Talking with God

Reading that title may bring to mind several different things, not the least of which may be that I have finally lost my mind. After all, we don’t really here about people talking with God anymore do we? When was the last time you heard someone say they talked with God? Well, it’s about time you hear it again.

Yes, I talk with God every day. So far, in spoken terms, I haven’t heard back from Him, but wow does He speak in so many different ways. In reality, a lot of the time when He is reaching out to us, it’s not that He is not communicating with us, but rather, that we are failing to listen.

Ever have one of those long days, and after you finally reach home, you don’t remember the drive? How about a drive early in the morning, and instead of being thankful for the opportunity to see another sunrise, we choose instead to complain about the early morning or the sun in our eyes.

Well, that was me. I had a full schedule, was involved in numerous things, and most of the time was in such a hurry that I failed to not only smell the roses, but even notice they were present. Sleeplessness and stress were present, but didn’t end up being the compass I needed to point to my poor decisions. Despite being involved in so many different activities, I was never fulfilled. After wearing myself out for years, telling myself I was “helping” in multiple meetings, activities, and places, it finally became clear what I was missing was life.

Being busy, and living a quality life are very different things. After I realized this, it was startling how many people I saw had the same problem, and had on blinders to this seemingly apparent truth. Maybe they were just too busy to see it, just like I had been for far too long. Well, back to the talking.

One sure way to silence God in your life is to preoccupy yourself with too many distractions. The Psalmist in chapter 46 verse 10 says “Be still and know that I am God…”I have no doubt that we can hear God, or feel God’s presence in the midst of all we do, in stillness or in chaos, but I think we really miss out when we don’t take the time to focus on him with our undivided attention. That can only happen in quiet, in solitude, or in moments when we are still.

I know for most of us, that isn’t an easy concept to grasp, and it’s even harder to put into practice. I’ve tried. In an exercise at Seminary, we went out to be “still” for 45 minutes, focusing on God and just calming ourselves. It was harder than some of the reading and tests! I’m just programmed to move from one thing to the next. That’s precisely why God and I stopped talking.

Anyway, over time I made a conscious effort to slow down from time to time, and so many things became clear in my life. My relationships improved. I felt more rested. I started feeling a sense of call that I knew God had on my life for some time, but had always pushed aside and busied myself with other to-do lists. Funny thing about God. He doesn’t care so much about our schedule, and finds very interesting ways to prove that to us. I can imagine Him laughing as I wrote that sentence- “our schedule” indeed.

I guess in the end the point I hope you take away from this is the same one I learned the hard way. God made us for many purposes, and endowed us with different gifts. One consistency however is that he wants relationship with us. That requires us to respond to His gift of grace by seeking His schedule and plan for us. By being still. By reading the Bible. By loving. By allowing ourselves to be loved. By praying and listening for His response, even when it throws us in a completely different direction. God will chase you, and meet you where you are. When He calls you, He will provide the way. You just have to listen.