Desiring to Hear from God
I had been talking to the Lord about wanting to get closer to Him and feeling some distance. I hoped to reach the next level of interaction with Him. What caused the distance? Was it because of my distracted state of being or another fault of mine? What could I do? So I went into prayer to see what He might teach me.
In prayer, the Lord often talks to me through word pictures to reveal to me His truth in a way that I can understand. This way of interaction helps Him to break through my stubborn mind and helps to reveal to me what I’m actually believing or thinking instead of being stuck in what I think I know to be true. In other words, it cuts through my double-mindedness. The following is the word picture He gave me for this problem.
***
As I looked at my staircase leading to our bedrooms, I observed that the bottom portion from the lower landing downward had been entirely destroyed, creating a four-foot drop-off. There would be no way to access the stairs. The staircase in my home goes up from the lower landing another twenty steps to reach the top floor. This top floor is then open, with a railing overlooking a twenty-five-foot drop.
I had an understanding that if I could reach the top floor, this represented a deeper relationship and better communication with the Lord.
My feeble mind thought of ideas on how to reach the first landing. I quickly dismissed the idea of trying to scramble up it because it would leave me cut open and frustrated. I could build a new staircase to reach it, but I reasoned it would take too much time, and I wanted to hear from Him that instant. He also let me know I couldn’t take the easy way out and just get a step stool.
“What am I supposed to do to get closer to you? I’m getting frustrated.”
He answered, “I don’t want any of those solutions because those are all man-made answers. I desire to lift you up, to boost you up to the top level supernaturally from the ground level all the way up to the top level, skipping all the in-between. You can’t duplicate what I desire to do. To reach the next level of communication and interaction with Me, you need a desperate heart willing to listen. A desperate heart that does not rush ahead with their own man-made ideas. A heart desperate and still and willing to sit with Me for as long as it takes. Not a heart that wants immediate results and not a relationship. Desiring time with Me, not just favor and blessing.”
***
I thought about my current distracted, anxious and rushed mind, and its motivation. I had been operating from a place of demanding favor and not from a place of resting in His victory He had already given me. My heart was desperate all right, but it was desperately coming up with its own answers for difficult problems. I reasoned with myself, saying, “Well, if things were easier around here, then I would have time to spend with God.” When in fact the opposite was true. Life would be better only when I took time to be with God. I could reach a better level of peace, understanding, and long-suffering.
Why must I always grasp at my own solutions?
How obnoxious was it I thought I could will myself or work myself into a deeper relationship with God?
I don’t know if you’re like me and find yourself working harder to get what you want instead of the surrender that is required. You aren’t alone if you do.
We can get out of this trap. His requirements are simple, but not easy. Surrender of self and obedient walk with Him.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8, ESV)
I’m not saying that there is nothing to do on our parts to get closer to God. I’m saying we can’t use our good works to bargain with God. Christ’s system of salvation is entirely set up on grace not works. However, in pondering this endeavor to get closer to God, I think we can do things to humble ourselves and make ourselves more available to hear from Him. But it’s still not from a place of works, it’s from a heart posture of humility. I think if we desire closeness with Him fasting is a good place to start, paired with regular Bible reading and disciplined prayer time, but we need to be careful we are not trying to bargain with God. We need to make sure we aren’t trying to set up a system of if I do this… then God will do this… Because the principle of faith doesn’t work like this.
I fall into this mentality of works more often than I want to admit and need help not to wander back there again. Ugh.
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:13, ESV)
Perhaps I’d been making a few mistakes. Was I calling on him in truth or in my own distractions and warped sense of reality? Could it be this simple to call on Him and wait on His presence? Everything in the Word points to this as truth.
Help Lord, we desire to hear from You.
Prayer for you and me: Lord, we get stuck in our own truth instead of seeking Yours. Help us drop our works mentality and flourish in Your grace provided. We come with desperate hearts to hear from You and get close to You. Teach us, we’re listening. We repent of trying to work our way to You. Teach us a new way. Your way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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