hearing from God

Why You Want to Know God

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How do we “be” with God?

Well, how do you grow friendships? Fall in love? How do you learn anything? First you see or hear something that piques your interest. Then you see a benefit to yourself. It sounds selfish but it is true. We are drawn to new things and even people first by what we perceive we will gain from them or the relationships. Then there is a level of discovery and fascination that leads to more and more connection and appreciation. And then ultimately comes the phase where we want to invest and give of ourselves to that thing or person.

This makes the God-head the best Person in the world, ever.
(You know – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Them.)

God is the most interesting, funny, perplexing, gentle and romantic Person I know. And our relationship grew over time, and continues to change, over time. There is an investment on both our parts, Theirs  and mine, to know and be known.

We both gain benefit from being in relationship. I enjoy Them. They enjoy me. But it didn’t start out that way. It was very one-sided.

It was all Them in the beginning.

Although I really thought it was all me in the beginning.

Let me explain. My friend Lyschel has a little girl named Blaire. And Blaire is not walking or talking but she thinks she is. She scrambles and stumbles around on legs not quite ready yet and she babbles and slaps her leg and carries on.  She really thinks she is the one putting forth all the effort in the relationship.

But really it is her mom and dad constantly engaging and talking and teaching her. They are the ones loving on her until she matures to the place they can really communicate.

In a very simple way, I think we begin our relationship with God the same way. We think we’re doing all the work with little results. But God. It’s not so.

If you feel like you are the one babbling and God is not really responding, keep babbling. Because every time you turn your heart to Him, you’re practicing. And one day you will realize that you have grown up and things are different. A conversation has begun that only gets deeper and richer.

A Patient Expectation

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Play along. Imagine you drive up to a restaurant. Even before you walk in the door, you are hungry. The door swings open and you are washed with a flood of aromas — breads, spices, warm and inviting. Your stomach agrees with your selection and urges you on.

Now you are seated at the table, and the server hands you a menu.  Your eyes take in all the possibilities. Choices, options, suggestions, pairings and combinations of flavors, textures and details.

Another rumble and you find you want to hasten the process. You just desperately want to actually be eating and not reading. You want the food to be in front of you, not on a page. Somewhere in this moment is the notion of sustenance, the notion of what you “need” to eat, what would be good for you.

But the first and primary urge is on what you “want” to eat. You desire the desirable.

So finally, the order is placed, your stomach is tense and waiting, waiting. You are so hungry you almost feel sick and then  you…

 get up and walk out of the restaurant.

 A feast is being prepared for you, and you left the building.

Your stomach is in shock. Your server is stiffed, and your body has been robbed of much needed fuel. You are angry and unsatisfied.

Now suppose you turn around and say, “the restaurant didn’t answer your request.”

When you come to the table of God, come with a patient expectation. Come hungry, and come with a willingness to believe that He is preparing a feast for you. He knows and responds to the desires of your heart and the needs of your heart to keep you well fueled. Come to the table. And wait for the meal to arrive. Don’t get up and leave and say God doesn’t answer you. Wait and expect. Ask and receive. Though it tarry, wait for it.

But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” 1st Corinthians 2:9

Take a Breath, by Guest Blogger, Beth Hungerford

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The Lord gave me a really cool spiritual picture.  Jana was talking to me about sin issues and how when we have a break-through that it’s like God is bringing us up for air and letting us take a breath before we have to go back down and keep working through the issue.  In other words, we are not done; He’s just giving us a breath and a sense of making progress.

Here is the picture He gave me.  We were playing water polo during swim practice several summers ago.  Brittany, my very fun and extremely competitive coach, was on the other team.  I was having a great game and had scored 2 or 3 times practically unguarded.  Brittany was getting frustrated that no one was defending me so she switched from offense to defense.  The next time I got the ball she wrapped her arms around me from behind so tightly and completely that I couldn’t move and plunged me under the water in hopes that I would let go of the ball.  After a few moments she brought me back up said, “Take a breath,” and immediately dunked me right back under.  This is such a strong picture for me of what Jana was talking about.

As I thought about it more the Lord clarified it a little making a distinction.  Brittany was taking me under trying to get me to give up and stop fighting whereas the Lord’s goal is for us to be free and have a deeper and closer walk with Him.  He lets us struggle until we are ready to give up and then brings us up for air to let us catch our breath and says, “Ok you ready? You are stronger now and you can hold your breath longer so this time we are going in deeper and it’s going to be even more amazing.”

