Back in June I decided, under the inspiration of a good friend of mine, to start blogging. What a great way to share the plethora of thoughts that seem to rummage through my head! Of course, I would be utterly remiss to share every thought that wafts through the atmosphere of my mind...to do that would surely bring utter ruin to my reputation as well as the well being of more than one person. The very fact that some of my thoughts remain in their principle state is a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit. It has been said, "Well, if you think it, you might as well do it..." I am a perfect example of the untruth of that statement for I can assure you that some of the things that find themselves wandering through the zoo of my mind are not lambs of thoughts, but lions. These things are better left unrecognized. In fact, one of the proofs of a healthy relationship with God is that one doesn't "act" upon every thought, desire, idea, and product of emotion. So, if I may return from chasing the stray out of the yard of my thought I will tell you that I am sorry that it has been so long since my last post.
Now, to the original bullseye of my arrow of contemplation. Last night, in youth Bible study, we played a game that pitted one of our students against everyone else in the room. Standing in the center of the room, blindfolded, she had to pick out corners of the room that contained people. She had to listen closely and focus with all of her faculties...save the one of sight, of course...and I guess that of taste as well. Anyway, the task was pretty simple to begin with as every noise in the room came from someone actively involved in the game. As our center lady called out corners, however, the people in those corners were ejected from the game...making the game progressively more difficult for our center lady. As those who were out returned to their seats, they didn't stop making noise...and, so, here was our center lady, trying to seperate the noise of all those around her from the noise of those she was searching for. I must confess, here, that I had not taken into account the method by which the "ambient" noise would affect the virtual outcome of the game. In essence, there came a point where she could no longer make out the corner that her prey had taken refuge in. You may be asking, "What's the point?" Well, here it is in a nutshell...many of us find ourselves on a daily basis trying to "find" God. In many ways we feel disconnected from Him and desire to feel His presence more powerfully in our lives so we set out each morning with a commitment to "listen" for Him...to "look" for Him or to "find" Him somewhere among the clutter that fills our day. What we hardly ever take into account is that there is much "ambient" noise in our day, in our culture, in our homes in our world. It is next to impossible to discern the whisperings of God among the shouts of the crowd. So we eventually give up the search, resigning ourselves to the notion that really knowing God and hearing from Him is something that only a few super spiritual people have mastered the craft of...however, that will never be us.
If I may, however, I would like to interject a new car into this strange train of thought. Perhaps the issue is not that it is impossible to know God or His will or, even, to hear His voice. Perhaps, the real issue is our belief that we should be able to do this among the butter and clutter of the world. If I had really wanted my Center Lady to be successful in her winning of the game, I wouldn't have just demanded that everyone in the room, other than those still playing, be quiet...NO, instead, I would have removed everyone from the room who wasn't playing so that they could not POSSIBLY offer a distraction. And here is the crux of our problem when it comes to hearing from God...we try to quiet the things in our lives that compete for our attention rather than rid our lives of them altogether! Or, at the very least, maybe there are times when we should take our leave of those "ambient" noises in some temporary way. In Psalm 46:10, God makes this very point clearly when He says, "Be still, and know that I am God..." In Jeremiah 29:13 He promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Another way this could be phrased, "You will seek me and find me when you give me all of your attention!"
So, are you searching the haystack of competing voices in the world for the needle of God's voice only to find that you can't make it out? What needs to be removed from the room of your life because it is creating "ambient" noise that is so loud it makes it impossible to hear God? What needs to happen for you to be able to "be still" and "seek" after God with all your attention? Then, make that happen...
Just a few thoughts (appropriate ones, mind you) from a dusty traveler!
