The poet, James Drummond Burns, once wrote:
Oh, give me Samuel's ear,
an open ear, O Lord,
alive and quick to hear
each whisper of Thy Word;
lie him to answer to Thy call,
and to obey Thee first of all.
For those of you who may need a refresher on the story of Samuel, the much prayed-for and beloved son of Hannah and Elkanah who was dedicated to the Temple of the Lord under Eli's priesthood, this poem is a hearkening back to being open to hear ALL God wants us to hear, whenever He speaks to us.
Whether God initiates the conversation, as happened with Samuel, or when we are studying the Word, or we do, through prayer, fasting, and Christian meditation, it is important to be open to listening for God in WHATEVER way He chooses to speak.
For some occasions, God might use the Spirit highlighting Scripture within us; other times, He may speak through a prophet we know is walking closely to Him, a dear friend, a book or posting we happen upon, through angels, nature, symbols within the scope of our lives, music, or dreams. There are numerous ways God can and does communicate with and to us, and if we are open, heart, eyes, and ears, we will understand the language of God that much more.
For me, music, nature, art, loved ones, dreams and visions, the Word, the Spirit while praying or fasting, others' posts and replies to posts, books... there are so many things which speak God's language to me; things which I can discern, praise God, the way I am to go, the step I am to take, the word I am to give, the dream I am to interpret, etc. It is a humbling, thrilling, awe-inspiring experience to know that God can, will, and does use ME and uses those around me, whether or not they are aware of it. God can and is willing to use ANYTHING to get our attention, for our good, so that we are better able to interact with the world around us and be a blessing.
In Samuel's case, the priest Eli no longer listened much to the Lord's Word, and his sons most certainly ignored the commands they had been given, and so when God spoke through Samuel the destruction of Eli's family, this was not only the first known interaction he had with Him, but was his first prophecy, too.
Sometimes God speaks what we would consider destruction, as in this case; this is because a HOLY God cannot reside with unholiness, and a JUST God cannot remain unjust to the people. Many times, however, God speaks to us about our own lives... what needs to change and what we must do next; instructions in bits and pieces as He awaits our fulfillment, our obedience to the last thing He said.
If we are OPEN to hearing God, then it is risky and courageous, but it is also an adventure; it is a choice, and it is doable. If we re OPEN to Him, we will to trust Him and have faith that what He tells us is the TRUTH; it changes our lives, and changes us into a closer resemblance of the Father in Jesus Christ.
Pastor and author Mark Batterson writes, "Posture is to prayer as tone is to communication. If words are what you say, posture is how you say it."
I believe that part of this posture is whether or not our ear, our eyes, the eyes and ears of our hearts, are truly and fully OPEN to His presence, His Living Word come to us for such a time as this. So when we ask, give us Samuel's ear, Father... and we do so in humbleness of heart and posture... I believe He will hear that prayer, and we will hear from Him more and more.
We are called to love the Lord our God with all of who we are... heart, soul, body, and mind... and we are told that when we desire HIS PRESENCE and are obedient to Him in love that He will give us the desires of our hearts. We are promised provision, healing, salvation, grace, and so much more, and it is up to us to ACCEPT those gifts. If we are not in consistent interaction with Him, knowing His voice and how He speaks to us, in our own relationships with Him, then we are less likely to know deep down that we HAVE these gifts. In order to have a DEEP, abiding relationship with the Savior, we must have ears to hear and eyes to see what God is doing.
Lord, give us Samuel's ear as we yearn more and more for You! Help us to understand more and more the nuances of how you communicate with us, and help us to be obedient when You call; quick and without hesitation, but with sure priority. Help us to be Your ears, Your eyes, Your heart here on the earth, and to speak the words You call us to without fear. Help us to stand u as You direct and step aside as You guide; to follow Your Spirit's direction in absolute trust by Your grace because we love You. In Jesus' wonderful and ever-holy name... AMEN
Faith is like a rainbow: beautiful and full of promise. Join me on the journey of faith...