This goes for more than just sin issues.  I need to remember this the next time I find myself having to deal with something I thought I had already worked through.  We weren’t done, He was just giving me a breath.

A Timely Word Aptly Spoken

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On a very soggy, groggy morning, my friend sent me this great devotion. It was exactly what I needed. But of course, God already knew that didn’t He? That is why He stirred her to act and why I am so blessed that she listened.

It reminded me of a story my friend Mary K. told last night.  She was really sick and God prompted a friend to call her. And the friend did.  Mary K. could hardly speak for holding back the tears as she told the class how much that one gesture of kindness, that one act of her friend responding to the Holy Spirit’s tug, reassured Mary K. that God knew how much she was suffering and He cared.

Remember God is always working for our good. Even if it hurts. Be encouraged today. And better yet, if the Holy Spirit prompts you to love on someone today, please do. It may make all the difference.

March 16th
“It is good that you recognize your weakness.  That keeps you looking to Me, your Strength.  Abundant life is not necessarily health and wealth; it is living in continual dependence on Me.  Instead of trying to fit this day into a preconceived mold, relax and be on the lookout for what I am doing.  This mindset will free you to enjoy Me and to find what I have planned for you to do.  This is far better than trying to make things go according to your own plan. 

Don’t take yourself so seriously.  Lighten up and laugh with Me.  You have Me on your side, so what are you worried about?  I can equip you to do absolutely anything, as long it is My will.  The more difficult your day, the more I yearn to help you.  Anxiety wraps you up in yourself, trapping you in your own thoughts.  When you look to Me and whisper My Name, you break free and receive My help. 

Focus on Me, and you will find Peace in My Presence.”

Philippians 4:13; Proverbs 17:22

“Jesus Calling” Devotions for every day of the year by Sarah Young.

Six Keys to Success

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I have been watching one of my favorite people do life lately. She never ceases to amaze me with her great attitude about herself, others and God. So here are a few pearls from observing how Charis, my seven-year-old, walks it out.

“Mom, I can’t talk right now, I have Chuck Norris on the phone.”

Whhhhaaaat???  Charis has regular phone calls with Chuck Norris. They are in business together.  Somehow she has heard of of this celebrity Bad A–, (probably through big sister) but even though she wouldn’t know him if he walked in the room, it doesn’t stop her imagination or her reach.

Pearl:  Reach for people outside your scope. Don’t be limited to your little pool of life. It’s a big ocean, so learn to swim.

“Mom, I just got a text from Chuck.”  (Norris, not Daddy) 

Did I mention that this is a fake phone? I know the next generation is always quicker to catch on, but this cracked me up and challenged me. We are not a technologically savvy family, but she is observant. I think about my parents’ generation. They went from being born at home to sending emails.  What a huge gap of change.

Pearl:  Stay current with technology. Some of our greatest tools have yet to be discovered and utilized. Our children will lead the way.

“Mom, I can’t get my panties off!”

I turned around and Charis was standing by the door with her boots on, and her coat on, but her wet pants and panties were down around her ankles. When you have just come in from the snow, and your bottom is wet, you have to undress in the right order. No matter how cold you are, you have to remove the big obstacles before you can remove the little ones.

Pearl:  Respect the order of success. Boots go off first. No matter how wet or cold, you still have to do parts of life in order.

“Mom, I have just discovered a secret! An orange is orange. It’s the same word!” 

Pearl:  Be willing to marvel at the little things. Take time to look at the obvious. Just TAKE time to think.

“Mom, God was talking to me…”

Charis never questions that she hears from God, and that He listens to her. I know a lot of people might balk at the notion of a child hearing from God, but isn’t that what Jesus promised? And isn’t that what we all long for, a deeper relationship with God? Chuck and I have talked and prayed about how to shepherd her imagination with really hearing God. But here is where we landed. I would rather her practice hearing God, and go too far on occasion, than never hear God at all. How about you?

Pearl:  Believe that God is always available to you, and for you.

“Mom, it’s because I just love myself.”

I had just complimented Charis for doing a great job on something and I asked her how she felt about it. Her response stunned me. And shame on me, I started to correct her. But I heard the Spirit whisper, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  When I asked her what she meant, she responded with a comment that made me happy, and jealous. “I just know that God loves me, so I love me too. Is that crazy?”  No, not at all.

