A few
weeks ago, I sat in church with my Bible on my lap, my journal by my side, my
reading glasses perched just right so I could see our pastor but still read the
verses he read aloud to us and waited with great expectation to hear an amazing
revelation, a new thing, an “aha” moment from God’s Word. I’m not going to lie, I was
disappointed. We were looking at a
passage of Scripture I have read at least one hundred times and nothing new
jumped out at me. I put my journal away and it took all my effort to stay
focused and alert through the sermon.
My
times alone with God and His Word were feeling the same way. I was quickly losing the desire to study His
Word because I felt like the Holy Spirit was holding out on me. My times in the Word seemed boring because I
wanted each and every time to be some great revelation or deep truth that I could
journal eight pages with cross-references and commentaries. It wasn’t always this way, so I had to think
back to when my times with God were my favorite part of the day and I just couldn’t
seem to get enough. What was the difference?
I realized my expectations during those “feasting”
times were different then. I wasn’t only
reading God’s Word to find some deep theological truth. I wanted to hear His voice. I longed to hear my Father tell me about Himself. What His plans were. Stories of what He has done and will do. Hear the love in His voice as he tells me
where I fit into the family and His work. I rested in His words, took delight
in His creativity, and experienced drop-jaw awe as He told me about His
power. There were many times I wasn’t
necessarily learning anything new about Him, but was being reminded, lest I forget.
There
will be times when we read God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will take us on a
theological journey that will have us writing page after page in our prayer journals
and then there will be times where God just wants us to hear Him speak; to connect
with Him on a level that goes deeper than anything we can experience elsewhere.
My
Friend, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a
mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet
you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17
(ESV))
Listen
to what He has to tell you today. He is there.
He is able to save. He delights
in you. He will quiet those riotous
places and sing over you. Wow! Our Father has a beautiful voice and I have a
renewed longing to hear it more often.
How about you?
Listening
more with you today,
Lisa