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Friends, Through Thick and Thin...
You know those friends. The ones
who stick with you, no matter what, and who you know by faith will
always care about you, no matter where life takes you.
They aren't always a physical presence in your life, but emotionally
and spiritually they are there for you, no matter what. Through the hard
times and the good ones, they are there, supporting you as the person
God created you to be. They don't try to guilt or shame you... not ONCE.
They don't attempt to manipulate you. They are filled with good
things... no matter how their own day is going.
These are the friends you can vent to and who will understand that your heart is heavy or full,
and they can vent to you with the same understanding in your heart.
Neither of you mistreats the other during these times, nor other people.
Neither attack any person at all, but attack an issue or a spirit that
has someone down. TRUE FRIENDS will see through you bologna and will call you on your stuff. They will support you as an individual made in the image of God, and they will support your DESTINY,
call, election, and purpose in Christ. They will support the BEST you
you can be, even if it means calling THAT you out of the
self-and-other-induced lies that were ignited within you by the enemy
and the flesh. especially if it means doing that, actually!!
Those
people who will stick by you without insult, without manipulation,
without jealousy, without attacking you - to your face, or behind your
back- are those who will be a blessing to you, PRAYING for you, even
FASTING for your breakthrough as needed and led. They have YOUR best
interest at heart, and not just their own. They set appropriate
boundaries with you, and with themselves while in your presence or
communication. They are those who TRULY love you unconditionally... no
matter what you've done, they are there rooting for you to succeed and
become a better person; no matter what your titles, your influence in
the world, your reputation with other people, they see you through GOD'S
eyes and have God-Sized Dreams that involve you because they are open
to hearing from God about you, and not just about themselves. They are
GENEROUS with their prayer time for and/or with you. They are GENEROUS
with their respect, their love, their courage to face the day and the
issues that might come up. They are GENEROUS in care. They genuinely
want the VERY BEST for you, and they pray blessings over you - whether
you ever hear them do so personally or not.
I am thankful for those FEW imperfect but TRUE FRIENDS in my life who fit this brief description. I am thankful for that broader circle of friends who MOSTLY fit this description... who do their best, imperfectly, to
provide support, love, and care in the ways that fall in line with their
giftings from the Spirit of God! But again, I am thankful for those who
have SEEMED friendly and who I thought at one point were true friends
only to discover by evaluating how our relationships have been the
mistakes on both of our parts... where one or both has been too
self-centered, too conditional in our love, or other things which have
tilted the course of friendship off-balance. I am thankful for the
LESSONS I have learned from friends, acquaintances, and enemies alike.
And I have sometimes asked myself how someone who claims to LOVE someone
can be apathetic or hateful toward that same person later on down the
road.
I
have experienced that phenomenon more than once. For my own part, it
hasn't been hate or apathy as much as that it took a while to forgive
the person I TRULY did love. I am one of those persons who loves with
ALL THAT I HAVE... come what may. I love each person I have ever said I
loved, because love is a CHOICE... it isn't about mood. I CHOOSE whom I
will love; it is as simple and as complicated as that. SO DO YOU!!!
Is
there someone in your life that you see as a TRUE FRIEND... someone
there for you as best as they have been able, through THICK and THIN... someone who has consistently RAISED YOU UP in Christ? Not on a pedestal, with unrealistic
paradigms about you, but someone who TRULY sees your heart, whether it
scares you or not that they are able, and who therefore PRAYS you into
your FUTURE, your God-Sized Dreams, your DESTINY? I believe that most,
if not all of us, have someone, even if but one person... and one is
enough. ONE will help us retain hope. ONE will be there, no matter what,
and He is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by his Spirit... He will
NEVER leave nor forsake you. NO MATTER WHAT!
