Clay in the Hands

Does God speak to you?  When is the last time you got a message from God?

Odd questions?  Maybe.  But I am not talking about an audible voice from the heavens (although I am not denying that possibility).  I am talking about getting a sense that God is guiding you.  That sensation that God is telling you something.

It might come through a message you hear at church.  Or perhaps through your time in reading scripture.  It might be a recurring thought that just keeps coming to your mind.

Whatever form it takes, God does still speak.  In fact, I believe God speaks more often than we know.

The issue is not in whether or not God speaks, the real issue is whether or not we are listening.

Thomas Merton said, “My life is a listening, His is a speaking.  My salvation is to hear and respond.  For this, my life must be silent.”

My life is a listening.  Powerful words.  I wish I could say that.  I wish I could tell you that my life is lived always listening for God to speak – passionately seeking God in all things everyday.  Yes, I try, but I cannot tell you that “my life is a listening.”

How about you.  How well do you listen?

Slow down and listen today.  God is speaking.  Will you hear?

What are you facing today that seems overwhelming?

Maybe it’s a new job.  Or maybe a new co-worker that just doesn’t see things the way you do.  Or maybe you are facing struggles at home.  Some may be facing physical difficulties – that news you didn’t ever want to get from the doctor.

Whatever you are facing today, stand strong with God’s strength.  Hebrews 10:35-38 says this:

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”

The righteous will live by faith.  That is a powerful statement.  And then the author follows it up with a visual image that has become very meaningful to me.  He says God will not be pleased “in the one who shrinks back.”

When you face those things that make you want to run and hide, don’t shrink back but instead, go head on into the midst of it with the confidence of knowing God is with you.  Live by faith.  Faith in the one who has your back.  Confidence in the one that has been this way before.  Trust in the one that is still on the throne.

Live by faith and don’t shrink back.  God is with you.

Be blessed today.

What do you do when not only every block on your month at a glance calendar has something in it but your day’s schedule has something posted in every time slot?

What you do is stop and pray.  Take a God break. There is nothing more important than our time with God and there is nothing you will do today that will not be benefited by your time spent with God.

When we slow down, even just for a few minutes and seek God, we receive clarity and focus.  What is really important comes into focus and we begin to realize that all the peripheral things are just that.

Sit back in your chair – – go ahead – – do it now.

Reflect on God’s goodness in your life.

Take a minute to offer thanks.

Now, back to it.

Be blessed today.

When the world crashes in, where do you turn?  When you get that call that you dreaded, who will be there for you?  When you aren’t sure how you will make it through the day, where do you find the strength to keep going?

All of us have seasons in life in which we face what we think are impossible struggles.  Maybe it’s just a bad day or maybe its more than that.  Regardless, difficulties are a part of life.  They come our way and there is nothing we can do to control them.

So where do you turn?

Let me suggest that there is hope in difficult situations.  There is hope in the face of impossible odds or impassible obstacles.  Jesus came to give us that hope.  What he offers us is life – real life – eternal life.  He offers us life beyond our struggles and life in spite of our obstacles.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 reminds us that what we see with our eyes is only temporary.  Our hope comes in remembering that we don’t put our trust in what we can see but rather in what we can’t.  All our troubles are just temporary.  What God has in store for us is so much bigger and better than anything we can see or even imagine.

So regardless of the struggles you are facing in this moment – take heart – have hope.  God is at work all around you and what is in store for you is so much better than these temporary circumstances!

Be blessed today!