Minding My Own Business

The other day I was sitting in church minding my own business when God spoke to me. :) Now, if you don't know that I'm being facetious, then you must be new here. God speaks to me a lot, and I've recently gotten better at listening. He doesn't have to whomp me upside the head as much as He used to. I don't think it's that He's speaking more. I think that it's just that I'm becoming a better listener in my old age. I'm more sensitive to Him. I hear His still small voice more now. I wonder how many amazing things I've missed because I wasn't listening when He spoke to my heart. When there was so much clamor of my own making that I couldn't hear anything else. When I couldn't hear God speak. Anyway, the subject of the message being preached may not have been prayer, but prayer was definitely mentioned. Maybe no one else even heard it. Sometimes I read between the lines. I have thought on prayer a lot recently, and made a concerted effort to get better at it. Prayer does not always come easily. Our lives are filled with so many distractions. But in going through a huge storm of life, you learn to pray in a different way. We've talked about it before.

Read Tuesday Morning and God's Needs. And One More Afternoon. Those are just a few off the top of my head. I'm sure there are others. I write about prayer a lot. God is teaching me things. These days I feel guilty if I'm not on the knees before God early in the morning. Now, I know if I miss this time alone in my prayer closet that God is not angry or disappointed in me, even though He longs to have fellowship with me. I know He waits for me to run to Him and tell Him I love Him and cry out my heart to Him. It gives the Lord a chance to love on me and provide the comfort and peace that I need. And then He does amazing things! Things that I couldn't have imagined or thought. Things that are impossible without it being Him. I have the perfect example of that, but I'd better stay on point. Maybe tomorrow. :)

Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

But if I miss that early morning time, I can pray to Him any time and get things right. The person I'm really hurting is myself if I neglect that time of prayer. Life goes on and so does my day, but something is not quite right. It would be like my kids leaving or hanging up the phone without telling me that they love me. I would still know that they love me, but things wouldn't be quite right all day. That never happens. My children are better to me than I sometimes am to God, I'm afraid.

But there is something else. Something that happens when I get on my knees, even if I'm not speaking. Even without any words at all. I've described it to you before as just leaning in to Him. Just presenting yourself before Him and letting Him know that you need Him.

Romans 8:26 - "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

And that's what I was thinking about, sitting in church the other day. Then the preacher said it. He put words to my thoughts. Prayer is submission to God. That is exactly what it is! Submitting to God. Humbly, at His feet. Helpless and broken and needy. Not submitting, I believe, is the biggest battle we face, and the source of all other sin. Not submitting is what sends people to hell. Again, another post.

But that is one of my hugest lessons. Prayer is simply submitting to God. It's not having the right words ready to speak to Him. He doesn't need words. He already knows our hearts. Words will come. But first, we must submit.

And you know very well that that takes me back to 2 Corinthians 12:9.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Oh the things that I'm learning! Things that I thought I knew. Things that I've taught to others. But I'm learning them now again, bigger. What an amazing God we serve! :)