KEEP LOOKING FOR THE SMOKE

Am I the only one who wonders at time, "Do you hear me, God?"  There seems to be a huge wall of deafening silence surrounding me as I cry out to Him.  I keep searching for the "Burning Bush" or the "Mountain of Thunder"--why even the "soft whisper of a voice" seems to evade me.  




Reflecting back, I have been visited by God's soft whisper--and there was not one doubt in my mind--it WAS HIM!  But unfortunately, I am not easily content with the blessings from the past.  Instead, I find myself wondering, "Are you not speaking to me today?"  It never occurs to me, perhaps the finger should be turned around and pointed right back --squarely in my own face.  Perhaps I forget to search for the smoke--and listen for the whisper while frantically complaining about the bush not burning.  

We all have heard God speaks to us through His Word--and YES--He certainly does.  The Word is filled with truth and God uses it for us-

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16

God used preachers, teachers, and writers to reveal Himself to us.  All this is good and well, but is God my personal God.  Is God real to me only through second person revelation?  

NO--but my short term memory becomes a long term problem when I am wondering WHY? He is not speaking with me--One on One at this moment in time.  Where are you, God, when I am crying out?

He reminded me recently, He is right here.  I had forgotten all the ways He uses to speak tome---in His, "soft whisper of a voice."  And then BAM! He reveals Himself to me once again and I am struck with the wonder of the Greatness of God.

The Story Began

I am wide awake and it is 3:00 AM.  The same thoughts which often whirl around in my head are once again waltzing  round and round.  It is enough to drive the sanest crazy.  WHERE is the switch to turn off this reoccurring---unbroken---forever skipping record?  I am SO SICK of replaying these thoughts--and yet--the tape keeps rolling around the reel---the player is stuck on repeat---and I CANNOT get this out of my head.  I CRY OUT TO GOD---"HELP ME"---asking--no begging Him to take this from me--help me leave the past behind and move forward.  Finally exhaustion wins out and I sleep.

Fast Forward it is the next morning---after breakfast--and I am checking my email and messages.  I have a message from an old friend--I went to high school with him.  I occasionally hear from him--but it has been months since we had any contact.  He tells me this:

"Hope this finds you well.  You've been on my mind since you took your blog break, but this morning in my quiet time the Spirit really put you to the front for prayer.  I know you already know this so, I have no idea why but I am to remind you---The past is in the past.  We only have this moment in life.  Our past is what makes us who we are today.  God knows it all, He allowed us to go through it and stood near us while we did.  Start from where you are and go forward.  I guess no matter how close we are to Him once in a while we need a reminder.  Prayers and prayers my friend and Sister in Christ."

I could leave you with an Amen---but will add this--I cried out in anguish---he used my Godly friend who had NO idea what was going on to answer my prayer and without knowing why-he obeyed---

AND YES THE BUSH IS STILL BURNING!--PRAISE, GOD!



11 “Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,” the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.

I Kings 19:11-12

8 comments

  1. Of course, Lulu, God speaks to us silently through the voice of friends, relatives, sometimes the lyrics of a song we happen to hear, or something we read, or, sometimes, through just silence. Yes ... through silence we know He is speaking to us. Because when He speaks, He makes sure we understand it is Him speaking.

    Can you imagine if He spoke to us in a loud voice like He did to Moses, Abraham and the other fellows? I'd probably fall off my chair if I heard Him speak this way. Or if the phone rang and it was Him at the other end? I would not know what to say. Although I would wonder who is paying for the long distance phone call.

    God bless you. Praying for you right now.

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    1. Yes, Victor--even the silence cries out HE IS GOD!
      Blessings, Friend!

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  2. I love when God sends just the right person with the needed message at the exact time we need it most.

    And yes, it's hard to head straight into the future with purpose and confidence when we're endlessly gazing at the rearview mirror ...

    Praying for you right now, Lulu ...

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    1. Bless You, Friend. I pray for you as you pray for me!

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  3. I really needed to hear this today, I won't elaborate here. You where uplifted, now so am I. Isn't God grand?! Through the years I've noticed that Jesus doesn't just bless one person, He blesses many more at the same time. Praise His Holy name forever! Thank you for sharing.
    Hope your day is extra blessed too. ~:)

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    1. His greatness knows NO bounds!
      Bless You, Friend!

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  4. His still, small voice seems to sometimes get lost in the shuffle and cacaphony of our own minds, but He is still always there, still always speaking! I love this so much! Blessings!

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    1. His voice becomes like the birds in the trees--we quit listening for both.
      Love you, Sweet Julie!

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!