God Evening Family,Maybe this sounds familiar.
"Child number 2..."
"What?"
"Well, come here."
Child number 2 comes, very slowly I might add.
"What mom?"
"I need you to go..."
Child number 2 darts off before I can finish.
"Where are you going? Get back here." Heavy sigh.
"Yeah Mom?"
"I need you to go into the living room..."
Child number 2 darts off towards the living room.
"Get back here!"
Wide-eyed, the child comes back, looking as if I'm the one who is confused.
"Mom you told me to go into the living room."
"Do you know why I told you to go in there?"
"Nooooo..." Slowly and patiently, the child is speaking to me as if I have alzheimer's.
"I want you to bring me my keys. They are in...."
Off the child goes again.
"Get back in here!"
"Mom, you want me to get your keys right?" Now the child is getting huffy.
"Listen child number 2 do you want me to tell you where the keys are or would you prefer to spend 30 minutes looking for them?"
"Oh." Long pause. "Okay, where are they?"
I have had this type of conversation with all of my kids.
God has had this type of conversation with me.
Call me slow...okay VERY slow, but after 16 years of salvation I'm only just now getting to the point where I wait for instructions when I hear God speaking.
Many times I would hear God say FAST and I would call a 40 day fast...that lasted about 2 days.
Or I would hear God say SPEAK and I would unload on someone...only to spend the next week apologizing and making amends.
One thing I have learned about God is most of the time He is not in a hurry. He gives us time to pray, TEST THE VOICE WE HEARD, ask questions, and receive clarification.
Maybe it's age more than experience, but lately when God speaks I PAUSE.
I ask God to explain what He means and then I WAIT on Him. I try not to act until I feel He has given me SUFFICIENT INSTRUCTIONS.
Impulsiveness is kin to presumption. Instead of listening for God's directions the impulsive presume they already know His mind.
I would rather God tell me where to find my keys than spend 30 minutes looking.
Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Psalm 19:12-13 NKJ
Stay in Prayer and in the Word!
Love in our Lord,
Lauren