How
often do we take time to thank those, aside from Jesus, who are there
for us as good and true friends, through THICK and THIN? I know I for
one don't do this NEARLY enough... but I want to say thank you RIGHT
NOW, thank you, Lisa Marie. Thank you, Nan. Thank you, Kevin and Cheryl;
Tina; Yesenia; Evelyn; Steven and Lorri. Thank you, Sandy! Thank you!
Thank you for BELIEVING in me when I was down and out. Thank you for
believing in me when nobody else did. Thank you for praying for me, and
for loving me to the very best of your ability within the scope of who
your God-created self can be! Thank you for being open to correcting me
when I've needed it, and doing it with as much love and compassion as
you were able at the time. THANK YOU for setting boundaries with me when
they were needed, and for allowing me to do the same. THANK YOU!
To
Robert, Promise, Barnabas, Crystal, Ronnie, Linda, Steven W., Inge,
Nancia, and Lori, thank you so much for being a part of my life! Thanks
to each one, of course, but there are some people who leave trails of
AMAZING all over our lives. Thank you for being among them AMAZING
TRAIL-MAKERS in my own life! Thank you also to Karissa, Karen, Sherri,
and Julia D... you have been true Godsends to me. And to Lisa S... I
give thanks for you, and for the blessing of having you in my life. I
have learned much through the journey for the journey ahead.
Thank you to my family...
to those who "get" me, as well as those who don't or decide not to. I
am thankful for all I have learned and been blessed by from having you
in my life! I appreciate your candor, though at times rough around the
edges; I appreciate when you take time to listen and to learn. I am
thankful for the times of laughter and the times of growth. I look
forward to seeing what God does with EACH of your lives, and how our
lives will continue to become more of what God would have them be. I
know I don't see all of you all the time, and some of you, I rarely see
or hear from at all, but this in no way diminishes my love and care for
you, nor my prayers for your absolute best!! Godspeed and blessings to
each of you, always!!
Thank
you, Laura and Tony, Marla, Cedate; thank you, Shawn, Steven, and
Tyler; thank you, Dawn, Debra, Deborah, and Edith Michele... for the
lessons I have been taught in your presence. Thank you for the many
blessings of having had you in my life. Thank you for caring about me,
even when I didn't find myself as caring as I maybe ought to have been
sometimes. THANK YOU for sharing your lives with me, and allowing me the
privilege of sharing mine with you. Thank you for the moments of great memories which I will cherish; your kindnesses and generosity; your support
and friendship. While we may not be in each others' everyday lives any
longer, I DO appreciate you and will continue praying for you. I DO care
about and cherish you as someone God placed in my life for a reason and
season. I have learned SO much in the time I have known you. May God
bless, guide, and prosper you; may He draw you closer to Him always; may
He guide you into all truth in His love and grace.
Thank you to EVERYONE ELSE who is CURRENTLY or who has
PREVIOUSLY been in my life. THANK YOU for those who are in my FUTURE
whom I have yet to meet... I await your arrival and praise God for you
all, each and every one!!
There
is always a REASON for each path that crosses... sometimes it is to
learn a lesson; sometimes it is to bless them or be blessed by them.
Sometimes it is to teach them something or be taught. Sometimes, we have
a mere moment in someone else's presence or under their influence...
how will we choose to interact with the life around us... the potential
blessings, lessons, gifts that are placed in our paths each and every
day? How will we respond when one or more of those people are taken away
from us, or we come to a place of letting go, not because we WANT to
necessarily, but because we know we must, for one or both of our health?
Will we take in stride what has occurred and be thankful for the
blessing of what was, cherishing the good times, or will we become
embittered and resentful of what no longer IS? We certainly have a
choice!! What choice will you make?
