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Sealed Orders

By Anita Mathias

51GJoiyI7UL._SX308_BO1,204,203,200_Sealed Orders
sealed-envelope

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…

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Filed Under: Applying my heart unto wisdom, In which I chase the wild goose of the Holy Spirit Tagged With: Agnes Sanford, Catherine Marshall, Growing up and growing older, guidance, Peter Marshall, Sealed Orders

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Comments

  1. Freda says

    April 13, 2016 at 10:57 am

    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.

    • Anita Mathias says

      April 14, 2016 at 11:25 am

      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!

  2. Barbara says

    April 11, 2016 at 8:23 am

    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.

    • Anita Mathias says

      April 11, 2016 at 12:10 pm

      Indeed! Thanks, Barbara!

  3. Andy says

    April 11, 2016 at 7:24 am

    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

    • Anita Mathias says

      April 11, 2016 at 12:11 pm

      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!

  4. Laurel says

    April 11, 2016 at 7:15 am

    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.

    • Anita Mathias says

      April 11, 2016 at 12:13 pm

      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.

  5. LA says

    April 10, 2016 at 2:19 pm

    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.

    • Anita Mathias says

      April 11, 2016 at 10:26 pm

      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!)

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anita.mathias

Writer, Blogger, Reader, Mum. Christian. Instaing Oxford, travel, gardens and healthy meals. Oxford English alum. Writing memoir. Lives in Oxford, UK

Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford # Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford #walking #tranquility #naturephotography #nature
So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And h So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And here we are at one of the world’s most famous and easily recognisable sites.
#stonehenge #travel #england #prehistoric England #family #druids
And I’ve blogged https://anitamathias.com/2020/09/13/on-not-wasting-a-desert-experience/
So, after Paul the Apostle's lightning bolt encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he went into the desert, he tells us...
And there, he received revelation, visions, and had divine encounters. The same Judean desert, where Jesus fasted for forty days before starting his active ministry. Where Moses encountered God. Where David turned from a shepherd to a leader and a King, and more, a man after God’s own heart.  Where Elijah in the throes of a nervous breakdown hears God in a gentle whisper. 
England, where I live, like most of the world is going through a desert experience of continuing partial lockdowns. Covid-19 spreads through human contact and social life, and so we must refrain from those great pleasures. We are invited to the desert, a harsh place where pruning can occur, and spiritual fruitfulness.
A plague like this has not been known for a hundred years... John Piper, after his cancer diagnosis, exhorted people, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”—since this was the experience God permitted you to have, and He can bring gold from it. Pandemics and plagues are permitted (though not willed or desired) by a Sovereign God, and he can bring life-change out of them. 
Let us not waste this unwanted, unchosen pandemic, this opportunity for silence, solitude and reflection. Let’s not squander on endless Zoom calls—or on the internet, which, if not used wisely, will only raise anxiety levels. Let’s instead accept the invitation to increased silence and reflection
Let's use the extra free time that many of us have long coveted and which has now been given us by Covid-19 restrictions to seek the face of God. To seek revelation. To pray. 
And to work on those projects of our hearts which have been smothered by noise, busyness, and the tumult of people and parties. To nurture the fragile dreams still alive in our hearts. The long-deferred duty or vocation
So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I have totally sunk into the rhythm of it, and have got quiet, very quiet, the quietest spell of time I have had as an adult.
I like it. I will find going back to the sometimes frenetic merry-go-round of my old life rather hard. Well, I doubt I will go back to it. I will prune some activities, and generally live more intentionally and mindfully.
I have started blocking internet of my phone and laptop for longer periods of time, and that has brought a lot of internal quiet and peace.
Some of the things I have enjoyed during lockdown have been my daily long walks, and gardening. Well, and reading and working on a longer piece of work.
Here are some images from my walks.
And if you missed it, a blog about maintaining peace in the middle of the storm of a global pandemic
https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/  #walking #contemplating #beauty #oxford #pandemic
A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine. A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine.  We can maintain a mind of life and peace during this period of lockdown by being mindful of our minds, and regulating them through meditation; being mindful of our bodies and keeping them happy by exercise and yoga; and being mindful of our emotions in this uncertain time, and trusting God who remains in charge. A new blog on maintaining a mind of life and peace during lockdown https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/
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#valleta #valletamalta #travel #travelgram #uncagedbird
Images from some recent walks in Oxford. I am copi Images from some recent walks in Oxford.
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#oxford #oxfordinlockdown #lockdown #walk #lockdownwalks #peace #beauty #happiness #joy #thepeaceofwildthings
Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social d Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social distancing. The first two are my own garden.  And I’ve https://anitamathias.com/2020/03/28/silver-and-gold-linings-in-the-storm-clouds-of-coronavirus/ #corona #socialdistancing #silverlinings #silence #solitude #peace
Trust: A Message of Christmas He came to earth in Trust: A Message of Christmas  He came to earth in a  splash of energy
And gentleness and humility.
That homeless baby in the barn
Would be the lynchpin on which history would ever after turn
Who would have thought it?
But perhaps those attuned to God’s way of surprises would not be surprised.
He was already at the centre of all things, connecting all things. * * *
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Drawing astronomers to him.
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To me, today, it says, “Fear not, trust me, I will make a way.” The baby lay gentle in the barn
And God arranges for new stars, angelic song, wise visitors with needed finances for his sustenance in the swiftly-coming exile, shepherds to underline the anointing and reassure his parents. “Trust me in your dilemmas,” the baby still says, “I will make a way. I will show it to you.” Happy Christmas everyone.  https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/24/trust-a-message-of-christmas/ #christmas #gemalderieberlin #trust #godwillmakeaway
Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Gratitude journal, habit tracker, food and exercise journal, bullet journal, with time sheets, goal sheets and a Planner. Everything you’d like to track.  Here’s a post about it with ISBNs https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/23/life-changing-journalling/. Check it out. I hope you and your kids like it!
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