2 Timothy 4:16-17
"At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength..."
Have you ever felt like you were just all by yourself even among dozens of people. Do you think that is even possible?
When I was about eight years old or so, I went to the mall with my mom and held her hand tighter than I have ever held her hand. When I was little I hated to be lost, it was probably my biggest fear. I never wanted to be separated from people I knew, and the mall to an eight year old can be the biggest place on earth. That day I was going to do my best to stay near to my mom.
We had been in the mall for a while and I began to realize that my mom was right near me, so I let go of my death grip on her hand and began to hover around her. Like any eight year old my eyes began to wander all over the store but I still could sense the presence of my mom within a few feet. A few minutes later I looked up to ask my mom a question and realized the person that I had been keeping close to was not in fact my mom. It was someone I didn't recognize and to say that I was freaking out would be an understatement. If you had heard the screams and tears you would have thought I had just been shot from close distance.
For about twenty minutes I screamed and cried for my mother who came running up to me with a mall security guard. She asked me quickly "Why did you wander away from me?" I had no answer but I remember thinking I didn't wander away from you, you left me. As I look back I realize now that I had wandered away from her and she had not left me. I experienced my biggest fear, not because my mom left me, but because I had not paid her any attention and wandered away from her.
Our relationships with God are a lot like a child getting separated from their parents. We get distracted and see things that catch our attention and wander away from God. Our biggest fear is being separated from God, but we allow ourselves to get lost. Naturally our reaction to this is that God has left us and is ignoring us.
This is usually when we begin to blame God and point the finger. I wonder how many times we take a minute and realize that when we are not hearing God's voice or feeling Him at work in our lives is because of the distractions in our own lives. How many times do we think that if we just focused our eyes on God like a child clutching their parents hands in the mall that we would realize that He never leaves us, He never forsakes us?
In my own walk with the Lord I realize that the times when I can not see God or feel God moving in my heart is because I am not spending time with Him. I am distracted and focusing on things that are leading me away from Him. Oswald Chambers says that we should "allow nothing to keep you from looking with strong determination into the face of God regarding yourself and your doctrine." Always seek to spend time with a God who desires a real and unique relationship with each one of His creations. God's heart for us is that we will seek His love and know that He has plans for us to prosper and never fail. Don't let distractions take you away from the perfect love, a love that wants desperately to speak into your heart specifically and uniquely.
Thought question:
Do you ever find yourself not hearing God and than blaming Him when you feel distant from him? What distractions keep you from hearing God's voice?
OH BOY ! This spoke to my heart today !!
ReplyDeleteI have been been the guilty one lately of letting go of God's hand, through all of the "busyness" of my life. I do not do this on purpose of course, but life just catches up and pulls me away or makes it so noisy that I cannot hear what He is trying to tell me. I have often called Him into question on WHY He lets things happen and I have many times told Him I was not all that fond of His timing, but I have never accused Him of leaving my side. His promise of never leaving me is one that I fully believe, even if I do feel alone.
Sometimes I need to hear a SHOUTING voice to get me back to the truth and where my priorities should be. Thank you friend !!