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Archive for the ‘Communion with God’ Category

Communion with God, Spiritual living, Uncategorized

May 25, 2010

What Happens When God Speaks

Having the orientation to the natural realm that we do, we often talk about God speaking as though His Voice operates like sound waves. His Voice is a spiritual voice, a spiritual essence, almost all the time. He isn’t speaking to natural “ears” but to our spiritual “ears”.

Therefore, the process has a parallel to the natural, but also some differences. Our natural ears do three things so that we can hear sounds. They funnel sound waves into our ears, they recognize the different values of air pressure, and then they turn those changes in air pressure into electrical signals that our brain can understand.

To facilitate hearing in the natural we do things like turn our face toward the place the sound is coming that we want to hear, try or expect to understand the sound, and often manage other sound around us that is interfering with what we are trying to hear. We might do that by turning down our radio or TV, walking in out of the traffic to hear on a phone, or taking an ipod to a quiet place to hear it play.

Make no mistake though. Natural hearing is a mechanical function not a spiritual function and there are important differences.

Spiritual hearing is different because God doesn’t use sound waves when He speaks. We can extrapolate this because when God spoke in the Bible some people heard Him audibly, but not everyone heard Him or heard the same thing.

We read about this in John 12:28-29: “‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.”[1]

Experientially, we can observe today that same phenomenon. My friend Sherry who is very credible, has known God many years and been around prophetic ministry for decades heard the audible Voice of God one night praying for one of my children. She is unequivocal about what and how she heard Him speak (audibly), but the others present didn’t hear Him audibly.

Spiritual hearing comes to our spirit, not our body. Most often our spirit and body are in the same place of course so it is easy to get into the frame of reference that God is using our body to speak to, but that simply isn’t the case.

There is still the parallel though. When we hear through our ears we should listen and pay attention. When God speaks to our spirit, we should listen and pay attention.

When we have an ear infection, or perhaps our ears have been stopped up with water from swimming, our ears are impaired of hearing.

Similarly, when our spirit is full of “junk”, perhaps anxiety or anger or just a long TO DO list… maybe even a bundle of opinions, our spiritual hearing is impaired. That is because just as sound waves travel our ear canal, spiritual waves flow into our spirit. What we perceive as a spiritual word is often a mixture of what the spiritual essence was, and what it has mixed with in our spirit.

Think of it this way:

Assemble three small glass bowls with a spoon for each. Fill one with water, one with white icing, and one with chocolate icing. Now, add four drops of red food coloring  to each bowl and mix them well with the spoon. For you guys who have not spent a lot of time with icing and food coloring, I will tell you what happens.

The white icing becomes a lighter shade of the original color. In other words, pink. How light or dark pink it is will be determined by how much icing was in the bowl. Take the same amount of food coloring (spiritual essence) and mix it with twice as much icing and it will be even lighter.

The chocolate icing will be the least changed of the three. The darkness of the chocolate allows less of the red to show through, and if you double the amount of chocolate you may barely find a tinge of red in the icing.

The water on the other hand will alter the red color the least. If you used a small enough amount of water, the color may match the color of the food coloring. If you use a great deal more water you can eventually dilute the color, however even twice as much water might not make a discernable difference.

The spiritual essence of what God is speaking and communicating to us is just like that food coloring.

If we are mostly full of the Holy Spirit we will receive and perceive the essence of what God is speaking. The spiritual essence of what God is communicating to us will not be diluted by who or what we are.

When we are opaque, even with things we perceive to be good (works of man, religion), and devoting ourselves to God, we still only get a dilution of the essence of what God is speaking to us.

It is a funny thing about Christians that we carry our opinions and offenses thinking that we have sanctified them and so we can keep them. (Not true of course but a topic for another day.) So often because we are the “white icing” and not the chocolate, we think we have arrived.

The chocolate icing here of course is symbolic of darkness. Spiritual essence can be lost in darkness, never even registering in less we are really looking for it.

Metaphorically speaking water represents spiritual things, and the opaque icings represent things of the world, good or bad, light or dark.

Our lesson is that to hear God is a spiritual function, and it happens in our spirit. The more pure our spirit, the more easily we will discern the essence of what God is communicating. Many of the things that make us good natural listeners such as carrying about the person speaking, giving them our attention, not jumping in with our judgments and opinions about what they are saying, are also good habits to help us hear God more.

