      3. You are welcome. I had never heard about this until I found it online on Wednesday night and it’s not that far from where I live. Actually I used to live in that area, but that was decades ago. I’m really glad I found it. Sometimes it’s hard to find something different to do that doesn’t cost money, especially at this time of year. That was definitely a find.

        Liked by 1 person

  13. I like routine too, but sometimes my routine needs to change to accommodate other things. I moved my Bible reading from evening to morning because right now it feels better for me to have that to start my day. I love your view! It is so beautiful!

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    1. Hi Rachel ! Nice to hear from you. Bible reading is a great start to the day.
      Thanks for your comment on the view here. Looking at the sea and the sky is a constant reminder that God is in control. 🤗

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  14. Your words are so calm and warm; evoking an expanded heart that reaches deep down into a well that forever flows and replenishes. Thank God, you are receptive to his grace; even a small blessing can be someone else’s Tiny Red Light.

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      1. Indeed, but allow me to be modest with you, just in case you didn’t make the poetic connection: The Tiny Red Light is a very well known traditional NL song about providing orientation and direction to fishermen at sea. The lyrics begin in this way:

        “Put the light in the window my darling she said
        As she gazed at the dark stormy night over head
        A little girl ran with an eager delight
        As she placed in the window the tiny red light”

        So as you can imagine, Sally, in a sense you are that child of faith, showing your candle light in the window for all to see.

        “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others…” Matt 5:15,16

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hi Jason !
        Thanks for the words to this traditional NL song.
        I looked it up on YouTube as well, it is a very ‘catchy’ tune.
        We live in a historic area where most of the neighbours, historically, were fishermen. There are fish flakes around here.
        Although I enjoy looking at the sea, I can only imagine the bravery of fishermen.

        Thanks also for the reference from Matt 5: 15, 16.
        May God give us the grace to guide others to The Truth. 🤗🌼

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Hello, waving to you from the southern coast of Ireland 😃. Lovely image!
    I need routine to get things done but I also like spontaneity, I think life would be boring without some spontaneity. However now during the pandemic it’s quite useless and routine is what keeps me going.

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    1. Hi Susanne ! Great to hear from you ! Our lovely island is very much like Ireland. Many of our settlers came from the Emerald Isle. 🤗

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      1. I know, and I often sing about places over there! Places in the eastern parts of Canada often appear in irish ballads. Is St John’s in Newfoundland? Sorry for my ignorance!! I know so little about Canada, I’ve mainly done some reading about Nova Scotia because I have a friend there and because of their nice music tradition.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. That is so interesting !
        St. John’s is the capital city of Newfoundland, and also the oldest city in North America.
        Irish music is a great part of Newfoundland culture.
        Nova Scotia is a beautiful part of Canada. It is part of mainland Canada, while Newfoundland is a rugged island off the East coast of Canada. 🤗⚘

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  18. With my struggle with ADD (or EDD – “easily distracted disorder”) routines are sporadic, at best. But God has shown me how to lean into them. When I’m distracted from my prayers, I just redirect my prayers to what was distracting me – the way you did when you started praying for the people on the Navy ship. 😉

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  20. Routine is good, creates balance in your day. But we should also be flexible and expect the unexpected as you’ve mentioned. Since change is a constant and affects will the time.

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