Love Letters

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

My whole life I grew up being told “Read your Bible.” I heard it a lot at church. I heard it at school. I heard it from my grandmother. Actually, she lived that example. She always read her Bible. But to me, it was just something people said. It wasn’t something I always witnessed them doing and some of the people who said it didn’t act like they were actually doing it….if you know what I mean. 

As I grew in my relationship Jesus (that’s a whole other post), I prayed. I read devotionals. I read books, I listened to sermons and radio stations (no podcasts back then). I read my Bible by default because the books and devotionals had Bible verses in them. I didn’t often just read my Bible.

Fast forward a few years and the bottom fell out of my life. I won’t go into all the details here but I was afraid. Really afraid. I was afraid that my entire world was going to come crashing down around me. I could not fix it on my own (and believe me I tried). So I prayed. A lot. 

God first spoke when I woke up in the middle of this with a Bible verse in my head. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 Funny thing is, when it happened I thought “I think that’s a Bible verse.” I got out of bed and went and looked. Sure enough, there it was. I knew this was God talking to me. 

God’s direction during this time was “Wait.” And He let me wait for a long, long time. But during that time, He talked. He talked through friends. He talked through music but mostly, He talked through His Word. He kept bringing promise after promise to me and I wrote them down. I carried them around. Each day, I got up and went to read what He had to say in His Word. It truly became my love letters from God. And for the first time, I understood.

Years have passed and I have been reading my Bible. It’s been really amazing. Last year, in one of my discipleship meetings my friend said she wanted to learn how to study the Bible more. So we bought a book and workbook called “Living by the Book” by William and Howard Hendricks. We went through the book and workbook and learned different techniques. It was very helpful.

Do you know the biggest lesson we learned on that journey? If you want to dig into the Bible more, if you want to get more out of it, it takes …. Time. Like you, I often don’t think I have a lot of extra time. I’m busy….aren’t we all. But, in this journey, I realized I was trying to come to the Bible, get my quick fix and move on. I wasn’t making time to really let the Holy Spirit speak to me through it. I needed to read it, read it again and again and then ask questions. I needed to put myself into the text and figure out what God was trying to say to me. 

The more I did this, the clearer I could hear Him speak. The more I lingered, the deeper my experience. I love hearing Him talk through His Word. It is truly mind blowing.

Why am I sharing this? Because I think there are a lot of us who want to grow deeper in our walk with Jesus. We want to know him more and truly be His disciple. But we are busy. We don’t think we have the time. And we let our business interfere with our Journey. If you want a deeper walk with Jesus, you have to make room for Him. Carve out some time. Linger a little. Make it a priority and watch how Jesus speaks to your heart. It is truly life altering. 

Listening Like a Sheep

2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. John 10:2-4 (NLT)

Last night during Called2Be’s (church plant) meeting, we talked about recognizing God’s voice. Fabulous discussion. We spent a lot of time on today’s text. This morning, as I was revisiting this conversation, I realized I didn’t have a thought process for what it looks like for sheep to come to the shepherd.

I don’t have sheep. I don’t actually know anyone who has sheep. But, I’ve had dogs. Specifically, I am thinking of Angel (a Doberman). She had this uncanny way of knowing when Nick was almost home. If Nick was out, before he even turned into the neighborhood, she would hear his car. Her radar was always up. She was always listening for that sound and when she heard it, she’d go stand by the door.

My son’s dog, Doctor, does the same thing. With one difference. When he hears my son’s car, he goes and looks out the window and starts bounding around the house, whimpering excitedly while running back and forth.

This is what I think it looks like to listen for God’s voice. No matter what we are doing, our ears should be tuned toward Him. And when we hear something that even remotely sounds like His voice, we should check it out. We should move toward it so we can hear better and spend some time focusing on what we are being told.

God speaks to us where we are. He also has a bazillion ways to communicate with us. That’s why we have to be especially attentive. If we are looking for him to speak to us in only one way, we may miss it.

So maybe today, while we are doing whatever we do, we can wait expectantly, trusting that He is there and He is going to speak. And when we hear Him, we should jump up and down and get excited because the God of the Universe just reached down to be in relationship with us.

Silence Can Be Golden

For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. Job 33:14 (NIV)

It’s been some time since I’ve written in Thought for the Day. You see a long time ago when I started this, I promised myself that if God didn’t give me something to write, I wasn’t going to post. I never wanted this ministry to be about what I thought. I wanted the Holy Spirit to be the one leading, not me. I knew that if God wasn’t leading, the thoughts would become watered down with my human thoughts.

