Sunday, September 24, 2017

Steep Your Life In God-Reality, God-Initiative, And God-Provisions. You'll Find All Your Everyday Human Concerns Will Be Met. David Was Hurting, David Was Slipping and He Was Overwhelmed; Are You?

“My soul thirsts for the living God. When can I go to meet with Him?”  (Psalm 42:2 ERV).

King David was hydroplaning when he wrote Psalm 42:3-5. You see, things were moving really fast and he was losing control. David says,I’m on a diet of tears—tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, ‘Where is this God of yours?’…Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?” (MSG).

David’s Hurting, David’s Slipping, David’s Overwhelmed, And David’s Hydroplaning! Are You?

If the truth be told, I was there not too long ago. My challenges were a lot bigger than my resources. I felt like my faith was like a twin-sized fitted sheet on a king-sized bed; it just couldn’t stretch far enough to cover it!
I was overwhelmed and anxious. I felt like I’d never catch up on anything. I was falling behind in school work, devotionals; proper scheduling of engagements, etc…Everything just seemed too much! It felt like having 2 body parts being stretched into 20 different directions! But, I must say, I’ve been there before, and if truth be told, I’ll probably be there again. But today I wandered into this psalm, Psalm 42, where I was hit with a probing question which turned out to be the answer. Now, if you’re feeling yourself hydroplaning right now, maybe it’s an answer for you, too.

In Psalm 42:2, David Asks An Extremely Important Question, that I had to learn to ask likewise, he asked: “…When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV).

Like David, I needed to stop my spinning world and simply get away with God. So I got away with just my Bible and my notepad, and I met with God. That may be your Lord’s prescription for all that’s ailing you right now as well. Although many of you may respond, “No way! There’s just too much for me to do to just stop everything!” Well, that’s exactly why you need to! Whether you know it or not, you’re losing control. You have to slow down to listen to your Lord for an extended, uninterrupted, unhurried period of time if you’re ever going to get back on track!

A quote that has come to be one of my favorites is: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” (Lao Tzu). If you think about it, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, all come year after year, and neither ever rushes to get here, yet they come faithfully and consistently! “For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never stop.” (Genesis 8:22 MSG).

In other words, all the things that God has set or better yet “pre-ordained” for your life Will Occur, in their proper season! Habakkuk 2:2-3, "And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. IF IT SEEMS SLOW IN COMING, WAIT. IT'S ON ITS WAY. IT WILL COME RIGHT ON TIME." (MSG) Therefore, you need not hurry, rush, or attempt to bring forth fruit in the wrong season! If it is to happen, it will! Don’t make the mistake that many, especially those in ministry, are making…and that’s driving so fast up the mountain to reach the top, that they’ve missed the breathtaking scenery along the journey! In their hurry to reach the top of the mountain, to mount a flag of victory, to make a name for themselves, they missed all the “little miracles” along the way! They missed the clouds and the silver lining, they missed the calming powder-blue sky, they missed earth’s most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, they missed the flowers that determined to push their way through the dirt and sprout forth anyhow, and they missed all of the creatures, the creation and the Creator rushing to “create” something for themselves!

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” (Saint Francis de Sales).

I came to a startling revelation in my quiet time with God. He reminded me of all the ups and downs and circumstances that we call trials. He reminded me that TODAY not a one of those things is a problem for me. Why? Because He saved me and granted me wholeness! And for what purpose? That I run around the earth, under the disguise of “ministry” or “kingdom” work? No, so that I would be mindful of His promise to me:…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10 AMP).

Now, does that mean ministry/kingdom work is unimportant? Not at all! But the Scripture gives us the best advice:Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!” (Matthew 5:6 AMP).

And to add gravy to your mashed potatoes:If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think He’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, and God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll Find All Your Everyday Human Concerns Will Be Met.” (Matthew 6:30-33 MSG).

SO, STOP HYDROPLANING, GET IN HIS PRESENCE AND HUSH!

People of God, stop running around like a chicken with his head cut off! Life goes by fast enough, don’t rush and hurry through it, and don’t busy yourself so much that you have no idea where 10 years went! God will provide for you naturally and spiritually, so stop hydroplaning in all the wrong directions, stop wasting your time and your life!  Both of which you cannot get back once they are gone!

Take the time this week to write down what you’re feeling and thinking as you make it your most important business to meet with God and listen to Him. Ask Him for a fresh look at the people in your life, at the pressures, and at your priorities. Ask Him to help you see the forest again; because if the truth be told, you’ve been overwhelmed by focusing on all the trees!

In His presence, set some priorities. Make some plans and weed some things out. You can trust what you’re sensing in an extended time with God. This needs to be on a more regular basis.  

If you’re traveling at a high speed right now and you feel yourself losing control, first of all, SLOW DOWN! You need to carve out time away where your Lord can show you what He wants, what He sees when He looks at the people in your life, when He looks at the situations in your life, and when He looks at the needs in your life. Remember, you have to be still to know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10).

God is patiently waiting to talk with you. But are you too busy talking to everyone else to even hear Him?

Friends, you have no idea the calamities and dangers that could be avoided if you'd just take some time out to talk with God. To get His wisdom, guidance and direction. How many traps, tricks and snares you could bypass if only you'd reserve a little time just for Him. To take it a little further, if you'd stop and listen to the heart of God maybe this time you won't get your own heart - broken.

Believe it or not, but while you're anxiously waiting to receive that text, call, email, voice-mail, letter, picture, visit and the like, God Himself is standing like a wall-flower being completely ignored by the one person's attention He's trying so desperately to get...YOURS!

While you're running everywhere, all the time, for everyone, doing everything, a moment with God isn't even on your calendar! While you're preoccupied with titles, entitlements, elevations, positions, protocol and programs, God is patiently waiting just for a small piece of your time.

TODAY, determine that you will stop running and rushing, and relax in the presence of the Lord. He has time for you; won't you make time for Him?

There is more to life than increasing its speed.” (Gandhi).

Matthew 28:28-30, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG);

Mark 6:31, "He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while”—for there were many [people who were continually] coming and going, and they could not even find time to eat." (AMP);

Today, I challenge you to slow down long enough to ask a simple question:
…When can I go and meet with God? “ Then, if you’re smart, you’ll also take time to answer it!


Blessings
J.P. Olson

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