I’ve probably mentioned before that God has often spoken to me through dreams. I understand this may sound strange to some, but years ago after much research, I found a strong Biblical precedent for God using dreams as one of the ways He directs our lives. So, as best I can, I try to listen and understand what God might be saying.
Daniel 7:1 reports Daniel "...wrote down the substance of his dream.” Therefore, I’ll spare you the nitty gritty details of my recent nocturnal revelations, and just say that I believe several of my dreams have to do with reclaiming something lost.
At the same time, what I’ve consciously been crying out for is a refreshing of God’s spirit. I am bone weary from months of difficulties, which have left me drained. My spirit needs a fresh touch from the Lord.
Lent is for many a time of reflection and self-denial. And so as Ash Wednesday approaches, I’m asking what I may do to remind myself of what Jesus has done for us all. What I hear is James 4:8: “Come near to God, and he will come near to you.”
“Come near…”
Ten years ago, just after I had one of the surgeries for breast cancer, our church held its annual event to honor mothers. Sadly, because of the recent surgery, I was unable to attend. A college woman in ministry at the local university, Mandy, was living with us that year, and she took my daughter to the luncheon. When they left that day, she had one of my small living room sofa cushions under her arm.
“Where are you going with that?” I asked as she headed out the door.
Mandy stopped. “We’re supposed to bring something that reminds us of our mothers, and you’re like my mother this year,” she said.
As I studied the sofa cushion, I wondered what she had in mind.
Mandy held up the cushion. “This sofa is where you have your time with God every morning.”
That sofa is long gone. After thirty years of pets, one more reupholster job just couldn’t restore the old thing, but that spot in the house is still where I go to spend time with God.
I’m wondering if Mandy were living with us today, though, if she’d still be reaching for a living room sofa cushion. Might she find something else reminds her more of me? Like my cell phone, or the computer, or, (this one really hurts) the TV remote.
As the Lenten season nears, my heart’s desire is to be near God. In fact, it’s more than a desire. It’s a desperate longing. So, I’m planning to spend more time in this old familiar place in the house to be refreshed and to reclaim what I’ve lost through these challenging months.
I’m saving a seat for God, too.
Because he promised if I came, He would come.
Daniel 7:1 reports Daniel "...wrote down the substance of his dream.” Therefore, I’ll spare you the nitty gritty details of my recent nocturnal revelations, and just say that I believe several of my dreams have to do with reclaiming something lost.
At the same time, what I’ve consciously been crying out for is a refreshing of God’s spirit. I am bone weary from months of difficulties, which have left me drained. My spirit needs a fresh touch from the Lord.
Lent is for many a time of reflection and self-denial. And so as Ash Wednesday approaches, I’m asking what I may do to remind myself of what Jesus has done for us all. What I hear is James 4:8: “Come near to God, and he will come near to you.”
“Come near…”
Ten years ago, just after I had one of the surgeries for breast cancer, our church held its annual event to honor mothers. Sadly, because of the recent surgery, I was unable to attend. A college woman in ministry at the local university, Mandy, was living with us that year, and she took my daughter to the luncheon. When they left that day, she had one of my small living room sofa cushions under her arm.
“Where are you going with that?” I asked as she headed out the door.
Mandy stopped. “We’re supposed to bring something that reminds us of our mothers, and you’re like my mother this year,” she said.
As I studied the sofa cushion, I wondered what she had in mind.
Mandy held up the cushion. “This sofa is where you have your time with God every morning.”
That sofa is long gone. After thirty years of pets, one more reupholster job just couldn’t restore the old thing, but that spot in the house is still where I go to spend time with God.
I’m wondering if Mandy were living with us today, though, if she’d still be reaching for a living room sofa cushion. Might she find something else reminds her more of me? Like my cell phone, or the computer, or, (this one really hurts) the TV remote.
As the Lenten season nears, my heart’s desire is to be near God. In fact, it’s more than a desire. It’s a desperate longing. So, I’m planning to spend more time in this old familiar place in the house to be refreshed and to reclaim what I’ve lost through these challenging months.
I’m saving a seat for God, too.
Because he promised if I came, He would come.