“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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