Pearl: Confidence in God creates confidence in us.

Jesus “called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'” Matthew 18

Have a child-like faith day….It just might turn out to be your best day.

Can You Hear Him Singing?

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“Walk towards me
I want to hear
The heavens singing over you.”

I just had this most fantastic conversation with my friend about “sitting in the presence of the Lord and talking to Him.”  She is going through a really hard time with medical issues but the Lord is showing her those physical symptoms are also related to her heart issues.  And she said this beautiful thing: “I was working on all these things but I still wasn’t seeing what was in my heart. There was a lie in my heart that He wanted me to see.”

God doesn’t just want to make us feel better, or give us relief for a moment. He wants us to be healed. Free. Healed and walking in newness of life. But we cannot walk in newness of life and still hold on to the same old lies. In her life, and in my own (perhaps in yours?) I can see the circumstances circling and tightening like a python.  Yet instead of squeezing life out, this holy paralysis is forcing stillness.  God will immobilize us if necessary just so we can look Him in the eyes and see that He “will fight thousands for my love.”

Will we sit in the presence of the Lord and journal? Ask Him questions, hard questions.  Will we let Him ask us questions? Hard questions.  And will we let our hearts see the lies He is exposing?  God wants us to “know the truth” so that we will be free indeed.

Today, perhaps, stop fighting the python. Stop struggling to escape the circumstances. Instead, sit. Write. Listen. Ask. Believe. See the lies that keep you in torment. Renounce them, let them go, call on the Lord.

And if you listen long enough, you will hear heaven singing over you.

For My Love (listen)

Walk towards me
I want to hear
The heavens singing over you
When you breathe
And look at me
I want to be captured by you

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

I want to hide
What’s deep in my eyes
I’m scared to be known by you
But when I turn my head
And see you there
I want to be pursued

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

A dream I won’t wake from
A story that will never end
The ground your feet walk on
Let me be there, let me be there

by Bethany Dillon

What Are You Doing Here?

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Elijah travels for forty days and forty nights to The Cave and greater revelation of God. And as is God’s way, He begins the revelation with a question.

“And the word of the LORD came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ ”

In this moment of truth, Elijah does a very noble thing. He is honest before the Lord. Elijah just lays it out the way he perceives it. “Okay God,” he says, “here is the way I see it. It ain’t pretty. And it’s gonna get worse. And to beat it all, I am the only one left and even I am a marked man.”  (Paraphrased of course.)

Have you ever been asked, “What do you want?”  I have and it about took my head off. One question tore down all the tasks and oughts and shoulds and left me with, “Wow, I don’t know; what can I have?” This is an explosive invitation to Elijah and to us. When God asks you a question, He already knows the answer. He wants to know if you know the answer.  And after Elijah’s short sighted answer, the Lord does for him what He does when all of His children are scared: He reminds Elijah of His power and strength.

The LORD said,

Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD,

But the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake,

but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake came a fire,

but the LORD was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

This whole passage is packed.  Look at where it says, “in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  See the two expressions of the Lord? This is our Father’s world. Every bit of it. His presence fills everywhere, all the time. Dallas Willard calls it a “God-bathed world.” So we don’t have to fear Him not being near. He truly did come to live with us, Immanuel. And in addition to His presence, there is greater revelation of the Lord Himself. He passes by Elijah. He walks with us.  He talks with us. He LISTENS to us. He protects and encourages us.

He dwells right where we are. Only He is not us. His wind tears down our protective walls. His earthquake shakes the foundations that we stand on. His fire burns up anything but the sheer weight and tenderness of His presence. Powerful, but merciful.

And again comes the question that already has an answer.  If I fault Elijah at all, it is that he said the same thing twice. Did he miss it? Did he miss God’s beautiful demonstration in answer to his very lament? With such a display of tender strength, what or who could come against this Living God?  Elijah could never be more safe than in the presence of God. Perhaps that is why on a different day, but a similar inquiry, Job exclaimed, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” Job 42:5

Seek the face of God. Even in then caves.  Ask for eyes to see the goodness and greatness of our God. And ears to hear His very present gentle whisper.

A Little More Elijah: The Showdown

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I have a couple of more thoughts about Elijah.  Hopefully they will hit you like they hit me. There are four parts to his story that sound a lot like yours and mine. I call them: The Showdown, Running on Empty, The Cave, The Helper. We’ll be looking at these over the next few days.