Nevertheless, hearing God is not the same as hearing people, and important things that will help us to hear God better are distinct because they don’t occur just in the moment, but in every moment.

Remember Luke 12:27, “Consider the lilies, how they grow; they do not toil, they do not spin. And yet I say to you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”[2]

Today, if you will empty yourself of the cares of the world, release your opinions, judgments, offenses, etc you will find the spiritual essence, the essence of what God is saying to you, to be clearer and stronger within you.

[1] New King James Version®

[2] New King James Version®

Change Your Mind, Character versus Gifting, Communion with God, Spiritual living, Things that separate us from God, Today..., Trust

April 26, 2010

Today: Tell the Truth

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Zechariah 8:16-17 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the LORD.”

How did it happen that we have become so comfortable with not telling the truth? Not telling the truth of course is called lying. I’m not talking about the kinds of lies that people tell for the purpose of greed, personal gain at the expense of another, to damage another person or to sustain criminal activity. We all know that is wrong.

I’m talking about what people call “white” lies, as if there is some kind of sanctified lying. It is like calling witchcraft, “white witchcraft”. Witchcraft is witchcraft and lying is lying. Just because someone goes to church, doesn’t make their lying (or their witchcraft for that matter) somehow acceptable.

Let’s be clear. God said, “Tell the truth to each other”.

This isn’t just a little problem. This is a huge problem.

For example: your friend Jamie asks you if you have heard the rumors about them being sloppy (or rude, or dishonest or whatever)? It seems like it is just a little thing (a lie), to say that you haven’t heard about these rumors. After all, is it going to make Jamie feel better to know that you too have heard the rumors? Why embarrass them? It will be awkward.

If you go through this process, you are being disingenuous, and dishonest. Not to mention that you are enabling others to gossip and lie by trying to cover those actions up.

The truth is that a lie at this point will hurt Jamie. Jamie has already heard the rumor so you’re not telling them anything they don’t know, except perhaps that you too, had been gossiping about them.

Are you really protecting them? Or are you lying to protect your own reputation (your pride)? You see God hates lies, and there is no lie that stands on a good foundation. If you don’t want to admit to participating in gossip, don’t participate. Even if you lie to your friend, God still knows the truth. You are distancing yourself from God, when you don’t tell the truth.

What Jamie needs isn’t more confusion, which is what a lie always brings with it. What Jamie needs is a friend who values them enough to tell them truth, even though it may not be easy to do.

An even bigger issue is that little lies beget big lies, and big lies become entrenched in our lives, our homes and our families. They can carry on for generations. Lies exist and take root in God’s absence, in the dark. In the dark is where the enemy can establish himself in our life. Lies hide secrets, and some secrets can hold generations in bondage. Families have secrets to keep and these secrets (lies) keep people in bondage.

No one wants to be lied to, so how can we justify lying to someone else?

A person who tells the truth is a person who can be counted on. They are a person who can be believed, and they are a person who can become a bridge between believers, unbelievers and God.

Ephesians 4:15  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.

The most important and immediate reason to tell the truth is so that you can remain in communion with God. First and foremost we need to be focused on doing what we see God doing; saying what we hear God saying, and that will always be true, and always be the truth.

Ephesians 4:23-25 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

 

Communion with God, Spiritual living, Things that separate us from God

April 13, 2010

“The Highest Treason is for Ministers …

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This is an article written by Bobby Conner (used with permission), who I believe is one of the real prophetic leaders and fathers for the church today.

This article addresses a critical issue in the church today: Ministers drawing people to themselves (although they would of course reject that is what they are doing).

It is also one of the must succinct explanations of anointing and impartation that I have read.  I pray it encourages you as it did me, as God’s truth always brings hope.


Bobby Conner: The Lord Told Me, “The Highest Treason is for Ministers to Take the Gifts I Give to Win Souls to Myself—and to Use These Gifts to Win People to Themselves”


For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established.—Romans 1:11

The apostle Paul’s deepest longing was not just to see his fellow Believers, but to see them in order to give them a gift. As an apostle, his heart’s motivation was not merely to teach, plant churches, work miracles or establish apostolic order—but to give all that he had to give, to impart what God had bestowed upon him, to lavish spiritual gifts generously upon others, that they “may be established.”

