Tuesday, August 5, 2008

"Come and talk with me"

Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me."
And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming."
Psalm 27:7-8
The above was how my Psalm reading for today began. And it got me to thinking about all the times my heart has heard the Lord calling to me. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He seeks me out - that He truly wants to spend time with me each and every day. A lot of time. I'm ashamed to admit that my heart doesn't always respond, "Lord, I am coming." Sometimes it responds, "Lord, not right now...I've got a lot going on at the moment. Can I get with you a little later?" I'm working on that one, praying on that one.

I picked up a new devotional before worship service on Sunday. It's an old one..."My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. I just had to laugh when I read the title for today's devotion: The Bewildering Call of God. Isn't that so often the truth? We just don't understand what it is God's calling us for or to...And we want to know, don't we?! We're so human...and it's frustrating when we feel we're "in the dark" so to speak!

I find that just praying to be in His will goes a long way toward dealing with the angst and anxiety of the unknown. Oswald Chambers put it very succinctly today:
"If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, "I wonder why God allowed this or that?" And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God."
Yes - how true!! It is when I take myself out of the will of the Lord that I find myself swimming in a sea of anxiety! Actually - drowning would be a more accurate description!

So, I'm working on responding immediately to the voice of God tugging at my heart. It's so much easier to remain in a serene mindset when I am in constant communion with the One who made me! Do I hear an Amen?

2 comments:

Gail said...

Hi Gigi,

Amen from me, my friend! Especially regarding your Oswald Chambers quote:

"As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, "I wonder why God allowed this or that?" And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose."

This is almost common sense to me now, but it wasn't always that way. There's always more to learn along this journey, isn't there? :)

Thanks for inviting me over! *hugs*

Gigi said...

Gail ~ I'm glad you're here and hope you'll visit daily!! I love familiar, friendly faces! And yes...we're always learning!!