Come and Talk with Me | Psalm 27:8
Welcome to Real Life. Let’s talk.
“Hi. It’s me. I’m sorry we haven’t spoken in a while,” I told him.
“I miss you. I've been calling, but you haven't answered. I’m glad you did today,” he replied. I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Really? You called? I didn’t get your messages.”
“Have you checked your messages?”
“Um . . . guess not. Sorry! I didn’t mean to ignore you. It’s just life gets crazy. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to think, much less talk.”
“I know. But you’re here now. So, let’s talk. Tell me. What’s on your heart?”
_____
We all desire to be known and loved. This happens in the context of relationships. But relationships can be difficult. They require time, energy, and commitment. Those resources can get stretched pretty thin in our busy world. We often hurt each other—at times purposefully, other times cluelessly. We withdraw. Drift apart.
It’s true with people. It’s true with God (Himself a person).
God feels far away. If he exists, he's not concerned with me. He may have created the world, but since then he’s pretty much left the scene.
God may seem distant. But he's not. He is near. Near enough for conversation.
I remember the first time I heard those words. I was stunned—even though I had been a Christian many years. Really? God’s pursuing me? I feel like I'm pursuing him. I was trying to get close to God, trying to be good enough to please him.[2] But that closeness eluded me. Sometimes at a retreat or in church, I felt him near. But most days, God seemed far away.
The truth is God “is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’” (Acts 17:27-18). Now, I sense his nearness. The change came as I began to understand. God’s pursuing me. And He’s pursuing you. He wants us to draw near to him. He's calling. He leaves messages everywhere. A sunrise, a bird's song, a lover's kiss, a baby's smile. But we often miss them. We misunderstand his character. Underestimate the zeal of his grace-filled love. A love willing to invest time, energy, and commitment. A love so strong it bled on a cross.
God's calling. Do you have time to talk?
Dear Lord Jesus,
Our hearts hear you say, “Come and talk with me.”
Our hearts respond, “Lord, we’re coming.”
Amen.
Let's talk! What helps you feel God near? Please help us by sharing your thoughts.
Take it further . . . Some reading to help you sense God's presence:
[1] Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King
[2] Sin―the wrong, selfish, ugly things we do―will separate us from God. We can't run towards God and towards sin at the same time. But he's a God of grace. When we turn away from sin and towards God, he's waiting with open arms. Remember the Prodigal Son?
Telephone Booth Image from: https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=89042&picture=british-telephone-booth
Communication is depositing a part of yourself in another person.
―Author Unknown
“Hi. It’s me. I’m sorry we haven’t spoken in a while,” I told him.
“I miss you. I've been calling, but you haven't answered. I’m glad you did today,” he replied. I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Really? You called? I didn’t get your messages.”
“Have you checked your messages?”
“Um . . . guess not. Sorry! I didn’t mean to ignore you. It’s just life gets crazy. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to think, much less talk.”
“I know. But you’re here now. So, let’s talk. Tell me. What’s on your heart?”
_____
We all desire to be known and loved. This happens in the context of relationships. But relationships can be difficult. They require time, energy, and commitment. Those resources can get stretched pretty thin in our busy world. We often hurt each other—at times purposefully, other times cluelessly. We withdraw. Drift apart.
It’s true with people. It’s true with God (Himself a person).
God feels far away. If he exists, he's not concerned with me. He may have created the world, but since then he’s pretty much left the scene.
God may seem distant. But he's not. He is near. Near enough for conversation.
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”Did you catch that? The God of the Universe is calling out to insignificant me. Incredible! (And I'm too busy to talk?) He cares about relationships. He wants us to know him. He wants to be known by us.
And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.”
(Psalm 27:8 NLT)
God pursues a love relationship with you that is real and personal. [1]
I remember the first time I heard those words. I was stunned—even though I had been a Christian many years. Really? God’s pursuing me? I feel like I'm pursuing him. I was trying to get close to God, trying to be good enough to please him.[2] But that closeness eluded me. Sometimes at a retreat or in church, I felt him near. But most days, God seemed far away.
The truth is God “is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’” (Acts 17:27-18). Now, I sense his nearness. The change came as I began to understand. God’s pursuing me. And He’s pursuing you. He wants us to draw near to him. He's calling. He leaves messages everywhere. A sunrise, a bird's song, a lover's kiss, a baby's smile. But we often miss them. We misunderstand his character. Underestimate the zeal of his grace-filled love. A love willing to invest time, energy, and commitment. A love so strong it bled on a cross.
God's calling. Do you have time to talk?
Dear Lord Jesus,
Our hearts hear you say, “Come and talk with me.”
Our hearts respond, “Lord, we’re coming.”
Amen.
Let's talk! What helps you feel God near? Please help us by sharing your thoughts.
Take it further . . . Some reading to help you sense God's presence:
- Psalm 27, David’s conversation with his Savior-God.
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (1611-1691), a monk who's help millions experience God's presence.
- Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King. The book and Bible study that shocked me with the truth. God's pursuing us!
- Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, a daily devotional from God's heart to yours.
Communication is a two-way street. And while we revel in the reality that we can always get through to heaven, our concern should be whether our Lord can always get through to us.
― Joseph Stowell
[1] Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King
[2] Sin―the wrong, selfish, ugly things we do―will separate us from God. We can't run towards God and towards sin at the same time. But he's a God of grace. When we turn away from sin and towards God, he's waiting with open arms. Remember the Prodigal Son?
Telephone Booth Image from: https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=89042&picture=british-telephone-booth
I feel closer to God when I am regularly reading and contemplating His Word the Bible. Last year, I went through the Bible in a year which kept me reading daily. I did not repeat that this year, and I've found my regularity drop off significantly. So I have found that reading plans really help bring me closer with God in regular Bible time.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post! The quote at the beginning is one I've never heard. You know how God got my attention recently. :)
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