God Wants to have Words with You

In the first chapter of First Kings, we read about Elijah's encounter with God. This story is one of my favorites in the Bible because it shows how much God loves us and wants to talk with us--even when we don't feel like talking back!

It all starts when Elijah runs away from Jezebel (the wicked queen) and hides out in a cave on Mount Horeb. He goes there to spend time alone with God, but he doesn't know that God has other plans for him: "The Lord came upon him" (1 Kings 19:9).

Later on in this chapter, we see that Elijah has been fasting for 40 days straight and has gotten pretty weak from it all--so much so that his servant has to help him walk down from Mount Horeb into Zarephath where he'll find rest again at the home of a widow named Zarephath.

The Voice of God

In the gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples that he must go away. They ask him where he is going, and he says that they cannot follow him now, but they will be with him later (John 13:36).

Then Jesus goes on to say something very interesting: "I have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now." What does this mean? It means that God wants to have words with us--but we may not be ready for them yet! He'll come back when we are ready; until then, there's work to do here on Earth.

The Father's Affirmation

The Father's affirmation is expressed in three moments:

• When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and God said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)

• After Jesus had fasted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him by offering Him all the kingdoms of this world if He would worship Him instead of God (Luke 4:1-13). But Jesus answered him saying that he had come down from heaven not to do his own will but rather the will of His Father who sent him (John 6:38). Then Jesus quoted Psalm 91 which says that whoever takes refuge in God will not be harmed by any weapon formed against them (Psalm 91:4-6). This showed that He knew exactly what His mission was on earth--to die for our sins so we could have eternal life through faith in Him

Union with God

In John's Gospel, Jesus is depicted as having a constant awareness of ongoing communication with God. In fact, he says that his relationship with the Father is so close that he knows what God thinks before God says it (John 5:19). This kind of union between Jesus and God makes it clear that there is no separation between them--neither in time nor space.

In other words, you can have a similar relationship with your heavenly Father if you are willing to follow His example and obey Him completely (John 14:15).

Paul's Blessing

In II Corinthians 13, Paul says that he has "been given a gift of communicating God's love." He also says:

"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away."

What does this mean? It means that when we focus on the gifts of the Spirit--prophecy and tongues--we can forget about what really matters: communion with God through love.

Jesus's Limitations

Jesus's limitations are important to understand because they help us understand his spirit. Jesus was limited in his physical presence on Earth. He could only be in one place at a time, and he needed food and sleep just like we do. But that doesn't mean that he wasn't able to make things intimate for his followers--in fact, it was through his spirit that they were able to experience intimacy with him

Prayer

Prayer is not about checking boxes or saying the right words. Prayer is about living with an awareness that God wants to have words with you, and it's up to you whether or not you'll listen.

If you want to hear God speak, then pray like this: "God, I want our relationship with each other to be real." Or maybe even better: "God, I need your help in knowing how best to live out my faith in this world."

Silence and Sound

God speaks in silence and sound. He has a voice that can be heard, but it's not always necessary to listen. Sometimes, God wants you to be quiet and listen to His voice.

Silence is not necessarily an absence of noise; it's a space where we can hear the other sounds around us--the birds singing outside your window, or even just the sound of your own breath as you breathe out slowly through your nose or mouth (and hopefully not snoring!). Silence is also an opportunity for us to listen within ourselves: what do I need right now? What do I want from my life today? How can I serve others better than yesterday? These are all questions worth asking yourself when taking time out for silence every day--or even just once every few days!

We can say that God wants to have words with you. If you are not sure how to go about this, try using the following steps:

• Take some time to be still and quiet. Turn off your phone and put away any distractions that may keep you from focusing on God's presence in your life.

• Ask Him what He wants to say to you today (or whatever day it is). Listen carefully for His response; He might use something as simple as a song on the radio or a friend calling out of the blue!

• After receiving His message, write down what He said so that later on when things get busy again at work/school/home, etc., they won't slip from memory as easily.

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