Imparting to the saints must be the heart’s passion of all Believers. The longing to impart is God’s heart: He longs to pour Himself into His family, to equip Believers to prepare them for relationship with Him as well as the work of service (Ephesians 4:11-12). All grace and enabling comes only from Christ and for Christ, so we should delight in being an instrument to help others advance in their call, not ours. The Lord calls us to aide others first—not our own ministries first—to go higher in relationship with the Lord. We must never, never forget this fundamental tenet of the faith: freely we have received, freely we must give (Matthew 10:8). Our goal is the establishing of the King in His Kingdom, helping others discover their God-given destiny and prepare them to better function in their high and heavenly calling (Ephesians 1:18).

This Greek word translated impart, metadidomi, is comprised of two smaller Greek words, meta and didomi. Meta means with, as to walk with someone, an ally. Didomi is an extravagant word that means more than simply giving. The Greek suggests profusion and abundance—a complete “giving over” to another’s care and trust. Didomi suggests, “to give forth fully from oneself.” To impart, then, or metadidomi, means to give with profusion from the depths of oneself. This “giving over” is the same word used to describe how the sea “gives over” that which is hidden beneath. From the depths of God’s Spirit, through our spirit, impartation comes forth.

As marvelous as this impartation sounds, there is a catch: we cannot give what we do not have! If we are to impart, we first must have something to release. To be able to impart, one first has to be anointed with the substance to impart. These two spiritual realities of impartation and anointing are different, but they relate and work together as the Spirit leads. How does this happen?

Here is a marvelous truth of the Kingdom of God: when we preach, teach or minister in love, in the Spirit of God, we impart the substance of Christ, not simply information about Him.

Jesus affirmed the prophetic promise of Isaiah 61:1-5:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor…—Luke 4:18

For us to be anointed means that a divine enabling rests upon us. What is this enabling? This anointing is no less than Christ Himself: the Greek word translated anoint is the same word from which we derive the name Christ, chrio! What does it mean to have chrio or to be anointed? It means to carry the Christ, the Anointed One! This same anointing consecrated our King for His Messianic office and gave Him the power to administer His Kingdom. This is the anointing we host—the Lord Jesus Christ resting upon us and in us, the Person of the Holy Spirit Himself. To be anointed is to be smeared and filled with Christ. In the Hebrew, anoint or mashach means to smear a liquid or to consecrate. In other words, as Believers in Christ Jesus, we are consecrated as holy priests to minister in His name, anointed by Him and with Him. He is the anointing!

Where does true anointing and power come from? The Spirit of God! We do not minister out of fine-tuned, educated human ability—but Holy Spirit anointing, that we then impart.

Here is the Lord’s essential, urgent message to the Church: we must learn to live and work in and through Him, the Anointed One—not by our own will and strength. We must learn to impart Christ, the anointing—not our own ideas and agendas.

Many of us have had this experience of hearing someone preach or teach: their words were true and accurate, even witty and insightful, but we couldn’t encounter the words spoken within the depths of our heart. Their message might have been exciting to hear and ponder, even study and debate—but our heart was unmoved. The experience was similar to reading a textbook, attending a lecture or following driving directions. We may have arrived at a destination in terms of a logical argument or colorful story but in reality, we remained seated on our chair, unchanged, encouraged at best; at worst, puffed up by religious knowledge about God.

Why does this happen? The speaker’s words were not being carried by the breath of God’s Spirit, but by their own soul and good intentions—or their pride and ambition. Their words were not anointed with the very substance of Christ. They might have been speaking “with the tongues of men and of angels,” but the Spirit of Love was not present. They were merely “sounding or clanging brass and tinkling cymbals” (1 Corinthians 13:1). This type of ministry profits nothing. Jesus reminds us that without Him we accomplish nothing (John 15:5).

Many of us may have had a different experience of hearing someone preach or teach: perhaps their words were not polished; perhaps they lost track of their notes; perhaps they stuttered and even contradicted themselves! Maybe they only read one Scripture or gave one illustration or prayed one simple prayer. They may have been unlearned, awkward or inexperienced—but we were stirred to the very core of our being. Our heart burned as if Christ Himself were sharing, standing in front of us. And indeed—He was! Love spoke…and new worlds within us were created. The Lord chooses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27)!

This is the difference between ministering through Christ’s anointing and speaking out of one’s own abilities and natural training.

Having understood and learned to receive His anointing, we can now understand what true impartation is. The ability to impart includes—but goes beyond—our being anointed. If we have this God-given gift of impartation, whatever we say or do under an anointing will deeply affect those who are hearing. The very substance of Christ will be imparted into the spirit of those who are responsive.