I
have had to say goodbyes more than once in life, sometimes to great
swathes of people. I'm sure you have, too. And it's never as easy as
those we are saying goodbye to seem to think it is, is it? I know that
for me, I usually say goodbye much later than I should because of the
inevitable pain I KNOW it will cause. I hold on for dear life, as though
it will be the end of the world as I know it rather than a LEAPING
FORWARD and a TURNING OF SEASONS. recently, I said goodbye, in one way
or another, to many of the things that I knew weren't good for me... not
people themselves, but habits and influences that I know, going forward
in my life, I cannot continue to hold. Sometimes those habits were my
OWN, but sometimes they were other people's, and I had to say goodbye to
individuals that I love TREMENDOUSLY. it is at times like this, when at
the in-between, when I know I have done what I was called to do in
order to please God, but where there is still a bit of sting from what
feels like loss. And it really IS a type of grieving. When we say
goodbye to someone or something we have become attached to, for WHATEVER
REASON, we are still at a loss for words as to what to say; we are at a
loss for actions, even, at times, because of how deeply we grieve. This
is understandable, and it is OK! sometimes, when those we say goodbye
to have been our friends to one degree or another, we grieve to the
point of despair despite knowing that GOOD will come of it, even if
right now, it doesn't feel like it. Even if those former friends come
back and use biting, manipulative, shame-based and guilt-riddled words
to try to make you feel bad... you still know that what you did was the
right thing... not only for YOU, but for THEM. You can see the future
and they, so far, cannot. They see a bleak future, or through the eyes
or bitterness while you see through the eyes of faith that things will
be alright; that life goes on, that you are moving FORWARD, and not
back, and that there is hope for a BRIGHT FUTURE as you walk toward the
DESTINY God has for you. Sometimes, those friends are literal people;
other times, they are attitudes, habits, thought patterns. I know that I
for one used to be really good friends with depression... but I am
walking away as often as possible from this actual foe. I KNOW
depression is not there to bring me peace or joy... it does the
opposite. I KNOW that depression can take on a wide variety of forms,
and that others who are depressed can still bring depression into your
world with the slightest of provocation.
JOY,
and not depression, is a TRUE FRIEND. PEACE, and not conflict, worry,
doubt, shame, guilt, is a TRUE FRIEND. LOVE, and not apathy, hate,
bitterness, selfishness, jealousy, irritation, is a TRUE FRIEND.
Just
as PEOPLE can be TRUE FRIENDS, so can attitudes and decisions. Just as
GOD uses His Spirit, and therefore Spirit-filled people, to help us
along the way toward the goal of the prize of heaven, and life eternal
in the presence of God Almighty, where we will worship Him in love,
grace, peace, joy, and wonder day and night, He can also use our own
decision-making abilities, gifts, skills, and the lessons we learn
through life to do so. THESE are also our GOOD and TRUE FRIENDS!
Just
as GIVING US people, things, and opportunities is a way of showing us
His love, TAKING THEM AWAY is, too. The Word tells us that God CHASTISES
all whom He considers His children, because He loves us. It also says
He PRUNES us... He removes from our lives people, places, opportunities,
habits, attitudes... to make us STRONGER because otherwise, we are
nothing but a pretty branch of leaves; we are fruitless and are torn
away; cut off. God doesn't WANT to cut ANYONE off from the Vine, our
TRUEST FRIEND, Jesus the Christ... the Friend Who has loved us MUCH MORE
closely and intimately than a brother, by DYING in our stead. He is the
BEST FRIEND for THICK and THIN times... even when others are imperfect
in their love, He is perfect. hen others fail you, because of the
expectations you have, or because of a true flaw, He is there and will
never leave or forsake you. JESUS is the truest friend you could EVER
imagine or have, and the most REAL, because He is MORE REAL than the
rest of us, for we were made in the image of God Almighty... while He is
GOD Himself!!
If
you haven't said THANK YOU to those who have been a blessing to you
recently, why not take a few minutes to do so today? God alone knows
what the future holds, and far be it from us to think we are above Him
in wisdom or understanding of how life works or what it will bring. He
is our TRUEST friend, and He has been kind enough to allow us some
wonderful relationships here on earth with fellow human beings... and it
is up to US to be a blessing to them, too, in return! Why not say THANK
YOU to someone today??!
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