May 4, 2010

Few short bites this morning-

*I used to feel guilty that my prayer hour wasn't spent in a dark closet, rocking back & forth and waiting to hear an audible, booming voice from the Lord. It took me a while to figure out that God has been speaking to me all this time, regardless of whether I'm in a quiet place or changing a diaper. He is not restricted by atmosphere - that's simply an element that affects my focus.
I've felt like it's more respectful to try to spend my prayer time in a quiet place, if possible. The only quiet place in our house is my bedroom. Cozying up in bed without kids does not help me focus on the Lord. It helps me nap. So this morning, as I'm laying on the couch to get to my "still, quiet" place, I'm inevitably getting tired. God spoke so directly to me, telling me to "Just keep moving, just keep moving..." (it was actually to the tune of "Just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo. Apparently God's an Ellen fan, too). So a load of dishes, two loads of laundry, swept and mopped floor later, I focused on my prayer far better than I have in a long time.
He speaks to me, and I hear from Him, in a different way than I expected. He's still speaking, and I'm still hearing - and that's all He's asked for.

*I was praying a thanksgiving for the changes I've seen in Zach. They're nothing short of a miracle to our family. I was trying to explain to God just how exciting it is to see him bearing fruit, and had to stop and realize how much more exciting it is to God to see Zach bear fruit - who do you think planted it there?

*My talents do not lie in the understanding theology area. I can understand the parables that are pretty obvious, but find myself reading through ancient law and genealogy and just failing to understand the relevance of any of it. As a result, I have no opinion on creationism, speaking in tongues, baptism, etc. My talent lies in blind faith - I have no problem with accepting that my brain isn't equipped to understand God's full operations. Full understanding would put me on the same level as God, and that's not a place I'm designed to occupy. I've started to wonder if there is danger in this naive faith, and whether God would rather I thirst for the facts so I can represent Him more fully. Jury's still out on this one.