Hello everyone! Welcome to our May series, Friendship with
God. As you probably know Lynn, Angela and I have been praying about this
series. I’ve been asking God to tell me where to start. What are his words?
What does he want us to know about friendship with Him.
I sat in my living room Saturday, reading from a devotional
booklet and praying again about this series as my daughter watched a cartoon.
Never did I expect God’s voice to breakthrough at that noisy moment, but He did
and this is what He told me:
“Tell them they don’t have to be perfect to come to me. I
want them just as they are.”
Wow! As a recovering perfectionist, this spoke right to my
heart. Don’t we do that…strive to be perfect, thinking we’ll be more acceptable
to God? If I do this, God will love, accept, bless me… When I fall into this
trap, I remind myself that I can’t make God love me any more or less than He
already does.
Sometimes we totally miss the point of why Jesus came. I
know I did for a long time. I knew in my mind that Jesus died for me, but my
heart still hadn’t accepted that truth. And I didn’t even realize it until one
day Jesus whispered in my ear through a song of worship and told me he died for
me. He even used my name, and let me tell you, when God uses your name, you better
pay attention, because it’s going to be big!
So here is where we start. Throw off the expectations and
lofty standards you’ve placed upon yourself.
“Those are not your burden to carry.” (Wow, again! God spoke
this to me as I was typing the sentence before it!)
Get rid of them, then find a quiet spot and imagine that
you’re sitting at Jesus’ feet. Tell Him you just want to sit there and soak in
everything about Him, that you want to know Him like you never have before.
Then be still and know Him. Close your eyes and if you find
your mind wandering, speak his name out loud to refocus. You can even use a
breathing prayer, and say His name as you exhale.
And in your heart, place one sole desire. “Lord, I want to
know you deeper than I ever have before. I want to walk with you as a friend.” Make
this moment just about you and God, and leave the prayer requests for when
you’re done with this special time just for the two of you. If you like to
journal, I’d like to encourage you to write about your time with God, and
anything that seemed important at the time.
And like your favorite shampoo and conditioner say “repeat,”
repeat, repeat, REPEAT! The best way to know God and know Him as a friend is to
spend time with Him and his Word. You will always find Him when you seek him!
Here are some thoughts to ponder after you meet with God:
- Did you find you “felt” more connected to God than you have
before? Try to describe what was different.
- Did He tell you something specific, something He wanted you
to know?
Whenever you sense God telling or showing you something, jot
it down either in a journal or in the margin of your Bible near the Scripture
that maybe sparked it. Be sure to date your entry as well. Then you have a
spiritual history to go back and reread. As God told the Israelites to
remember, He wants us to remember, too.
Praying and believing,
Dineen
Also catch my post over on At The Well, where I answered this question:
I am a spiritually single mom with 2
children trying to love and walk with the Lord while being submissive to
my unbelieving husband. Any encouragement or biblical teaching would
be much appreciated.
Dear Spiritually Single,
First, let me say that your desire to love and walk with the Lord
while being submissive to your unbelieving husband is a huge step. This
desire is the spark God asks for so that he can supply the strength and
wisdom for you to travel this path. It’s not an easy one, but I find
the richest paths of life are often fraught with challenges and trials.
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