Finders Keepers
I sat in the bathroom with the door shut trying to take a quick breather in the middle of a long day. When the inevitable knock at the door arrived I had a decision to make. Do I answer? I could wait, as quiet as a mouse, for the person on the other side of the door to leave. Or I could ask, “What do you need?”
Oh, the temptation to keep quiet … Instead I answered, “Yes?”
“Mom, do seahorses swim fast?” my 2nd-grader asked, followed by the cry of my 3-week old ready to eat. I sort of answered my son’s question and directed him back to his task then scooped my daughter into my lap. As I laid my head back in the chair I prayed, “God, do you have time for me today? I want to hear from you.”
I was looking for that moment when all the stars aligned and I found an hour free from interruption to hear from my Heavenly Father. Not likely. But, God just wanted my heart positioned to hear from Him.
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)
It’s that simple. Sometimes I think I need to follow a certain set of guidelines in order to fully hear from God. Silence, solitude, a lump sum of time, Bible, pen, paper, the right lighting ….
But He showed me something different:
- David found Him tucked in a cave. (Psalm 142)
- Paul and Silas found Him in prison. (Acts 16:25-34)
- He met Jonah in the belly of a fish. (Jonah 2)
- He called Mary’s name in front of an empty tomb. (John 20:10-16)
God wants us to find Him! He’s not in a room with the door shut hoping to allude us. He will never think “Do I answer?” He longs to hear our call. Anytime. Anywhere.
My heart leaps at this revelation. God speaks. He speaks to me. He speaks to you. In the stillness or the madness. In the quiet or the crowd. He speaks. I want to listen. I know you do to. But how? Some practical ways I’ve found include:
Keep a Bible handy. You never know when a moment may present itself. Read one or two verses and chew on them. Don’t try to squeeze a whole chapter into a bathroom break. Stop talking (or thinking) long enough to hear what God may say.
So let’s listen … in the car on the way to run errands, or while we fold the laundry, or in the wee hours of the night as we rock the baby. If it means we have to let go of the fairytale quiet time every now and then, let’s do it, and simply position our hearts to hear from Him. Anytime. Anywhere.
Where has Jesus met you? Leave a comment, I’d love to know!
Where has HE met me? In the absolute unexpected places lately! I am glad HE meets me wherever I am. Thank you for reminding us of the true treasure of “simply positioning our hearts to hear from HIM”. Love this!
You are so right. It is a treasure!
It seems to me I find Him everywhere when I’m looking for Him, instead of running around putting out fires in my own strength. I think the heart of one who pleads with Him, ‘I want to hear from you!’ is a delight to God. Your heart for Him is always an encouragement to me.
So true — love that imagine of running around putting out fires … hits a little too close to home!
Great message ! I always get stuck in the thought I have to be in my bed – lamp on – very quiet – with my devotional book/Bible – etc I need to focus on stopping my mind from racing abt the million and one thing that need to be done long enough to “listen .”
Exactly!
“Let go of the fairy tale quiet” struck me. I have 4 kids and I find myself frequenting the same moments you write about. I can’t tell you how many times I have sat in my despair of laundry and unswept floors and said, “This is right where I want to be. This is exactly what I always wanted. Thank you God for those 4 messy blessings!” I’ve recently learned that Divine is often disguised as ordinary, much like the life of Jesus. Don’t wait for the spectacular, extraordinary to get your attention, but find it in the toilet you are cleaning with gratitude for the little boys who can’t aim or the purple nail polish that stained the dresser. I always wanted a big family and I was entrusted with some of the greatest little humans on the planet! Makes the laundry and floors seem like a small price to pay for so many gifts on this earth. Love the blog!
“Divine is often disguised as ordinary, much like the life of Jesus.” AMEN!! Love this Lacy, thank you so much for sharing!!!
Perfect for this season of life especially! I love these Wednesday morning chats at your table 🙂 miss you girl!