As I have been doing my reading in My Utmost for His Highest I came across an exert that made me stop and think about a few things—How do most of us interact with God? Are we interested in God or just his blessings?
“God is never in a hurry; if we wait, we shall see that God is pointing out that we have not been interested in Himself but only in His blessings. The sense of God’s blessing is elemental. “Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world” Spiritual grit is what we need.” Oswald Chambers
Last question, was the one that made me stop in my tracks and re-evaluate my thoughts and perceptions. I even thought about my last prayer time and the things I asked God. It was in this evaluation, I realized that I never once thanked God for all that He is, what He means to me, how he has changed and molded me, for His character full of grace and mercy…etc!! I just thanked Him for all the things He had already done. I failed to truly give Him the praise He is so deserving of – and it was clear I had become complacent. I then began my list of petitions for myself and other family members. Granted, it was not all selfish and about me but the truth be told I can use some improving in this aspect. If a person is truly interested in a genuine relationship they want to know every detail about the person. In this case, it’s not just about praying because there is a blessing to be found or an answer to be given – it goes so much deeper than that. It’s about being interested in God’s character and learning who he is. One sided relationships never work out quite right. There is always one person who ends up being the giver while the other is the taker. More often than not, God is the one who gets the short end of that stick! So the remedy to this is to give God the recognition and appreciation that he is so deserving of, first and foremost!
The other point that also struck me – God is never in a hurry – this is true! Have you ever prayed for something and it doesn’t ever seem to come to fruition? I know I have!! I am always reminded not my time but God’s. His timing is always perfect and on time. However, I am not the most patient person in the world and I know I am not alone in this fact! Actually, God has been more or less trying to get my attention in the midst of the business to literally stop all that I am doing and listen. In having done this for the last few days, I realize that I am finding my center and regaining the purpose I was losing in the midst of the chaos. God is never in a hurry—hmmm that is something to contemplate. Why am I? What am I hurrying along about and why? Actually, by thinking about tomorrow we are never living in the here and now. It’s like we are being robbed blindly and we don’t even see it. We are missing out on the current joys and discoveries. Perhaps that’s why God is never in a rush because He knows all that there is to behold in a moment that we seem to take for granted.
The next point, why do we worry and fret when Jesus has already won the battle? Oh in the midst of a trial this is the one thing that never seems to pop into my head! How many times do I need to be reminded? It’s hard to find peace and joy in the midst of a nasty situation – in my own life I have been struggling through this very reality. It’s only when we take our struggle out of God’s hands and try to deal with it on our own that we truly make a huge mess!
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.” John 15:5-7
It’s pretty clear that when we are connected to Christ we can do all things; apart from him we wither and become useless. This ties into the point about really knowing God – if we truly know Him; we are connected and so close to His will for our lives. (The purpose for which we were created for) We literally hang on His every word and long to hear more. Then you can ask God for things and he will grant them because you know His heart, you are continuing to learn His purpose, you begin to understand His character and perhaps even understand His timing. (it still may take me more time to get the timing thing down lol!!) It’s not just a one sided deal there should be depth to any growing relationship and as you dig deeper you want to know more. There is more joy in every moment to behold because you aren’t tied up with the worries of the world because He has already overcome it!!
In closing, give God the praise and honor He deserves instead of always asking for something all the time – this is the way to get to know Him. Take time to enjoy the simple things and moments of life that we have been given because each day is a gift. Don't worry about everything so much “Cast ALL your anxiety on him because HE cares for you.” 1Peter 5:7
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