Sometimes during Drill Downs (see Day Twenty-One), the same drill is repeated three, four, or more times. Following that repetition, a different drill is called out. The purpose of the heavy repetition before a new drill is to try to trick the participants so they mess up and are thus out of the game.
God does the same thing, sometimes, but His heart isn’t to trick us so we mess up and are “out.” In my experience, He often has us do the same thing over and over again before calling us to do something new. Perhaps His purpose in doing so is because we need to practice whatever He calls us to do multiple times. Perhaps His purpose is that we struggle to do what He says when He says to, so we need to practice unconditional and immediate obedience. Even still, His purpose may be that He wants to shock and surprise us as we leave that place of repetition with something new.
Unlike Drill Downs, God repeats His drills out using various avenues, all driven by the Holy Spirit. My repetitive drill to rest has recently been called out more loudly than ever - through the way my life is (nonstop, unpredictable, more than I can manage on my own as a working single mom of two), through my devotional the last two mornings, and now through an occurrence that could only have been orchestrated by my Abba Father.
This morning (while I was at work), my mentor attended my church’s Prayer House. She has never been to anything my church has done and knows no one there; her purpose in going was to obtain prayer for herself and her family. When the person leading prayer began, she mentioned the name Amanda and asked if there was any connection for anyone. After my mentor raised her hand, a man was asked to speak a Word over me. The Word was plentiful, but the main point was the repetitive drill God has called out to me: “Stop overthinking and jumping to conclusions, let go, rest, and allow me to do what only I can do.”
While I am not necessarily joyful that I need to have this repeated to me, I will take as many repetitions as He gives, because each and every one is assurance for me - that He sees me, He hears me, and He loves me so much that He moves other people when I am not even there so that He can speak to my heart.