Do you get as tired of and frustrated at calling a phone number and getting an automated response, as I do? “If you are asking about…..press 1, if you are asking about….press 2, for all other inquiries, press 3.” I most always end up pressing the “for all other inquiries” number because what they offer me on the other selections is rarely what I want to know. Then music is played while I wait. Sometimes the music is not at all what I enjoy, but at other times, I’m singing along, even bee-bopping around a bit, to the point that when an actual human speaks to me, I have to quickly regroup my thoughts to remember why I’m calling!
I’m so thankful that in our spiritual worlds, “for all other inquiries,” there is no frustrated hope that the person on the other end of the line has the answer we seek. There are times we know precisely what we want to ask God. We feel we know exactly what we need, so we ask in complete assurance of His care for us, and that He has the answer we seek. When we call God, He is immediately on the receiver; we are connected to the heavenly helpline.
Of course, there are times in all our lives when trouble is brewing and we can’t think what to ask God! Words don’t come! We are upset, in sorrow, frustrated, feeling hope has been lost! We need something and want something from our Heavenly Father — but what? Turmoil of heart dulls our thinking and reasoning. That’s where the comfort of Romans 8:26-28 comes into play. “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together fo the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Isn’t that an amazing passage of Scripture?
We all have times of being tongue tied as we consider what to ask God. We can’t figure out what we need so how can we ask? Isn’t it comforting that the Holy Spirit, who resides within each child of God, knows us so intimately that He always knows what we need. Never fear coming to your Heavenly Father for lack of words to express. Just come, wait before Him in trust, knowing He is hearing your needs. The Holy Spirit is telling Him and He will always answer.
I’m one of those people who adheres to — a place for everything and everything in its place. I don’t mind at all if others are not that way inclined, but in my own home, this is my motto. Also, I actually enjoy cleaning the house. My nieces like to tease me by calling me “Aunt Monica.” I’ll leave you all to figure that one out. However, as much as I do like cleaning, it amazes me that dust is never ending. I wipe it away and sometimes, within the hour, there it is taunting me again! I do not find ever present dust comforting.
As I was glaring at this grey enemy the other day, another, more pleasant thought came to me. The amazing and joyful reminder that Almighty God is also ever present. We are told in Jeremiah 23:24, “Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth? says the Lord.” Unlike wanting to get rid of dust, I would never want to be without the presence of God. Let’s think about that for a moment.
Since God is always with us, His care is always with us, His love is always there, His compassion fails not, His guidance never leaves us, His wisdom is there to help us, His courage and His own peace is always available to us. The Spirit of God is within each one who has become a child of God. Wherever we go, God is there and nothing takes Him by surprise, startles Him, or weakens Him. He is the epitome of strength, just as He is pure love — and none of that leaves us. It’s always there.
I often say, God is our everything to get us through anything. How could He not be? He is always with us. His whole being surrounds us and His Spirit fills us. Are you feeling lonely today? Are you downcast? Focus your thoughts on God, His love, His ever presence with you. Reach out. His hand is always ready and desiring to hold you, pulling you up, leading you forward. Just reach out and call to Him. He always answers.
Every scientific discovery only came about because of someone searching. Moon rocks were discovered because astronauts searched for them. Miners trapped below ground are only discovered when an expert team searches for them. Hikers lost in the mountains are discovered when rangers search for them. We discover the goodness of God when we search for it. Searching leads us to the truth and freedom.
Jesus told us Himself to “ask, seek, and knock,” in Matthew 7:7. One of my personal favorite verses is found in Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him.” This verse is not suggesting that God will behave in a good manner toward us if we search for Him. It’s all about our own discovery of who He is. When we search, we will discover that God is good. As the praise song goes, “God is good all the time, all the time God is good.” The goodness of God is eternal and never changing.
Therefore, when grievous moments enter our lives, we cry our tears, we have a sense of deep loss, be it loss of momentary happiness, or earthly loss of someone we love. We feel the pain, but in the midst of our suffering, when we search for God, we discover that His comfort is always there. We discover that He actually holds our tears in a bottle because we are so precious to Him. We discover that He makes a way through the wilderness of our stress. He pulls us up from the waters of our sorrow, refusing to let us drown in seas of turmoil. When we search for Him. we discover all He has to offer. We discover that He truly is our everything to get us through anything. We must search to discover.
Recent Comments