The night hours

I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. (Psalm 16:7,11)

We can never underestimate the peace our hearts experience when we listen to and follow God's instructions. God's guidance isn't always "consciously sought", for there are times when he just comes to us within the stillness or peacefulness of our night's sleep. We may not even realize he has spoken to us, giving us that much needed direction, until we awaken and feel what he has done.

As David says, "You are my Master! All the good things I have come from you." (vs. 2) When we refuse to make ourselves comfortable with the pursuit of this world's treasures, aspirations, or alluring temptations, we might just find we hear God's voice just a little clearer. What does it mean to "be at peace"? I believe it means we aren't swayed easily, like a reed that bends with each wind that comes along. We await God's wisdom and actively seek his direction. 

Why do we so often hear from God at night? Maybe it is because we are finally quiet and alone with our thoughts. It is as though he takes all the muddle of the day and sorts it out for us so we can see it clearly. The things that caused us so much worry all day seem to become less troubling as he settles out spirit, engages our senses, and refreshes our soul.

You will show me the way of life - perhaps all we can ask for is to come to know him well. Maybe we need life's entanglements and frustrations to be worked out, or it could be that we find ourselves with doubt and fear because we don't know what to do next. No matter the cause of our 'need' for his wisdom and peace, he remains the only way we will find it. Know this: God's voice may seem the clearest in the night hour because all the other voices demanding our attention aren't. Just sayin!

Hey, my prayers aren't getting answered!

I love the Lord for hearing me, for listening to my prayers. Yes, he paid attention to me, so I will always call to him whenever I need help. (Psalm 116:1-2)

We all experience times when we don't think our words are getting through to God - times when answers are delayed, times going from rough to horrible, and even times when we want to hear from him, but there doesn't seem to be anything coming our way. I haven't found any evidence in scripture that says God doesn't hear some of our prayers, or that he only hears certain ones. Even when the people of old were praying to him with impure hearts, he heard! It is important to understand there may be a reason for God not immediately answering. As soon as we can discover that 'reason', the better!

God will not listen to our prayers when we have unconfessed sin in our lives. "I cried out to him for help, and I praised him. If I had been hiding sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened to me." (Psalm 66:17-18). "Look, the Lord’s power is enough to save you. He can hear you when you ask him for help. It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them." (Isaiah 59:1-2) If we feel our prayers aren't being 'heard', the first thing we should do is ask God if we have any unconfessed sin in our hearts. Even if he hasn't answered those other prayers, he WILL always answer this one!

"We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him." (I John 5:14-15) Sometimes we have been praying so earnestly for things that are just totally outside of God's will for us. We might not realize it at first, but God will show us his will, and if we have been seeking things outside of his will, it is time to lay that line of seeking down at the altar. We can desire a relationship he doesn't want us to have - a thing we may have pursued with earnest but come to realize is not really taking us places God wants us to be either spiritually, emotionally, or physically. Lay it down! Don't hold onto things that don't agree with his will.

"You want things, but you don’t get them. So you kill and are jealous of others. But you still cannot get what you want. So you argue and fight. You don’t get what you want because you don’t ask God. Or when you ask, you don’t receive anything, because the reason you ask is wrong. You only want to use it for your own pleasure." (James 4:2-3) We can all be guilty of not even asking God for whatever it is we need, then blame him because we didn't receive something. We need to ask - according to his will, in his timing, and with faith. We also might ask for things for a very wrong reason - out of selfish ambition or pride. Whenever we do this, God cannot abide the 'motive' behind the requests. Don't expect God to just jump when you ask selfishly - his answer may be a resounding 'no'! Just sayin!

Teach us to pray

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”... And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:1, 9-10)

Teach us to pray. These are words of gold to our heavenly Father. They are words that will bring down the warriors of heaven on our behalf and send the enemy of our soul running in fear. Prayer is more about coming into connection with God has for us than it is us telling God what it is we need from him. We might think it is all about the request, but God knows in the request comes the opportunity to change things within our hearts and minds that need change. Yes, we express our concerns and bring our needs to him. Yes, we are free to express our fears and hopes. But...as we do these things, God begins to work in our hearts in ways we might not have even known we needed his work!

