Listening to His Voice

I have been taught that God wants us to pray to him about everything, but sometimes when I pray, I feel like God is not listening.  I pray and pray and nothing seems to change. There is total silence, like today.  Crickets.  I can’t help but wonder if God has finally given up on me. I hope not. 

I do believe that God is listening and does answer our prayers, but many times I think that the listening problem is with me, not him.  Have I been listening to what he has been trying to tell me?  Probably not.  Have I rejected his answer, because it is not what I want to hear? Most likely!  

Talking to God through prayer is the easy part, but listening, receiving and accepting his answer can be difficult. 

John 10:27 (NLT) 

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

I believe that we know the voice of  God when he talks to us, but we don’t always acknowledge it as such. When I am looking for guidance from God on how to deal with a situation or person, after I pray, the first place I go is to the scripture. It seems to me that everything you ever want to know about how to live life is already written in a handy little guide book called the Bible.  Sometimes it takes a while to find it, but the answer is there. 

I think that God also answers our prayers through other people, and at times it comes from the most unlikely source and the answer may not be obvious at first.  Several weeks back, I was having a particularly ‘down’ day and I went to Target.  The young man at the check out stand was clearly disabled and challenged with communication skills.  As I walked up to the counter I said the obligatory “how is your day”? He responded eloquently, “Everyday is a great day, some are just better than others”.  He is right of course.  

The most difficult thing about listening and accepting God’s answer is faith and trust that he know’s what is best for us and it may not feel good today, but there is great promise and hope for tomorrow.   He is in it with us in the long run and hears every word we say to him.  He will answer, one way or another.  Shhhh, listen....

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct^[a] your paths.

A Grateful Heart

Ephesians 1:3 (NLT) ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

It is a peaceful morning. I feel the warm morning sun on my face and everything outside my window seems to glisten. I hear a variety of voices from our feathered friends as they call to each other from the tree tops. The cool breeze brings the sweet scent of honeysuckle through my open window. I am grateful for this moment and this day. 

I am reminded that it is important to receive and appreciate these moments as a gift from God. I wonder how many of these moments I missed yesterday, because I was so busy doing, instead of just being.   Our lives are filled with responsibilities that over time may overwhelm us and feel like obligations instead of blessings. No wonder it is so easy to lose sight of gratitude. 

I think that God refreshes us and replenishes us through little things, small special moments that might be overlooked if we are not paying attention. God wants us to take care of ourselves and live each day filled with joy and gratitude for this blessing called life. 

Life is not perfect and it will never be easy, but those who learn to live with a grateful heart will be strong and resilient to weather any storm that passes through. I am going to make a commitment today to start each day with an attitude and a prayer of gratitude.  How about you?

Philippians 4:6 (NLT) ⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Dear Lord, 

I am grateful for this day and for each beautiful day yet to come.  I know that life is a gift from you and I choose not to waste it on worry, anger, hate or resentment.  I know that you walk with me and guide my path and I will traverse it with a grateful heart.  Amen  

A Grateful Heart

A grateful heart is one who’s lived 

through trials along the way...
then found the strength to look ahead
and face a brand new day. 

A grateful heart is one who knows
that sorrow does not last...
and morning brings a ray of hope
to chase away the past.

A grateful heart will always be
much stronger than the rest...
for they have weathered every storm 
and conquered every test. 

© Copyright 1999 Jill Lemming

A Life Worthy

Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)  - Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. ² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ⁴ For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

Do you ever wonder about your calling in life?  The book of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul to the people of Ephesus. The book was intended to be advanced teachings for believers of Jesus Christ and may be a little more difficult to assimilate. This verse is filled with a panoply of messages about our calling and the way we should behave in the course of work. 

The two words that challenge me the most are "worthy" and "calling".  I have a difficult time understanding that, "I" have been called by God to do anything and if "I" were, certainly do not feel worthy or capable to do what he has called me to do.  Do you ever feel that way?  

Even though we may not be conscious of it, it is more than likely that we ARE living to God's call.  We have all been called to use the talents, knowledge, skills and abilities that God has given to each of us, united with the Spirit for the good of others. 

A calling may be a passion for fixing things that are broken (like a mechanic or carpenter), or building things (like airplanes or computers) or creating beautiful works of art (like a sculptor or musician).   It may be the unique ability to put together a business deal that changes the lives of others or a scientist working to find a cure for illness. A calling may be a service such as a nurse, teacher, entertainer, taxi driver, janitor, cashier, mother or father.  All of these are valuable talents and contribute to the good of all. 

A calling is a vocation, passion that we fulfill with joy and engagement, not just a job.  It may become a job, however, if you are not one with God.  God would not have given you the passion for a calling if he did not believe you worthy to carryout his plan. You have been created beautifully and for his purpose.  You are worthy and you have been called!  

Dear Lord,

I pray today that you help me to recognize the work that you have called me to perform and the confidence to complete the work in your name and according to your call to me.  Thank for the blessing of this gift and this wonderful life.  Amen  

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT) ⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

 

The Good Ole Days

¹¹ Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. ¹² So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. ¹³ And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. Ecclesiastes 3:11-13

We are going to visit Grandma next week and I am looking forward to it with joyful anticipation. She will be 89 in August and has lived alone without her husband for the last ten years.  When we visit or talk to her on the phone she is always very upbeat and positive. She has a sing-song tone in her voice, which is genuine and uplifting and reinforces my belief that your attitude toward life is directly proportionate to the length and quality of your life. 

She takes great delight and gets a sparkle in her eyes as she tells us story after story of the adventures in her life. Some, I am quite sure have been embellished to make the story more interesting, but I am grateful that she has the faculties to remember the good ole days!    

Today, Grandma still seeks simple pleasures for life. Planting flowers in her garden takes a lot more of her energy than it used to, but it keeps her moving and gives her such great pleasure to watch as they grow and flourish outside her window.     

24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24 (NLT)

Patrick often reminds me that we are currently living the good ole days. He says, "these ARE the good ole days" and one day, Lord willing, we will look back, hopefully with pleasure and joy on the adventures of our lives, with very few regrets.  

In the moment we forget that embedded in the busy routine of life are special little moments where we have an opportunity to create simple memories to be stored away for another day when sitting quietly we will reflect back with yearning to be young again. We have a choice. What we do today and how we choose to live it will be our memories tomorrow.  How do you wish to remember life when you are 89? 

I pray that God fill you with peace and joy everyday and the ability to remember the good ole days when you are 89.  

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.   Henry David Thoreau