I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me…That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.—Proverbs 8:17, 21

God longs to give us spiritual treasure. This treasure He gives us is priceless, worth everything we are and possess. We will have nothing worth sharing with those who hear us if we do not receive this treasure first and learn to abide in the treasure—Christ Himself—received as fresh bread on a daily basis. What does the Lord mean in this proverb, when He promises to “fill their treasures”? Our “treasures being filled” can be understood as a branch receiving an impartation through the life of the vine. We must be saturated with the very presence of Christ, so that out of our life flows this river of life.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me…and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.—John 15:4-5

The Most Vital Aspect of any Ministry or Personal Encounter is Not the Words Themselves but the Impartation of “Spirit and Life”

This ability to impart relates to our having a quality personal relationship with Jesus (”those who seek ME early”)—Who imparts to us first. Our treasure being filled is the direct result of His impartation of Himself to us. Notice the particulars of this promise: we will be filled if we make seeking HIM our highest priority (Matthew 6:33). We only find Him on this level when we seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:12-13). He deserves no less!

A committed Christian who has this grace to impart will stand out from all others, for that person will be carrying the glory of God. Our heart’s aim is to have within us such an abiding presence of the Lord that others can feel Him and hear Him when we minister. Our aim is to be saturated with the heavy, weighty presence of God’s glory. What a testimony to have someone say he has resident within his life and ministry Christ’s own anointing, along with the grace to impart that anointing!

When this anointing is active, people are drawn with great hunger. Very often, when a person under the true anointing of Christ finishes speaking, people will say, “Please, would you continue to speak?” Or, “I could listen to you for hours.” Why do people respond this way? They are responding not so much to the depth of the Word that was being ministered or to the exceptional anointing upon the speaker, but rather to the “impartation” that was flowing through into their spirit. Through the grace of impartation, we become a conduit through which the very life of God flows into others’ spirits! This is the heart of all ministry—from the pulpit, at our workplace or around our kitchen table.

When I am ministering, I can tell when people have connected with the Spirit or if they are just attempting to understand intellectually. How wonderful when they are being fed spiritually, not in the natural—and they know that they are receiving something extraordinary, His Divine substance.

To repeat, with emphasis—we can’t give away what we don’t have:

It is the Spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life.—John 6:63

The gift of “prophetic revelation” gives us what to say. Then, through our being anointed, it can be imparted to another. I pray much about my being both prophetic and anointed, with the ability to impart. One must spend time in the presence of our Lord in order to have within ourselves His spiritual substance that we might impart His very being (Jeremiah 3:15). We must come before the throne each day to receive fresh bread from Heaven to feed the flock of God (Acts 20:28).

I’ve been preaching now for over 40 years, averaging speaking five times each week for these four decades. During this lifetime of ministry, I’ve learned how to lead people to Christ—not to myself. Once the Lord said to me, “The highest form of treason is for ministers to take the gifts I give to win souls to Myself—and to use these gifts to win people to themselves instead.” May we never, never be guilty of such a terrible crime!

The most vital aspect of any ministry, even any personal encounter during our day, is not the words themselves, nor the understanding of these words, but the impartation of “Spirit and life”—the spiritual substance of Christ flowing out through His anointed words and Spirit into the spirits of those who are receptive.

How is the Grace to Impart Received and Developed?

To review: prophetic revelation gives us the words to speak. The anointing enables us to speak these words that we have been given. Then, through impartation, these words become spirit and life and flow into the depths of those who have a hearing ear. We should pray not only that our message would be imparted through His anointing, but that those who will hear our message will have open hearts and hearing ears. Those who are spiritually receptive will experience Divine Substance flowing into them: this is the life of the vine Christ Jesus flowing into the branch—the hearers—and this flow of substance is different from the actual message being shared. The hearers who have ears to hear will want more as they recognize that their spirit is being fed.

So being desirous of you, we are well-pleased to impart to you not only the good news of God, but also our own souls, because beloved you have become dear to us.—1 Thessalonians 2:8 Young’s Literal Translation

How is this grace to impart received and developed? Through our spending quality time with Jesus and by our desiring this ability, in order that He may feed the spirits of those who are spiritually hungry. To have logical facts and information is good—and we should certainly study as the Bereans did—but in itself, head knowledge of the Word does not feed our spirit. Only the anointing will enable us to speak about God and for God, and only impartation from God will feed our spirit and the spirits of those around us.

