I am reading a memoir, Sealed Orders, by the American healer and mystic, Agnes Sanford. Interestingly, I’ve just read A Man Called Peter, by Catherine Marshall, her biography of her husband, Peter Marshall, who felt that he lived under “sealed orders.”
During wartime, commanding officers of ships, or squadrons operated under “sealed orders.” For security, and perhaps because the commander might have been tempted to disobey, he did not open them until he had reached a certain point in his journey.
I like the idea that we operate under “sealed orders.”
While God does give us a rough road map–I knew I was to be a writer, not a medical doctor, say–God does not tell us everything he is going to ask us to do….or ask of us in terms of suffering or challenge at the outset.
If so, we would find it overwhelming, or discouraging. We might never set out.
At each end of the road, at each turn of our journey, we receive “sealed orders” for that stretch of the road.
* * *
It is an exciting concept. God is never done with us. Into our fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties… there are new “sealed orders.” People to bless and influence; things to learn, and things to do and things to endure. Increased efficiency, increased skills, increased wisdom, and perhaps even, mastery of things we have long loved to do. And always the infinite depths and treasures of God to dive into, ever deeper. Always our puzzling, brilliant, invisible friend, Jesus Christ, to get to know better and better…
A Man Called Peter was one of those special books for me. Thank you for the reminder – it is long overdue for another read through.
I committed my life to Jesus while reading Catherine Marshall’s “Beyond Ourselves,” and it remains a special book for me. I would love to write something so helpful to others before I die!
I read a book by Agnes SAnford years ago, don’t remember the name of the book. But as I remember, Agnes was used mightily of the Lord as a forerunner for inner healing ministry. I think? At the time, many called this healing of memories.
Indeed! Thanks, Barbara!
Anita, your blogs are more rare these days and all the more precious as a result. This one, short and to the point, touches my heart powerfully. I had never heard of sealed orders in relation to following Christ and your words fit my thoughts and concerns right now. Right now I have concerns about my direction of travel. Right now I needed a word of encouragement from The Lord. His grace is full and his timing perfect.
Bless you
Thank you, Andy. I have been writing more in my journal rather than online, but your kind comment made me glad that I put it online!
Thanks for the encouragement in this post–the adventure continues and we aren’t alone. I hadn’t heard of Agnes Sanford or SEALED ORDERS. What struck me about the sealed orders idea was that there is a moment of choice once you open the orders. It reminded me of Corrie Ten Boom’s story about her father and the train ticket. It might be in TRAMP FOR THE LORD. The point was that God gives us courage and information, right at the moment we need it.
Indeed. I like the idea that there are always sealed orders, even when we feel old, infirm, “on the shelf,” so to say. “So, Lord, what are my sealed orders for today?” It’s a question that adds excitement for the day.
I’ve heard about this book, but not read it-it’s on my list, though. Plowing through Einstein’s God right now. Great book.
At first blush, though, this book seems to defy all sense of Free Will. If God has sealed orders for us, that means He’s directing and controlling and we have no Free Will. One either has it or doesn’t, we can’t sometimes have it and sometimes not. Is that the gist of this book?
Here is why these kinds of ideas trouble me. The value of our love of God comes from the fact that it’s freely given, not dictated by some pre-destined set of circumstances ordained by God to test us or trip us up. I cannot believe in a God who purposely kills relatives, friends, etc. as a means to test our love. Nor can I believe in a God that allows some bad things to happen, but stops other bad things from happening because someone prayed just hard enough (by the way, how much is that? How much sincere prayer needs to happen to keep our sibling from dying of cancer or our spouse from alcoholism?). Bad things happen…God teaches us how to make good choices and helps us find forgiveness, compassion and love in the face of bad things.
For me, God is there to show us a better way to live, He calls us to lead a life of grace, not trapped in an endless cycle of waiting to see what He has “planned” for us. Instead of making better choices, oftentimes folks who believe in this kind of pre-ordination think, “oh, well, maybe God has something better planned for me around the next corner”. Rather, they can be working to understand their world better and making more informed choices that mirror God rather than abdicate choices to some pre-arranged plan.
This book is on my list of stuff to read soon. I’m hoping it’s about healing through making more Godly choices rather than praying harder for God to keep bad things from happening to us.
Hi LA, It’s a spiritual autobiography, about how God progressively guided her into her destiny as a healer, and writer.
I am constantly asking for direction because I lack the same wisdom God does. For me, sometimes the “orders” (more like suggestions) come when I am desperate. For instance,the directive to blog, when I was stuck, not knowing what creative work to do. Or the directive to start the particular business I own when I needed a non-exhausting way to make money. Some directives are out of the blue, like “apply to Oxford.”
Because I believe God loves me, and is wiser than I am myself, I am always listening for the sealed orders for the day, week and month. ( I usually like them, and they for my good. Sometimes, I just sigh, and obey, though!)