Boldness to come before God with our needs - even when we aren't quite certain what to ask, or what specifically we have need of at the moment. This is the privilege of his children - to come to their heavenly Father, opening up to him, and then pressing into him until we receive our answer. Will our answer always be exactly as we believed it to be? Not hardly! God's answers oftentimes come in the timing and ways we didn't count on. Keep on knocking, asking, and seeking - don't be afraid to be the 'pesky' kid who just keeps bringing their need before him. Why? For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Stop for a moment to consider the sequence of events Jesus shared here. Knock - there will be an answer. Ask - what we have need of is going to be fulfilled. Seek - for what is sought will be discovered. Did you ever stop to consider the answer we so desperately need might just be hinging on us having knocked, asked, or sought with this type of tenacity? James 4:2 reminds us we have not because we ask not. Don't be intimidated by the 'door' you see in your full view right now. Instead, pound hard upon it. Seek to have it opened. Ask and keep on asking. Perhaps that door isn't really blocking your answer - it might just be helping you to realize how much you need it and are willing to go after it! Just sayin!

Emotionally Charged?

A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

Our answers matter, so perhaps this is why God asks us to take time to consider the words we deliver. They can build us up, giving us just the right amount of encouragement to take a step forward. They can also tear us down, anchoring us even further into the doubts and frustrations we have at the moment. If we become angered with one another, it could be out of frustration, or even a feeling like we have lost some 'control' in the matter. When things cause us to 'spin' into anger, we say things we might have never intended to say. It is like a leaky pipe, at first not noticed, but eventually it will burst, leaving damage in its wake.

All of us get a little irritated at times, no matter how 'godly' we are. It isn't that we have a lifestyle of anger, it is just that we have moments when we are overly tired or overwhelmed by life, and our response may be a little less than 'godly' when things seem to 'prickle our emotions'. While anger may range from outbursts to words spoken that cut or sting another a bit, God asks us to allow him to help us avoid these responses. We cannot avoid anger on our own - we need God's help to continuously make us aware of our 'emotions' and our 'senses'. Emotions because they get 'prickled' and senses because they get 'fried' when we deal with things that are overwhelming us.

I will be the first to admit that a 'gentle answer' is sometimes the furthest thing from my mind when I am at that point of saying something in the 'heat of the moment'. I can attempt to 'bite my tongue', but it doesn't deal with the 'down deep' feelings I am experiencing. It just keeps those words from escaping that I would really like to say! When I take a moment to ask God to show me what another may be experiencing, and why they are reacting as they are, I can tell you with almost 100% assurance that he does. He helps me settle my 'down deep' feelings toward that person's reaction, and then he helps me settle the emotions, so I act kindly instead of reacting in kind toward the other person.

It doesn't come instantly at times. Sometimes I need to take a moment to breathe and then address the situation. At others, I need to completely restructure the situation - like doing something different until I find the emotions settled and the answers coming that will be kind and loving toward another. In taking the time to lean into God for my response, I always find them to be gentler, more grace-filled, and with less 'charge' to the emotions we are each experiencing. Just sayin!

But why? How come? When will it be?

 Someone once said they didn't know all the answers, but they enjoyed taking on the questions. I am kind of like that individual. I like the questions - they challenge my mind. I like to see what will come out of pondering an idea - if it will 'fly' or fail doesn't really matter - I just like exploring the idea until I can see it fully. It doesn't escape my attention that each child comes into this world with a 'blank slate' of a mind and before long that mind is exploring all matters of immediate interest. You remember those days if you are a parent - those endless minutes of question after question that seemed so unnecessary - but oh how necessary they were to that little one! As a parent, we might have been a little frustrated by the endless questions, interrupting our 'workflow' and challenging us with slightly odd things like why goats poop nuggets and horses poop 'clods'. Yup, those questions may not make a whole lot of sense, but it was their little minds beginning to understand not all things are the same - understanding what made things different was part of their mind's development. God isn't put off by our questions - even when they don't make a whole lot of sense. Even when they seem frivolous to us or others, God considers them extremely important to answer because he knows it is forming our understanding of him, how he moves, what he considers important, and how much he loves us.