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory.—1 Corinthians 2:7

Impartation is intangible—that is, it is a spiritual substance that is attached to the words. Like an invisible hitchhiker, impartation rides the Word of God into the spirit of those who are spiritually hungry. They may not understand what is happening, but they will know that they are being fed and will respond. It is wonderful beyond words to leave a meeting or a conversation knowing that God is well pleased with what has taken place!

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.—1 Corinthians 2:1-4

Paul said that his speaking was not with the words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit. This demonstration of the Spirit is the impartation that is taking place, which has nothing to do with the words themselves. It is divine life and energy of Christ flowing from the Lord, through the speaker and into the one who is receptive.

My deepest desire is to impart the life of Christ who has been imparted to me:

You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 2:5

Our being a “lively stone” means that we have become “Christ active (divine radiation)”—that is, wherever we are and whatever we do or say, we are transmitting Him, the wonderful Spirit of God, through impartation of His anointing.

Bobby Conner
Eagle View Ministries

 

Communion with God, Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual living, Trust, Uncategorized

February 10, 2010

Connecting with God (Quest for Communion, Pt2)

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If we accept that spiritual life is life with God at the center, then we need to be diligent about how we move to make that our reality.  To have God at the center of our life means that we are in communion with God, connected to Him. When we come into a tangible relationship with God, the only place He can be in our life is in the center. Prayer is the path to communion. There are many kinds of prayer: devotional prayer, intercessory prayer, prayers of petition. 

Years ago our Pastor, Larry Lea, taught us to pray using the Lord’s Prayer as a model, an outline. I want to share this with you because praying in this way will help you to increase your communion, your relationship with God. 

Remember that you are praying to cultivate your connection with God, to share with Him your heart, and to hear His heart. There is no place for recitation or scripts here. Use the outline, but let it flow from your spirit. Listening is as important as speaking.

  1. The scriptures are in bold type. You may have them committed to memory but pray them out loud, speaking to God.
  2. Then, use the italics as suggestions, “ice breakers”. Follow your heart and spirit, using your own words.
  3. Remember that you are after communication and connection. Listening is as important or more important than speaking.
  4. If you pray out loud, it will be easier to discern your voice from His.
  5. Find a quiet place, preferably at the beginning of your day and just as Jesus said, Pray this way:

Mat 6:9  .. Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed by Your name.

  • Oh God, oh Father, You are the Most Holy (exalted, worthy of complete devotion) One.
  • God you are omniscient (complete awareness, knowledge).
  • You are omnipotent (almighty).
  • You God are omnipresent (present everywhere at one time).
  • I praise you and worship you God, Almighty God.

Mat 6:10 Your Kingdon come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

  • God, today I say not my will, but Your will be done: for myself, my family, and in all facets of my life. I pray for Your will to be done and Your Kingdom to come.
  • Please show me Your will for my life so that I can pray for it, and be in concert with You.
  • For my  (work, school, community, state, nation, world) God I pray for Your will to be done.
  • For my enemies and adversaries Lord I bless those that curse me, and I pray for those who use me. Bless them Lord.
  • God open my eyes to see what You see. Illuminate my vision and my hearing so that I can embrace what You are doing in me, and around me.

Remember to be listening, not just speaking.

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread;

  • God I know that You are my provider. Help me to be content with Your provision today, and to trust You for all my needs.
  • Lord, please tell me what my real needs are. What are the things that I don’t know to ask for?
  • Have You made provision for me that I’m not seeing?
  • Am I asking for things that You, by Your wisdom and love, are not wanting for me?
  • Please change my mind, and teach me to be content in You.
  • If I’m going one way, and You have a different way for me God, please show me, close those wrong doors, speak to me, help me.

Mat 6:12 and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors.

  • God please forgive me of my sins. I am so sorry for the things that I have done ________________________ that are not pleasing to You. I am so grateful that You are a God that forgives.
  • I choose today to forgive all those who have sinned against me.  Including  _____________________  who have slandered me, injured me, gossiped about me, or stolen from me, undermined me or ________________ …. I forgive them Lord.
  • If I come up short on this today Lord, please help me to walk in forgiveness continuously.

Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever.Amen.