Back toward the end of September, the thoughts starting coming less frequently. There were days I got an idea of something to write about but, I was not impressed to post it.

As I’ve looked back on this time and prayed about it, a few ideas struck me.

First, God has still been talking. He’s been talking about a journey we are walking right now. He is talking to me on a regular basis about some personal things. As I prayed about the fact that I have not been feeling called to write each day, I’ve asked God “What’s up? Am I too distracted? Is there something messed up in my hearing? My motivation?” After lots of praying about this, I don’t think so.

Last night, as I lay in bed and talked to God about it some more, one thought did cross my mind. The fact that God is silent where my writing is concerned and that we are still talking, just about different subjects, is very much a relationship.

Sometimes, even when you are very close to someone, you don’t always talk about everything that needs to be said. You don’t always talk about everything that is on your mind. Sometimes, there is silence. And let’s face it. God is God. He can talk when and where he wants.

It would be really dangerous for me to assume that he is always going to react and speak exactly how I want him to. Just like I should never expect that from my husband or any other close friend, I certainly should never assume with God.

What I will do though, is acknowledge that he is the leader in this relationship and that if he wants to be silent, so be it. I will follow in that silence and wait. Because when he speaks, it will definitely be worth it.

Whispers From Heaven

I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:7-8 (NLT)

Lately, I’ve been waking up with songs in my head. This has happened before but rarely. In the last few weeks, it’s been happening a lot. Let me explain.

I’ve been walking through some tough decisions the last couple of weeks. I go to bed, I pray about it and when I wake up in the morning there is a song going through my head. Sometimes, I know the song, who wrote it and I have it downloaded in my iTunes. Sometimes, I only get a few lines of it.

I get up and go research the song. One day, I didn’t know the song and I couldn’t figure out who wrote it. I kept googling the lines that were repeating in my head and I couldn’t find it. I started praying about it (because the lines kept repeating) and kept googling. I finally found it. And the message of the song was that even when things are overwhelming He will never let me go.

Another day, I knew the song. I had it on my iTunes but I’ve learned to go check it out anyway. Instead of playing it on my iPad, I went to find the YouTube video. And there, in the beginning of it was a testimony by the artist that I’d never heard. The testimony talked about not focusing on all the things that are happening but instead focusing on Jesus and letting him change you. It was just what I needed to hear.

God doesn’t speak to me every day like this. Some days he talks through his Word or through books I’m reading or friends.

I also realize that God doesn’t talk to all of us with songs first thing in the morning. He speaks to each of us differently. I have a friend who sees pictures when she’s praying. I know of other friends who God speaks to with his words from the Bible. He communicates with us as uniquely as he created each one of us.

That’s the incredible thing about God. He is not limited by well, anything. He can talk to us any way he wants and he does.

So the next time you hear a song as you wake up in the morning, or you see something that makes you go hmmmmm…..go check it out. It might be the God of the universe whispering your name.

Speak Lord!

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

There is a song I used to sing a lot called Order My Steps. It was recorded by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Here are the words of the chorus:

Order my steps in Your Word, Dear Lord
Lead me, guide me every day
Send Your anointing, Father, I pray
Order my steps in Your Word, YES
Order my steps in Your Word

These words took on more meaning as I began to seek God through His Word. It continually amazes me how he uses the Bible to guide my life. He uses it to speak into my chaos. So many times I’ve been pleading with him, asking for an answer or some indication that He is hearing me and I get the answer from the Bible.

And honestly, I don’t spend every moment pouring over the Bible. Wish I had time for that! But God delivers where we are. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night with a lot on my mind. I prayed and prayed. I was asking him for specific guidance. I told him I wanted to hear from Him. I didn’t want to make decisions based on my thoughts but on his thoughts.

When I got up this morning, I went to spend time with him. I started reading and felt impressed to turn to a book I am working through. I don’t always read the same thing every day. I jump all around during my quiet time. I turned to the book and my Kindle popped up and said “You are supposed to be on this page.” I clicked OK and it turned to the section only to discover I had already read it. But there was the Bible text I needed for today. I had already read that verse and honestly, skimmed over it. But today, it was exactly what I needed. It was such a strong answer to the prayer I had prayed the night before, I was in awe.

