I hear You, Lord!

Have you ever been in a place where you just didn’t know what to do next? You know that you aren’t supposed to go backwards and you don’t feel ready to go forward? You just know that you have to do something. I had one of those type of weeks. I faced some tests that I wasn’t expecting and they left me questioning what my next move should be. I know that God has a purpose for my life and He’s shaping and molding me to walk that purpose out but sometimes…Sometimes I want God to just give me the paper with the bulleted list of points that tell me exactly what to do next. Wouldn’t that be awesome?! Maybe it’s just me but I hate guessing. I like to know what’s coming so that I can prepare myself. But today, God told me to STOP…LISTEN…and OBEY! Well then…what do you say to that? So here’s what He told me and hopefully you will be blessed.

One of the hardest things to do is stop doing something that has become a habit. Think about it. Complaining, talking to a guy/girl that you know you shouldn’t be talking to, eating and the list can go on and on. For me, it’s internal planning. I am constantly thinking of how to figure something out or make something work. That’s what this week was about. I hate waiting and I have been trying to figure out this place that I am in and instead of resting in who God is and His plan for me, my mind has been running a mile a minute. But I am reminded that God said in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” You see, in order to stop, you have to trust. You have to know that God has you in the forefront of His mind and He already has a plan for you and it is good.  You have to know that even though “a day is like a thousand years to the Lord and a thousand years is like a day, The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Pet. 3: 8b – 9, NLT) There’s a reason for God saying stop in your life. He wants to make sure that you are in the right position for the promise instead of destruction. Woooo…I hear you, Lord! STOP…

So, God really had my attention at that point but in true Ebony fashion, I asked what’s next?! He said to me, LISTEN! You see, how can you know what’s next if you’re too busy talking and not listening to what God is saying? Proverbs is full of powerful statements about listening but one jumped out at me in the first chapter. Wisdom is crying out in this chapter and says, “But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” (Prov. 1:33, NLT) This is God. Haven’t you noticed that when you take time to hear from God before making a decision or a move, you have peace with whatever you have to do? Doesn’t mean you want to do it but you have peace.  Sometimes, it’s hard because your voice sounds so inviting or your flesh is saying exactly what you want to hear and you get distracted from what God is saying. But John tells us in 8:47 that “whoever is of God hears the words of God.” That tells me that I have a responsibility as one of His people to listen to what He is saying because I am a part of Him.  Obviously, there can be a difference between hearing and listening but at the heart of it, you have to stop letting your flesh and your emotions tell you how to run your life instead of hearing God.  Okay…I hear you, Lord! LISTEN…

As I was starting to feel better with this conversation with God, He told me to just obey. He reminded me that partial obedience is not obedience. And then He gave me 2 verses that made me sit up and take a breath. The first one in John 14:15 is unfortunately often forgotten. Jesus quite simply said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” If that isn’t motivation, I don’t know what is! If you are professing to love Christ, then you have to obey Him. It was a powerful reminder but I think God wanted to make sure that it was solidified in me so that I can trust Him in this place. He sent me to Luke 6 to pull it together. “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it.  It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.  But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” (Luke 6: 46-49, NLT) God is not going to instruct you to do anything that is wrong. He is building something in you that you may not understand but it will be well built and strong. You just have to do what He says. You have to obey. There’s really no getting around it. But the best part is that you will be better for having done it. I got it, Lord! OBEY…

God is faithful and loving and awesome but He doesn't need your help! That's what I came to realize through this conversation. He only asks that I listen to Him and obey what He says and that encompasses everything. STOP trying to figure out His plan, LISTEN to what He is speaking into your life and OBEY His instructions. You will find, as I did, that your peace increases. It doesn't mean that you won't still wonder at times about what's next but it does mean that you can live while you wait.

AMEN