Slam the Door...
Did you know that you're DESIGNED to hear God's voice?
"My sheep HEAR My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me"
You're DESIGNED to,
Feel God's nudges,
The tickles,
The whispers,
The inspirations,
All day,
Every day.
"the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low WHISPER."
However, we don't realize this truth,
So we keep asking God to slam the door in our face,
Instead of seeking and listening,
Instead of waiting and praying,
We ask God to make it obvious,
By slamming the door in our face.
But let's put ourselves in His shoes.
Imagine having an infant child,
Sweet and innocent,
Barely walking,
Wobbly and cute,
And getting into all sorts of things at the house.
The challenge is the child doesn't listen,
Time after time,
The child puts himself in danger,
Almost touching a searing hot iron,
Almost flipping a grease filled pot,
Almost falling into a burning fireplace,
And everytime you have to shout at the top of your lungs,
To scare the daylights out of him,
Just to avoid a life altering disaster.
How would you feel as a parent,
If screaming is the ONLY way your child listens?
Could you imagine having to scream like this for 3 months?
How about 6 or 9 months?
How about for years or decades?
Would that be fun for you?
Is that the type of relationship you want with your child?
How do you think our Heavenly Father feels?
We repeatedly ask God to slam the door in our face,
Because we're not wanting to sit and LISTEN,
We're not willing to wait and be STILL.
"Be STILL and know that I am God."
Instead we take the lazy way out,
Asking God to slam the door in our face,
After months, years, decades of doing that,
How do you think God feels?
Does He enjoy doing that all the time?
Does He delight in knowing that's the ONLY way you will listen?
Can you feel His aching heart saying,
"I don't want to slam the door in your face... I just want you to LISTEN."
Slamming the door in our face is not God's original DESIGN,
That's not His DESIRE,
That's not the type of RELATIONSHIP He wants to have with you,
He wants to have a deep, loving, joyful RELATIONSHIP with you.
God desperately wants to have a 2-way conversation with you,
He desperately wants you to to ENGAGE Him,
He desperately wants you to SEEK Him,
He desperately wants the BEST for you.
Won't you take a moment to LISTEN and SEEK Him?
Won't you sit and WAIT for His desires to come through to you,
Won't you RELAX and enter His REST until He makes it clear?
Because His heart is saying,
"I don't want to slam the door in your face... I just want you to LISTEN."
"Dear Heavenly Father,
Sorry for making you slam the door in my face,
Sorry for making things HARD for you and easier on me,
Sorry for being self-centered in the way I want things done.
Help me LISTEN to You more,
Help me WAIT on You more,
Help me SEEK You more,
Help me WANT You more.
I can't do it without You,
Change my heart for YOUR will to be done,
May it be my all-consuming thought,
May it be my heart's sole desire,
To FOLLOW You wherever You go.
In Jesus name, Amen."
Cheers to NOT asking God to slam the door in your face and more patient LISTENING. ^_^
