God

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Just Talking to Him

She's still talking to Him!

She’s still talking to Him!

We have talked recently about listening for God’s voice. But the other side of prayer – the talking side – is important, too. I believe God wants the kind of relationship with us that Jesus had with His disciples. The kind where we walk together, talking as we go.

One day I was taking my two young grandchildren to the local library. On the way, the one-year old was riding contentedly in his car seat and the three-year old was in her adjacent seat, saying something that I couldn’t understand. I had tuned her out due to traffic concerns, but, after a minute, I turned and said, “I didn’t hear you, honey, can you tell me what you were saying?”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she responded. “I was talking to God.”

“Oh, you were praying.”

“No, I was just talking to Him.”

She was three years old and understood something I had been trying to put my finger on for years. God wants the kind of relationship with me where there is continual conversation. I am learning, yet, to talk to Him as I go through my day. To remember that He is always present and always eager to have His presence acknowledged and enjoyed. I can’t say that I pray all day long, but often I do find myself “ . . . just talking to Him.” Do you, too?

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.” – 1 Peter 3:1

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When I am Afraid

I am afraid sometimes, actually more times than I like to admit. When I am willing to look for help for my fear, I often find the psalms provide comfort and direction. Psalm 16 is one of my favorites.

Psalm 16:1a: Keep me safe, O God . . .

The first part of this verse helps me to slow down and identify my specific fear. What do I want to be kept safe from?

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. – Psalm 23:4 NLT

Accident?
Physical pain?
Emotional stress?
Failure?
Mistakes?
Sin?
Evil powers?

Once I identify the fear I am dealing with, I can pray specifically for the protection I need. The fears that most often surface for me relate to things I can’t control. When I know I don’t have influence over what may be about to happen, fear can strike to my core.

Psalm 16:1b: . . . for in You I take refuge.

Refuge in God means I trust Him to take care of me. It means I give up control to Him. He is my safe place. He protects me even from myself, my weaknesses, flaws, and lack of judgment, as well as from other people’s mistakes or intentions. As I surrender my will and my specifically identified fear to Him, room is created in my soul for peace to seep in. Little by little, by the power of the Holy Spirit, peace conquers fear and I am at rest.

Until next time, that is. Then we do it again. But God is never impatient with my call to Him for help and my desire to take refuge in Him. He just seems pleased that I am learning to trust Him when I am afraid. He is ready to welcome you to His safe place, too. Just ask Him.

“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” – Frederick Buechner

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Hanging Around the Holy

I didn’t know holiness was catching, did you? But maybe, in some way, it is.

“Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” – Oswald Chambers

In Exodus, God gives Moses detailed instructions for building the Tabernacle and all its furnishings and utensils. In 29:37 God says that whatever touches the consecrated altar will be holy. Then in 30:29, He says the same thing about the anointed furnishings and utensils, “ . . . whatever touches them will be holy.”

What things today seem to be holy in God’s eyes?

  • His church
  • Christian friendships
  • His Word
  • Prayer
  • Confession
  • Spiritual reading
  • Worship
  • Songs, hymns, and spiritual songs
  • Nature/creation

These are the kinds of things that are probably comparable to the altar in the Old Testament in terms of conveying holiness. The sacrifice on the altar granted forgiveness, but the proximity to holy things and holy people gave the growth in relationship to almighty God.

Do we want to be holy? Close to God? Knowing His mind and heart? Receiving His gifts? First, we claim forgiveness through Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of the cross. Then, I think we need to hang around the holy. As we do, we find that we breathe it, we catch it, we grow in it, and we want more of it.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

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Obsession

. . . I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Philippians 3:8a)

I remember recognizing that there were obsessions in my life that should not be there. It became clear that I should not obsess about anyone or anything except Jesus – not family, not weight, not work, not world events, not health, not “to do” lists, not money, not clothes – just Jesus. I committed to making Him my magnificent obsession from that day forward. When I asked Him how to actually put that lofty ideal into practice, here are the things that came to mind:

The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God. - Irenaeus

The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God. – Irenaeus

• Pray without ceasing: Acknowledging God’s presence with me always. Not necessarily engaging in verbal communication all the time, but having heart talk that never ends.

