Disclaimer: Obviously I am not an actual angel. However, I feel like God speaks to my heart and I would love to share it with you. Please enjoy.
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This morning, I was reading a
wonderful book called “Learning to Pray” written by my friend Deborah J. Kern. In
it she is talking about the children of Israel wandering through the desert. She
says, ”Their God, Yahweh, had revealed Himself to the children of Israel
through signs and wonders---freeing them from slavery, delivering them from the
Egyptians, parting the Red Sea, providing water from a rock, and giving them
supernatural food to eat. Then He literally began to talk out loud to them from
a mountain on fire. It was simply too much for them. They couldn’t handle it.”
It got me thinking about when
I was very young. Our parents told us to pray for God’s will in our lives, but I
was afraid to. “I couldn’t handle it.” I was just sure if I asked God for His
will He was going to send me to be a missionary in Africa, China, South
America, or some other land far, far away, and I would never see my family
again. I would hate every minute of it and my life would be ruined.
The Bible teaches us that if
we pray and ask God, He will give us the desires of our heart. Thinking like a
child, I just knew He meant He would give me everything I wanted. It sounded like
Christmas to me. As an adult I came to understand that what He is really saying
is that He will give us the desires, the proper desires we should have in our
heart. Totally different thing.
My father was a wonderful
preacher and Bible scholar. I remember him telling me that God is always a
gentleman. He will never force Himself on us. He will show us what He wants,
but then it is our choice as to whether we do what He is showing us or go our
own way.
If He wants us to be a
missionary He will make that the desire of our heart. Therefore, becoming a
missionary will be fulfilling and a great pleasure to us. If we don’t feel that
strong desire then He hasn’t called us to go.
My mother, being the pastor’s
wife, was his right-hand person. She taught Sunday School, lead prayer requests
and the song service. We had many parties, dinners, and outings, due in part to
her helping organize them. She also prayed for the church and her family every day.
Those things were her calling.
God does have a calling for
each of us, but it will fit in perfectly with who we are.
There was a wonderful lady
who went to our church as I was growing up. Her name was Marie Burge. Marie had
the worst stutter I have ever heard. Consequently, she never wanted to do
anything up front in the church. However, she was at church every service, was
a tremendous prayer warrior, and she crocheted beautifully. She prayed for our
church and our missionaries all the time. When the ladies in our church embroidered
pillowcases or runners for our missionaries, to decorate the tables or dressers
in their houses, Marie would always crochet around the edges to make them extra
special. God had a calling for her, it just wasn’t public speaking. Because she
loved God, she followed the calling He did give her, and she did it well. I absolutely
believe she is receiving as great a reward in heaven for following her calling
as what my parents are receiving for being ministers. They each followed what God
called them to do.
I love to write, and I believe
God has called me to write my children’s Christian books, poetry, and this
blog. You see, God didn’t give me every desire I have ever had, (if so, I would
be living in a medieval castle). Rather, He gave me the desire to write and
called me to use it for Him. Then He gave me the choice as to whether or not I would
follow the calling.
I am learning more as I go
through life, to not be afraid to hear from God. He has never told me one bad
thing yet. Even when what He says to me is some type of correction, it is still
always good.
God always knows what we
need, whether it is physical, financial, spiritual, or if we just need to be comforted
by feeling His loving arms around us.
What about you? Does the
thought of hearing from God scare you? It shouldn’t. After all, we were created
to be companions with God. Companionship includes communicating. If we don’t
have that communication with God then we have our spiritual ears plugged and
cannot hear what God is saying to us. Yes, God is always talking to us. The question
is, are we listening?
Think about it.
