Hearing His Whispers

Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or the left. Isaiah 30:21

I am rejoicing today over God's involvement in my life. He does not send me out on journeys and assignments without His presence. Each step of the way He is behind me with His hand on my shoulder. At pivotal moments, He leans forward and whispers into my ear the direction He would have me to go.

It is imperative that I tune my ears to hear His voice. Many are the distractions that would seek to get me off track. Many are the voices that long to lead me astray. But God is the one who can direct me along the right path ~ His path.

And what about the times I fall to distractions, listen to other voices, and get off track? God faithfully begins the process of wooing me back to Himself. The discomforts of wrong choices are just one way He has of bringing me back to Himself. There is never a point when I cannot turn back to Him. He never forbids my feet from stepping back onto His path. My decision to step away in the first place hurt us both. But after I have repented and rejoined Him, He once again places His hand on my shoulder, leans forward, and whispers, "Welcome back! This is the way, walk in it." That is when I once again know I am where I should be.

Father, You are a gracious Guide and Companion of my journey. I feel Your hand and I listen for Your whispers. Thank you. Amen.

Close Enough to Hear

And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

How easy it is to forget these words and the power of them! A friend of mine recently shared with me five darts Satan loves to hurl at me: doubt, discouragement, diversion, defeat, and delay. Last night was one such time. I made the mistake of taking my eyes off the love and character of God and proceeded to look at what seemed to be an impossible situation. But this morning, through another friend, God has reminded me that He is still capable of taking a seemingly impossible situation and changing it into an extremely favorable one. That little phrase has revolutionized my thinking and therefore warded off the darts!

I am a firm believer that any and all discouragement is rooted in lies. It is imperative when I know I am discouraged that I ask myself what lies I am presently believing. Many times those lies are directed at the character of God. They tend to attack one of the five statements Beth Moore is known for:

God is who He says He is!

God can do what He says He can do!

I am who God says I am!

I can do all things through Christ!

God's Word is alive and active in me!

Last night I went to bed hungry to hear God's reassuring voice and longing to feel the embrace of His arms. It was my prayer each time I woke up. This morning BOTH are evident! Has my situation been resolved? No. Will I see God do what I asked Him to do? Maybe. Even so, my spirit has been revived and I am once again ready to hold my head up high and walk with confidence and the realization that God can be trusted. May I not doubt for one minute that God can turn things to me for good and may I not doubt for one minute that if the answer comes back "no" He holds my heart in His hands. His character still rings true! He is sovereign, loving, and in control. THAT is what I am strengthened by today!

Father, keep me close enough to hear Your whispers and to feel the brush of Your wings as they shelter me. Thank you for restoring my soul! Amen!

Asking To Be Taught

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1

Have you ever seen something in someone’s life and desired to see it evidenced in your own life? One of Jesus’ disciples wanted to be taught to pray. Who better to go to for that lesson than Christ Himself? What would happen if we learned to take our requests before God in the same way this disciple took his request to Jesus?

Can you think of someone who is loving? Imagine praying something like this: Jesus, teach me to be loving like __________. Jesus, teach me to be a good steward of my money like _______________. Jesus, teach me to be a diligent worker like _______________. Jesus, teach me to be forgiving like _______________. Jesus, teach me to be a bold witness like_____________. Oh, the things we could pray for based on the example of individuals in our life! What better way to express what it is we want Him to do in our life, than to find people who exude those qualities and use their life as a basis for what we ask God to give us.

There must have been something in the way John’s disciples prayed that captured this disciple’s attention. What is it that is capturing your attention in another person’s life? It could very well be that God is urging you to bring that particular area to Him so that He can begin to do a similar work in you. You might even start by asking God to open your eyes to the qualities in other people that He wants to instill in you as well. He can do that without taking away your uniqueness.

Understand of course, that sometimes in order for God to teach you something, the learning process may not always be comfortable. I remember asking God to give me an intimate walk with Himself that I noticed in another individual. He is in the process of answering that prayer but the pain involved is great at times. There are things and people I have to let go of in order to be more dependent on Him. He knows this is hard for me but He has assured me there is no other way to get what I asked for. I believe Him and I trust Him.

Father, I see examples all around me of what I desire to learn myself. You are an exquisite teacher and I desire nothing more than to be taught by You. Amen.