Last week we talked about God teaching Elijah (and us) to focus on His daily care and provision. And we noted that the private encounters with God prepare, equip, and deposit truth BEFORE the public encounters. We often get that out of order. We go out into the world and ask questions: How am I doing? Does anyone like me? Am I succeeding?

But those questions for Elijah were answered before he went out. At the brook it was just Elijah and God. Then it was Elijah at the widow’s home. Then it was the showdown of taking on the 400 prophets serving Baal.   Elijah may have been scared, but he moved in the power of the Spirit – in the faith that God had poured in, refined and tested in much quieter settings.

I know that God is up to something big when He hems me in for sitting, resting, hearing. I know that He wants me to “get” something about Him.  He wants me to discover a facet of Him I didn’t know before. But as we go to new places, He always reviews core issues.  He alone is God, He alone is truth. I can do nothing apart from Him.  And my heart must be connected to His heart before I DO one thing.  They don’t call him a “jealous God” for nothing.

God knows how to keep the main thing, the main thing.  And it ain’t working for Him. It is loving Him and being loved by Him.

Have you got a showdown coming?  Then get quiet. Allow God to speak His truth over you and in you. Let Him remind you that whomever, whatever you’re facing, that Thing has to face You and God as a team. Wow. Talk about offense.

Here is another thing about Elijah’s Showdown.  The prophets and Elijah were to both build an altar and sacrifice a bull. They were to call on their respective god, Baal or Jehovah.  And the god that answered by fire was the one true living God.

The prophets of Baal shouted and danced around for hours. Then they began to slash their bodies so that blood flowed. To no avail. Don’t miss this picture.  You can shed your own blood before a deaf and mute god (read: addiction, habit, fear, false god) but nothing will change.  Nothing will burn up that offering.

Or you can follow Elijah. Elijah poured water, and more water on the altar. Twelve jars of water. One for each tribe. Elijah stacked the deck and made it so clear that God and only God could receive any glory for the fire. But I also love the picture of “washing.”  The way we enter into the power of God is not by our own fleshly expressions of sacrifice. We enter by letting God wash us.

Our false gods (addictions, past, fears, etc.) will demand more and more of our very lives, our blood, but they have no power. We need the water and fire to be in the presence of the living God. And why did Elijah ask God to show up in this crazy way?  “Answer me, O Lord answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Not your effort, but His effort to restore, heal and renew.

May the Lord speak truth in your secret places today. May He wash you. And may He pour down fire from heaven for His glory and your faith.

Dare to Dream

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If you think about it, God is the most creative, audacious, out there, fearless dreamer around.

Sound crazy? Then you need to get back in your Bible. You need to check out the headlines. You need to let yourself be awed by nature.

But wait, wait. The Bible is old and irrelevant. The headlines are full of mayhem and horror. And nature is on an auto pilot course to destruction.

Maybe. But maybe not.

A dream is a strongly desired goal or ambition. And the thing that most often keeps us from 1) acknowledging our dreams and 2) pursuing them is fear of failure. We have fallen flat one too many times, or had our hands smacked for asking. Somewhere in the living in this world of real life, we have lost connection with our True Life. We have lost permission to know who we really are and what we were really created to do— to achieve, accompish, enjoy, dream.

But if we, in our fallen state, have dreams, or wish we could, then where did we get that? I believe that every aspect of our make up is from God, is in His image. I believe that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have dreams and desires that They are presently working on.

If God dreams, and I assert that He does, then this opens up a can of heavenly whoopla. This stupifies our frail imaginations because we dream with an excuse in each pocket. We need some card to pull out so we can justify why our dreams drizzled. Not so with God. There is no fear big enough to cause Him to stumble.  In fact, His perfect loves drives out, casts out, mutes and silences fear.  And since God does not fear and cannot fear, what can thwart His dreams?

You ready? Ask Him what He dreams for you. And then instead of clinging to your shabby little piece of paper with your weaknesses scribbled out and your history of past failures itemized, grab on to His résumé of mind boggling achievements.  Past and Present, Now and Then.  Was, Is, and Will Be.

I mean really. If nothing and no one can stop His Son from the cross and resurrection, what can stop Him in us doing what He calls forth?

Amen and Amen.