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame connected to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; there was not anything too difficult for the king which he could not answer. When the queen of Sheba observed Solomon’s wisdom and the house he had built and the meat of his table and the sitting of his servants and the attendance of his ministers and their clothing and his cupbearers and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, it took her breath away. (I Kings 10:1-5)

 Some of our questions are really aimed at questioning what God is doing, or how he is going to do it. We want to know so we won't be all the surprised by the next thing that is about to come along in our life that will challenge us or get us inspired. These are necessarily 'bad' questions, but if the attitude is one of needing to control the outcome ourselves, then they are certainly not the right questions to be asking. God is always going to ask us to let him take control - there is no doubt about that one. We might just need to understand how God will move next because we are so intent on not missing even one moment with him, but to be truthful we are probably a little desirous to be 'one step ahead' of God's next move! The questions we ask actually reveal a great deal about our heart attitude at the moment. When we ask God 'why did YOU let that happen to me', we are likely asking because we 'blame' God for something that happened. We don't like the outcome and we immediately move into the 'blame' mode. God isn't put off by our 'blame game', though. In fact, he counters our question with a question or two of his own. Questions aimed at revealing our heart - our intent, our action, and our reaction. 

 There are times we will ask questions of God because we are kind of doing what the Queen of Sheba was doing with Solomon - testing him with 'hard questions'. In turn, he tests us and that can make us quite uncomfortable. As a little one, learning quicker and easier than any other time in my life, my questions were met with answers most of the time. There were times when the questions just didn't get answered though - in fact, I was 'questioned' to see why I thought a certain thing was the way it was, or why a certain thing happened when there was a precipitating factor. Why was I questioned when I asked the questions? Parents and teachers were helping me to learn - to reason things through, explore a little deeper, put two-and-two together. These were things I could 'reason through' because I had all the 'elements' of the answer - I just needed to put it all together in my own mind. Some of what God does with us when he 'turns the questions' around to us is just that - he is helping us put all the pieces together because we already know the answer - we just haven't allowed it to be fully formed in our minds yet.

 The next time we go to questioning God and he returns a question with a question maybe we need to keep that in mind - he is helping us to learn. He isn't dodging or avoiding the question - he is helping us to take what we already know and put it all together. In essence, he is bringing 'light' into our hearts and minds so we begin to see all the pieces that fit together and then he helps us to put it all together. We have that 'aha' moment - the evidence of knowledge being turned from mere knowledge into fuller understanding. So, learn on my friends!

Which way do I go?

There are some areas of town I really don't like to drive in because the 'intersections' of roads and freeways are just kind of hazardous to one's health and safety! The traffic comes at you from all directions - more than just east or west - it comes from about six different angles, each 'flow' of traffic expecting their own freedom of passage! While I recognize there were great engineers behind the development of these intersection points, I don't think they took into consideration the lack of attentiveness some would pay to these 'way points' in their journey. Sure, they are 'safe' way points - as long as one is paying attention to the posted signs and warning lights! Get distracted at all, or be totally unfamiliar with these places of intersection, and it is pretty risky business to traverse these way points! There are just times in life when we aren't pay as close attention to life's way points as we might need to - way points specifically designed for our safe passage, but totally reliant upon us being both attentive and obedient to the 'safe passage' directions we are given!

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. (James 1:21 MSG)

A couple of instructions for our safe passage are found in this verse - not for the safe passage at those city intersections, but at those 'intersections' in our lives where we are forced to make tough decisions or pay attention with a heightened intensity. At the center of it all is a listening ear - the ear is to lead us because it is attentive to instruction. To have a hearing ear, one has to have a focused mind - we rarely hear clearly if we aren't paying particular attention. This is one thing I have learned by having a hard of hearing parent - if she isn't paying attention carefully, she misses what is said. To share something important with her, I must first get and hold her attention. The same is so true in our own lives when it comes to God giving us any instruction - he has to first 'get' our attention and then he is challenged these days to actually 'hold' it for very long! There are so many distractions that it easy to be led by something other than the clear voice of God's truth!

