Have you ever asked God, “What do You want me to do?” I know I have a lot. And when asking guidance from others, I get advice about ‘how’ to hear Him or what they say to do. Often times, I get the answer of “you need to pray” or “just read the Bible.” To which my response is, “I do that already.”
While both of those responses are correct, they were not given in love. Specifically, they were given as a way of moving on from a topic that they themselves did not fully grasp in their own minds and hearts. Just like I was, they were asking the same question and receiving the same guidance from others. So they gave what they received. I know because I have since had conversations with them, and found the root cause of this spiral down redundancy lane.
It was just recently that God opened my eyes to the truth behind these answers of “pray” and “read the Bible”. It is true that in seeking guidance, those are the first two things one needs to do. However, that is not the only thing. There is one thing missing. I am going to go into the first two things before I talk about the last and missing piece of this.
First, ask. The first thing we need to do is pray, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you wisdom in whatever it is you are wanting to know. He loves us so truly and deeply, more than anyone can. And when we ask Him, He gives us the exact answer we need. This answer may not be what we want to hear, but it is precisely what we need.
One of the barriers to receiving His answer is the inability to hear Him. We have so much chaos that surrounds us vying for our attention. Many of us see all of the work that needs to be done like washing the dishes, doing the laundry, making lunch or dinner, tending to the various household chores. Or if you work outside of the home, there are the details of our given jobs that need done. So those thoughts push out the Spirit. Our flesh thoughts seem to dominate our attention. So it is difficult to hear the sweet, still voice of the Spirit.
Another barrier is in understanding Him. Sometimes we hear His voice when all the chaos quiets a bit, and we don’t understand what He is telling us. Some of us think that He is telling us to do things tangibly when He may be telling us to do something that is more for heartwork. God loves us how He made us. We don’t need to pretend to be something that we are not. He connects with our spirit. Our spirit is what He communicates privately and intimately with. His words for us become specific and tailored to us when He speaks to our spirit. Our physical ears hear our language, but our spirit hears His language. And just as someone learning a different language, we have to practice and practice some more. My native tongue is English. But as I learn Spanish, I have to read and say the words over and over until it is no longer foreign to my brain and mouth. This is in essence the same as learning His language in our spirit. Our thoughts speak in this time and space, but His language is infinite and timeless. I will admit, that putting into words what this looks like is very difficult. But with the Holy Spirit, hopefully you can grasp the concept, and it will become more understandable.
Second, Seek. Seeking Him, we find ourselves in His Word, the Holy Bible. Pouring over the Scriptures will help us to understand the principles that He set for us to live with Him and with others. Our relationships with each other help to give of ourselves. Not just in giving of things and resources, but of our energy, empathy, and love. Jesus modeled this in His walk while He was here on earth. He showed us how to serve each other and how to love one another. John speaks many times in His gospel of “one another”. If you go through the Bible looking for the phrase “one another”, notice the principle being conveyed in the words surrounding the phrase. (I think I might do a post on that in the near future, Lord willing.) We have the two commandments from Jesus recorded in the gospels:
"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your should and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'" - Matthew 22:35-40(ESV)
"And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them sell, asked him, 'Which commandment is the most important of all?' Jesus answered, 'The most important is "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.'" - Mark 12:28-31(ESV)
The first is ‘Love God with your everything,’ and the second is ‘Love others as yourself.’ Two simple, concise commands that summarize the whole of the Law and the Prophets. These two actions are so simple, and yet so difficult for us to fully master. We can see the evidence of our failure to master these to simple commands all over the news and in our daily lives. Our flesh guides us to selfish ambition or selfish comfort or selfish everything. These two commands guide us to selflessness. When we are focused on others, there is no room to be focused on our own selfish desires.
Lastly, Knock.This is the finally missing piece of the puzzle. To knock is an action. We have to physically do something. To knock is to go to the door of another and let our presence known to them, and this conveys a desire to enter into their space. When we knock on the door to another’s heart, we are letting the other know that we feel safe enough to enter into their space and that we have no wish to hurt them. Thieves and brutes enter by other means. They sneak into a window, or they burst through a door without knocking. When we knock and when one opens the door to us, they assess whether they will allow us to enter their safe space. Knocking communicates respect and that we will meet them where they are. In the same respect, one knocking at our door does the same.
I’ve been the one hoping and waiting for someone to knock on the door to my heart. I’ve been the one sitting in the still, quiet loneliness of my heart waiting for someone, anyone, to knock and enter, to give me hope and company. I waited for someone to talk to and talk with. I’ve been there when it seemed there was no hope and no light. But, in God’s love and kindness, someone did knock. Someone did come to my door. The bitter cold and loneliness that shrouded the doorway to my heart warmed with His presence. He knocked in the form of my grandmother. My grandmother came into my safe space, and she shared with me the gospel of hope and love. And as a response, I invited in the One who stood at the doorstep to my heart awaiting my invitation. The bitter cold and loneliness, the hopelessness and unworthiness, all but disappeared. When I allowed Him to enter into my heart, my soul, my everything, I was reborn. I was instantly held as a newborn babe in loving arms. His arms so full of strength and life protecting me and warming me. He loved me to my core. And He has been with me ever since. Now I go from heart to heart knocking on the doors of the hearts of those I have built a relationship with. I don’t do this for myself to gain points with God or to get a crown or anything like that. I don’t need to. God loves me as I am. There is nothing that He hasn’t given me or you. He sent the most near and dear to Him for us. That is how truly and deeply He loves us. He gave His best, His Only Begotten Son. And in His love, I have peace, the peace that surpasses all logic and understanding.
Ask, Seek, Knock. Jesus tells us to persist in pursuing God. People often give up after a few halfhearted efforts and conclude that God cannot be found. But knowing God takes faith, focus, and follow-through, and Jesus assures us that our efforts will be rewarded. Don’t give up in your efforts to seek God. Continue to ask Him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love, and understanding. He will give them to you.
Gotta go fill up my cup…..
Coffee with Candee 