And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Good morning! I’m feeling great today, and I hope you are, too! We went to our small group from church last night for a dinner party. If you are feeling letdown after the holidays, plan a social gathering where everyone brings food. It was a fun time!
We spoke yesterday about the Holy Spirit intervening for us. The Spirit prays according to the mind of God, and the Father answers by bringing into our lives and those we pray for the experiences that we and they need. God creates circumstances, bringing us into places, with the right people, into an environment that is perfect for the Holy Spirit to intercede and answer our prayers. If we don’t pray or listen, then we and those we pray for will miss the opportunity. When we listen to the nudges that the Holy Spirit gives us, we will step into an incredible experiences of glory. The idea is not that we do work for God, but that we are so loyal to him that He does His work through us. He calls us to love him with all of our heart. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
What a beautiful picture! A girl, a horse and a volcano! He leads us if we are willing to pray and listen. The question for me is, am I praying enough and am I listening enough? He hears the smallest prayers…right?
That picture is of a very special woman whom I went horseback riding with in the mountains of Costa Rica. The memory makes me laugh now. I was sliding down the mountain on my horse in loose dirt. That woman, who is very experienced with horses, told me what to do and saved my life. It was a moment of panic!
God wants us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I think the reason is he wants continuous fellowship with us. He obviously knows we have work to do and can’t pray continuously, but He knows we can pray short prayers more often than long prayers. As I am writing this, I pray, “Lord, help me to write your words, not mine.” Just, “Help me,” would suffice. He knows what’s on my mind. Listening is trickier. God usually speaks to me by putting a thought in my brain when I’m reading my Bible. Randomly, He puts thoughts in my brain when I’m taking a shower. He has only spoken to me once in actual words. He told me I was pregnant with my youngest son, the day after conception. I think if a random thought comes into your brain while you’re reading the Bible, chances are it is from God. If He wants to speak to me when I’m not praying, He does it in the shower, that way I know it is from Him also. I’m sure if He speaks to you, you will listen. If you don’t hear Him speak, ask Him to let you discern when He is speaking to you.