The tongue is mentioned second because so many times when we are confused or only 'half-hear' something, we begin to speak and that only adds to the volume of 'noise' God has to filter out in order for us to actually begin to hear him! When mom cannot hear what I am saying, she begins to repeat back, or say something like, "Huh, what did you say about the..." Why is it that we humans seek to interject instead of letting those things sink in a bit? The thing I have observed is that she often hears what is being said, but actually begins to say she didn't hear it before she allows it to kind of 'sink in' a little. If she just pauses and considers what I said, she often gets a pretty good idea of what is being said. The ear may have missed something, but it really heard more than she may have realized. The tongue can get in the way of us hearing at times - so rather than leading with the tongue, allow it to follow up on what is heard - but not before we take the time and effort to hear. Yes, we may have to ask for things to be repeated, but the more attention to listening first, the less we will need to ask to have things repeated!

Have you noticed the clever ways those who design roadways and intersections actually choose the landscaping that is used at these transition points? There is a 'grade' to the intersection that is specifically designed for things like the speed of the vehicle approaching the intersection point and even the ways the headlights of each vehicle will reflect upward or downward as that approach is made. Some of the 'grading' of the landscape allows the right angle to be met for safe passage with minimal distraction by things that momentarily 'blind us' in that passage. The Word of God is a great 'landscaper' in our lives. The more we allow the Word to create the things that bring safety and safe passage in our lives, the easier it is to maneuver when these 'intersection moments' occur. We will always have these moments, but they are best navigated when the Word of God has created the right 'grade' upon which our passage can occur! Just sayin!

To everything there is a time

There is a right time for everything: A time to be born; A time to die; A time to plant; A time to harvest; A time to kill; A time to heal; A time to destroy; A time to rebuild; A time to cry; A time to laugh; A time to grieve; A time to dance; A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering stones; A time to hug; A time not to hug; A time to find; A time to lose; A time for keeping; A time for throwing away;  A time to tear; A time to repair; A time to be quiet; A time to speak up; A time for loving; A time for hating; A time for war; A time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 TLB)

In hindsight I can see how some years are different than others - going through them may be like riding a roller coaster of sorts, but when the year is over, I can look back and observe there were subtle differences in those months that passed. Zora Neale Hurston puts it this way: "There are years that ask questions and years than answer." You might find yourself in the year that asks more questions than are being answered right now. You might find you came out of one that seems to have all the questions posed in the last year being answered in the present. Either way, the years all have meaning or potential. 

What we find posed in the form of questions in one season of our lives can be the launching spot for some of the most meaningful answers at another. It is a mystery me how God does that, but he remains faithful to bring the changes in "season", not out of it! There is a time...no one can tell God when that time may be...but there is a time. There is a season...reliant upon his graces and goodness...but in that cycle, we find increase at times - at others a little lessening of the load.

Is it your time to plant this year? You know that the planting isn't going to yield an immediate harvest, but without the planting, there is no harvest. Have you come out of a season of tearing down and now you are entering one of rebuilding? The devastation left behind when the 'tearing down' occurred might make one think there is no hope or help in rebuilding, but rest assured - God provides both! Perhaps this is your season to find what has been lost, or draw closer to what you have come close to losing. 

The time to be quiet - the time to speak up - each plays an important part in any relationship. Learning which season you might be in is critical to maintaining the harmony of the relationship, but if it is the season to speak up, to hold back may stunt the growth of the next season! The time to love and find peace is good - we embrace both with open arms. The times that produce discord and unrest are harder and we want to push them away quickly. One does not exist without the other - one brings the tearing down - the other brings the building up!