  • Today God please order my steps according to Your will and Your ways. God please put Your words in my mouth. Help me to see what You see, in  people, in circumstances, in others.
  • You God, from whom no secrets are hidden, please deliver me from temptation and line up my thinking with Your thoughts.
  • Line up my feelings with You and what You are are doing.
  • Please put Your shield of protection around me/us and keep our enemies at bay.
  • You can do this because You are Almighty God, Creator and Ruler of the universe.
  • It is to You that all glory goes God. Help me to magnify Your Holy Name.
  • Thank  you God that you are Almightly God. Amen

    • Remember, God already knows what you think. If you engage Him, and you listen to Him, you can know what He thinks, what He sees.  He will speak to you and you will be changed.

     

    If you are changed, if you are transformed by God, others around you will be as well.

    (All scriptures are from the New Living Translation, and no, I do not know how to create a footnote or end note in Wordpress.)

Communion with God, Prayer, Spiritual living, Uncategorized

January 18, 2010

Quest for Communion

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Spiritual living is life with God at the center. We are born self-centered. As we grow and mature in spiritual wholeness, we move from self-centered to God centered. A God centered life is lived in communion with Him.

Communion with God is our objective, but moving from an intellectual understanding of the objective into a dynamic, flourishing relationship can cause even the most intent of us to flounder. The answer though may be simple.

Many of us learned to pray by reciting words, most often in the form of requests, to God. We didn’t learn to listen, and our Western minds calculated the substance of our prayer life by the measure of answered prayer. While we know this isn’t really the measure of our prayers, and we also know that often answers to prayer come in forms we have not been looking for, our framework for understanding and evaluating drives us back to this conclusion. Tangible and expected answer to prayer = connection to God. Waiting for answers = a lot of discouragement mixed with  questions like:

                Does God hear me? Apparently not.

                Does God care? Apparently not.

                Do I matter? Possibly not.

                And so on. (You don’t have to admit any of this.) Things that we have an intellectual understanding are not true, can still feel true.

 

The truth is that prayer is not substantially about a “grocery” type list that we take to God and hope he will fill. Prayer is really about communion, communing with God.

 

The problem is that since we cannot always see and touch and feel God in our natural state, it isn’t very easy to “chat”. Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone who didn’t respond to you? It throws you off your rhythm, doesn’t it? God of course does respond to us, but we need to learn to listen. We need to find our rhythm, so to speak, for communion with God.

In truth there are several kinds of rhythms, several kinds of conversations you might say, that we have with God. There is the liturgical rhythm, there is the “grocery” list rhythm for things like a new job, more revenue, health and healing, and then there is the dramatic, “oh God, oh God” (aren’t you paying any attention) rhythm for those surprises and emergencies that cross our paths from time to time.

My experience and my preferred rhythm, is to begin my day with God. Some people like coffee in the morning, some people need to get their newspaper out of the way (maybe just news?). Whatever you do to get your day started, I would like to challenge you to make spending time with God your first daily priority. Let me assure that this is not for God’s benefit, but for yours.

If you will enter into communion at the start of your day, I am very confident that you will find it an amazing and fruitful experience. Your mind will be set on the things of God, you will be in a place of communion and you may find that your entire day goes better, because you embarked upon it with Him, instead of trying to summon Him in a moment of need or desperation later on. You see, if you enter in communion with Him in the morning you will be highly unlikely to then say something like, “Nice spending time with God but I need to get to work.” Or some such thing. Get up in the morning, put your hand in His, and stay there. You don’t have to stay in that chair or room. You go shopping with friends, go to lunch with other people, why not go with God?

Have you ever spent time with someone who was expert in some area, only to realize afterwards that you have more understanding or insight into that area yourself now? The same thing happens when we spend time with God. Our mind is set on spiritual things, and as we go about our day we are much more attuned to the spiritual overlay of our natural world.

Make no mistake. The spiritual realm is senior to the natural realm. Nothing occurs in the natural but what is a result of something in the spiritual realm. By seeing the spiritual and the natural we see better what is happening, what is going to happen, and hopefully we will see it as God wants us to see it.

When I married Greg I didn’t have much of an opinion about football one way or the other. Greg on the other hand played football in high school and then at the Air Force Academy. He liked football, and without any real conscious decision, I began to like football too.

The same thing happens with God. If you hang out with God, you will pick up His interests. You will start to see things that you would have missed before, and things that were not important to you in the past, will take on meaning. You will become more like Him. That is communion, and that is the real reason that we should pray.

 (To be continued..)

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