God has done this so many times. Answered by directing me, through impressions to turn to something I was not planning on reading, by a line that stands out when I read my Bible, through a thought that sticks in my head that makes me search. He will do the same for you. He speaks to us loud and clear. The Bible is alive.

Beautiful Silence

If God remains silent, who is fit to raise his voice against Him? Job 34:29 (VOICE)

Some days when I pray and sit down to write these posts, I get nothing. God doesn’t say anything about what he wants to say. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t give me a clue.

That happens when I pray too. I don’t hear an answer. I can’t figure out what He wants.

There are so many articles out there about what we can do when God isn’t speaking. And sure, the self-reflection is a good thing to practice but maybe, just maybe, we are supposed to relax in the silence.

If we know that God is there; if we believe that he loves us and has not abandoned us, shouldn’t we be OK with silence sometimes? When I sit with my husband, family member or close friend and there is no need for words, I find it comforting. Sometimes, the relationship transcends words. In the silence there is beauty.

Maybe we should stop worrying about always doing something or striving for some activity. Maybe we should relax in the love that we know is there and bask in the silence of a Creator who is always present even if he is not always vocal.

Finding Peace

And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. Philippians 4:7 (VOICE)

Have you ever felt this nagging that you were supposed to do something but for whatever reason didn’t do it? I have. You know, you hear something in your head. It can be exact instructions like “Call so and so” or a reminder to do something you forgot. It can also be the impression that you are supposed to take up a task or not take up a task.

I believe a lot of the time that is God prompting me. I wish I could say I always listened and acted on what I hear. Sometimes, I don’t.

There are two instances that stand out in my mind today. One was when we were going through a rough patch financially and I was thinking of getting a new job. God had been telling me to wait. Wait as in “Don’t do anything just wait.” I’m not good at waiting. That’s actually an understatement. I’m terrible at waiting. I had been waiting as instructed for what seemed like way too long. So, when a friend called and said I know of someone looking to hire, do you want me to connect you? I said, “No, I’m waiting like God said.” I wish. I said, “Sure!” After we met the man told me I had the job if I wanted it. And as I was agreeing to come in and meet the person I would be reporting to I got this huge knot in my stomach. A knot that was unmistakable. As I was shaking his hand I knew in my gut that I was not going to be able to take the job.

Would it have solved oh so many problems? Yes. Would I have been in God’s will? No. I reached out to the man, thanked him for his time but told him I wouldn’t be able to come on board. I had peace.

Another time, God was prompting me to do something and I was putting it off. It’s not that I don’t want to listen to God. I do! But what he was asking seemed so huge. I couldn’t get my mind around it and if truth be told, I didn’t want to do it. But the prompting continued and I had no peace. I knew I was not doing what I was supposed to be doing.

I began, one step at a time, to be obedient to the prompting. And guess what? The nagging feeling that something was not right was gone.

I realize that every nagging feeling or knot in your stomach may not be a God conversation. I believe that a lot of the time we know what we are doing or not doing is going against what we are being told. We rationalize it away. We are so good at that.

What if we responded to those nudgings when we felt them? What if we followed those promptings or listened to that voice just in case? Isn’t it sad that we miss out on peace because we charge forward with a quick and easy solution instead of trying to center into God’s will?

After following and not following for a while, I’ve learned to recognize whose voice is talking to me. I also know that the sooner I obey, the more peace I have. And it is truly beyond human understanding. My advice on this? Pray it through. Keep asking questions and follow those promptings. You will be forever grateful you did.

Do You Hear That?

One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.  Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”
“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.
Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”
Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before.  So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”
Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.
And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:2-10 (NLT)

This passage is probably familiar to many of us. We know it as when Samuel was called by God. But recently when I read it, something else popped out.

Samuel didn't recognize God's voice at first. Every time he heard it, he ran to Eli. He had to learn to recognize who was calling him. He had to figure out what God's voice sounded like.

I hear so many people say that God doesn't speak to them. And then others ask how you know it is God. First, I believe that God speaks to all of us but we often don't recognize His voice. And I believe that as you develop your relationship with God you will hear Him, learn when it is Him and when it is not and you will then recognize when He speaks. 

Of course, it is not always so cut and dry but like Samuel, God will keep speaking. He will be patient and keep talking so you will learn when it is Him. Your job is to listen.