I don't know the season you are in - maybe the one that is posing all the questions, or perhaps the one that seems to be revealing the long awaited answers. Either way - embrace it. Walk in it. This is a season designed for your growth - even if it seems like one that is just about to 'do you in'! Just sayin!

So, what's that you say?

William Wordsworth said, "Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar." I would tend to agree, for whenever I have needed great wisdom I find it comes in ways I rarely expected - from places I wouldn't always think to look, or even from the lips of a child. Why is that, I wonder? It may be God isn't always impressed with the more lofty answers - he seeks to inspire with the simple ones. The simplest of answers can be the ones that open the doors wide to great discoveries!

Yes, if you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you and knowledge of God himself; you will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting him. (Proverbs 2:3-5 TLB)

Sometimes it isn't that we cannot find the wisdom we need, it may just be we haven't simplified the question enough to really get at the answer. One of the things I frequently attempt to do is re-frame the question. Why? It may be in asking it in a slightly different manner, I get to the point of clarity in really asking it in a way the solution can emerge. There is no harm in asking questions - in seeking answers. There is definitely a drawback in never being willing to change up the question to make it clearer, or to get at the real point of the matter!

It was Wordsworth who also reminded us that it is the "wish to find out" that is more important than the "will to believe". It is that desire to get at the root of a matter that makes the difference between finding an answer for the 'right now' or an answer that will endure the test of time. When the individual just wants a quick answer, there may come an answer, but will it be the one that produces the outcome again with any degree of reliability? Not always! Sometimes we need the "tested answer" instead of the quick one! 

It is something we must guard against in our walk with Jesus - this desire to get the "quick answer" and not to wait upon him for the one that is more enduring. Both may very well be "correct" answers to the situation at hand, but one will produce a much better outcome! Just sayin!

Q & A

42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. 

(I Corinthians 15:42-44 NLT)

Do you ever hold back asking a question because you fear someone may ask you why you ask such "dumb" questions? When I conduct team meetings in which we have to look at the design of our work, or perhaps even redesign something that no longer produces the results we need to see, I ask the team members to not be afraid to ask questions. These questions are often those that will clarify an objective, get at the root of a system issue we must address before we can move on, or even just set into motion conversation that leads to new ideas. Truly - there are no "dumb" questions - just those that are "un-asked" because someone fears being judged for asking them!

There are lots of questions we can have regarding our spiritual walk with Jesus. We might wonder how many times we can be forgiven for exactly the same thing. Let me assure you - there is not end to his forgiveness and no two "sins" are exactly alike. Even though you think it is the same "sin", it is slightly different each time and his forgiveness is sufficient to wash us clean as many times as it takes for us to reach the point of forsaking that sin all together. We might wonder what happens to us after we die - where the soul "lives" after our death. It is a reasonable question. It suggests more than curiosity. No question is ever trivial in the eyes of God - especially when the "missing answer" is niggling at the heart of one of his children!

Let me assure you of this - I don't have all the answers and I ask as many questions as the next person. I struggle with understanding stuff that is kind of hard for my limited mind to grasp - not because I am dumb or it is hard for me to learn - but because it is stuff I cannot fully understand until I stand face-to-face with Jesus! The same is true for each of us - some things are just not going to be as clear as we'd like them to be. In those situations, we are called upon to ask our questions - then to trust God for the "fullness" of those answers coming in just the right timing within our lives. Trust is at the core of so much where it comes to our living for Jesus. We trust in his finished work on the cross. We trust in his blood to be sufficient to cover over each and every one of our sins. We trust him for everything - from "soup to nuts" as the saying goes.

I don't understand all the ins and outs of our broken bodies being buried in all their weakness, but being raised in newfound strength. I don't have to understand how it "works" to trust that it does, though. I can believe it will occur because I trust in Jesus. I can count on what seems impossible because God is the God of "all things possible". I know I have aches and pains right now, but trust there will be no room for those in my "heavenly body". It doesn't have to be all worked out in our minds in order for us to place our trust in God's power and goodness. I trust that gravity exists simply because I am not floating off into the outer limits of space never to be seen again! I don't have to understand "how" it exists, or even "why" it exerts the force it does - I just count on it being there and doing what it does!