• Always be thankful: Discovering the amazing power of gratefulness – the way it can turn me around from sad to glad in about 30 seconds, the way it takes my focus off the problems and onto Him.

• Confess sin: Learning that confession is a privilege. It is a way of making sure there is nothing between me and God and that surety allows me to live constantly in a state of forgiving and being forgiven. I love it when He reminds me that I have something to confess; it is His way of showing me how much He values the relationship that we have developed together.

• Don’t run ahead of God: Taking my time, slowing down. This is a command designed especially for me and people like me who want to take charge. God reminds me that my “taking charge” sometimes interferes with His bigger plan. So I have to stop to listen and to make sure I move forward when, and only when, He says to do so.

These healthy habits are helping me remain connected to my true Obsession, the only safe one I can have. Maybe they will help you, too.

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Crumbs

Looking beyond the here and now

Looking beyond the here and now

What is the biggest thing you have asked God to do for you? Sometimes our focus is on the here and now, so we ask for things that we think will satisfy us. Maybe they do, for awhile at least.

The gospel writers tell the story of the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus (Matthew 15) asking Him to cast a demon out of her daughter. Remember that? He told her that He came for the Jews, not the Gentiles and it was not right to take the bread meant for the children and give it to dogs. Her answer is bold, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Her request was immediate and desperate but, in light of the power and magnitude of Jesus, it was just a crumb. He gave it to her because of her faith.

When it comes to situations with family, demons, finances, health, and so on, I will take crumbs, too. Those are important and often heart-wrenching requests. But internally, Jesus reminds me, “Don’t be satisfied with crumbs. Pursue Me until you have full revelation of who I am. Don’t be satisfied with anything less.” I need Jesus more than I need quick answers to my desperate prayers. I need Him, not just the gifts He gives. I don’t want to be satisfied with crumbs when Jesus gives me Himself in full as the living bread!

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” – C. S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory

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Who are you without . . .?

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

I Featured imagehave been experimenting with centering prayer – the kind of prayer where I simply sit in the presence of God and just be with Him and invite Him to be with me. If you have ever tried this, you know it is hard. Hard to let the mind be quiet. Hard to let the worry list go. Hard to not bring kids, husband, or responsibilities into the mental space. But when we learn to do it, we begin to discover who we are without all the entanglements and responsibilities of life.

What began to tug at me were these questions: Who am I without ties to children, parents, husband, work, friends, and the tug of the world around me? Who am I without responsibilities, schedules, titles, goals, and “to do” lists?

The answer to those questions is the person who will stand alone before God when there is nothing left on earth for me to do. My only responsibility then will be to be. Centering prayer is a way for me to prepare for that day. I don’t want to be in God’s presence and be surprised by how shriveled my soul is because I spent my entire earthly life in doing and not in being.

Thank You, Father in Heaven, for inviting me to be still and to know You by simply putting myself in Your presence with no distractions. The growing soul that comes from knowing You and inviting You to be with me is a blessing beyond my ability to measure or express. Thank you!

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God’s Communication Tools

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

God speaks. Sometimes we don’t hear very well, but we have to acknowledge that God tries to let us know who He is, what He wants, and how the world should work. I recently read Acts 11 and found five different means God used to communicate to two men in this one chapter

  • A vision (v.4)Featured image
  • A voice from heaven (v. 7)
  • The Holy Spirit’s direction (v. 12)
  • An angel’s instruction (v. 13)
  • The teaching of Jesus (v. 16)

I haven’t had visions, seen angels, or heard an audible voice from heaven, but

  • I have sensed the Holy Spirit’s direction, sometimes as a nudge, often as a thought He brings to my mind or a Scripture He highlights as I read.
  • I have learned much about life, values, commitment, and obedience from the life and teaching of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit seems to bring the right teaching to my mind just when I need it.
  • I believe the angels are ministering to me even though I can’t see them (Hebrews 1:14).

God is way beyond our ability to comprehend, but He continues to communicate with us to reveal His will and His love. I am so thankful for His desire to reach out to us and to help us learn to be aware, to listen carefully, to respond with faith, and to obey immediately. When we do, we find more and more communication flowing from the heart and mind of God to ours. There is nothing more precious in life than that. We were created to respond to our speaking God.