In much the same way, we count on God being there and doing what he does - regardless of the questions we have or the things we don't give voice to that we simply are struggling to understand. It isn't wrong to ask the questions - it may require trust in the answer we receive though! Just sayin!

You're Invited

¹ God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? 

How do we get on your guest list? 
 ² "Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. 
 ^3-4 Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbor; despise the despicable. 
 ⁵ Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, 
         never take a bribe.  You'll never get blacklisted if you live like this."

(Psalm 15 The Message)

David was a man after God's own heart.  I often consider what this really means.  It seems that my "heart" can often betray me - so I am reluctant to "follow it" sometimes!  In all the practicality of day-to-day life, David takes a little time to listen to what God tells him.  He asks God a question, then he actually stops long enough to listen for God's answer.  I think that is what it is like to have a heart after God - not that we always make the right choices and live 100% perfectly, but that we give God the central place in our lives.

When David stopped long enough to listen for God's reply, he heard some very practical answers to his question.  His question was simple:  "Hey, God, how can a man be assured that he has a place in heaven?"  I think we may have asked that question a time or two ourselves.  He wants to get it straight in his mind.  That is the way most of us like to live - get the facts and then we know what it is that we are expected to do.  I have had an opportunity lately to lay out what my expectations for another individual are - in turn, that individual will lay out the expectations that are in their mind for me.  This gives us an understanding upon which to operate in our relationship.

Here's what David learned when he posed that question:

- Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.  Easier said than done, right?  Walk straight means that we set our eyes on the goal and we don't take our eyes off that goal.  I watched a cute movie the other day in which the three women were overweight, so they each had a "goal" that they kept in mind to motivate them to remain faithful to their diet and exercise plan.  For one, it was a bikini.  Now, that would not be my goal, but it worked for her!  Every time she thought about "veering off-course" in her plan, she pulled out the bikini and remembered why she was on the course in the first place.  That's how it is in our daily walk - sometimes we need reminders about where it is we are headed and then we just need to refocus a little.  Action is an outcome of focus.  Where we direct our attention, we direction our affection!  When we are honest with ourselves first, we find it easier to be honest with God and others!

- Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbor; despise the despicable.  Okay, we probably find it easier to be motivated to not hurt a friend than we are to do most things.  Yet, in reality, we sometimes do hurt those we love the most.  When we do, we have an obligation to make things right.  I am learning to live "current" in relationships - not toting a whole lot of "baggage" from past mistakes and missteps in relationships around with me.  Deal with it, get forgiveness, then work through the restoration.  That is how God planned for us to live!  Blame is so easy to assign when things are just not going well in relationship.  Have you ever said, "Well if he/she had not said/done that, then I wouldn't have responded this way?"  If you have, you are probably playing the blame game.  It is always easier to shift the blame than to assume it ourselves!

- Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe.  It sometimes costs us dearly to keep our word.  Especially when we have made a promise without really considering the cost!  I think that is why scripture warns us to not make a vow indiscriminately.  We can regret our vows when we do.  Living well involves us working well - applying ourselves, getting the job done, and doing it on the up-and-up.  We cannot always be motivated for the "what's in it for me" mentality.  We need to move beyond that to really doing things because it is the "right thing" to do!

So, when we actually stop long enough to listen, these may be the kind of answers we get from God.  The invitation today is to take time to really listen for the answers to your questions.  God delights in giving us direction - we have to be just as delighted in waiting upon him for that direction!  I have a friend that will come by the office periodically, notepad in hand, with the announcement, "You are on my list today!"  I humorously reply that I hope it is her "nice" list and not her blacklist!  I think that is how we often approach God's invitation to sit at his feet - we wonder if we are on his blacklist!  Just know that God's grace is sufficient to always keep us on his "nice list"!  Heed his invitation today - you might be surprised at the answers you receive!