PART 3 of 8
SEEKING GOD'S HANDS: God's Provision
Not long ago, I went to the beach for some much-needed R&R. I checked into The Proposal Rock Inn at Neskowin, Oregon, unpacked, and immediately headed for the wet hard sand.
I stood there in awe and overlooked the ocean as the tide slowly but surely encroached on the land, devouring it inch by inch only to recede leaving the shoreline looking as though there was never an invasion of water.
For centuries, the sea has drawn many men to her bosom, beckoning them to “Come...come to me.” How many dreamers have stood on her shores and asked, “What lies beyond the horizon?” Only the brave have dared to venture out leaving the comfort and safety of land behind to see what lay ahead and out of the grasp of civilization.
I had come here spiritually to rest. I wanted to be alone with God and write; no housework, no TV, no stereo, and no computer...just God.
I didn’t have a place at home in which I could write that was conducive to the creativity bottled up inside of me. The ocean provides that environment and atmosphere for me.
I’d never dedicated four days just to be with Him. I said, “Father, it’s just you and me for the next four days. I want my writing to make a difference, so I need the words to be from you Lord, whatever you have for me, I’ll receive.
Although the cool evening breeze continued to blow in from the ocean, I felt warmth in my Spirit. The Lord had just confirmed His presence. My sandals scooped up the sand with one-step and deposited it with the next as I walked and waited on the Lord to speak.
After about ten paces, I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to shut out every semblance of the world. I wanted to be totally alone with God. I must have stood there motionless and quiet for what seemed like twenty minutes--but was probably only a minute or so--waiting on a response from the Lord.
Then it hit me. Even though I’d made this trip to be with Him for fellowship, the first thing I did was to seek His provision. Was my trip a pretense? I didn’t think so because my trip had a two-fold agenda. Is this why God wasn't answering me right away? Did He want me to figure that out by myself. Or was it even a problem.
I said, “I’m sorry Father. I’ve come to fellowship with you and get closer and the first thing I do is ask you for something. Please forgive me. I love you Father but I want to do right by you with the mandate that you have given me.” What I had just said sounded like an excuse, but without thinking, I spoke it from my heart and mind.
Deep from within my spirit I heard, “I know you love Me son for I look on the heart. It's okay to ask Me for things, for it is My good pleasure to give you the desires of your heart.”
I slowly opened my eyes and looked out over the water. I couldn’t help but thinking how the ocean was a perfect representation of God: the vastness, the greatness, the power, the deepness--all perfect examples of the awesomeness of God--and He’d just called me son!
Like the wayfarer answers the call of the sea and sets sail toward the horizon, so do we answer the call of the Spirit and set sail on the boat of faith to begin and develop a relationship with God.
As we embark on that relationship, we learn that He is no respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He’ll do for someone else. If we have the faith to believe that, we will please Him, for it is impossible to please God without faith.
In the early stages of developing a relationship with God, probably ninety percent of our prayers involve soliciting His provision for our lives or to put it more direct, we need something from Him. However, like the Father personally told me earlier, “...It’s okay to ask Me for things...” His Word says, “...ye have not, because ye ask not (James 4:2),” and to Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
When I first asked Christ into my heart, I knew that I needed a savior. As a new believer and coming from a messed up past, I was a needy person with a new found caretaker for my life, and I quickly learned that He loved me. In fact, He died for me, and nothing is impossible with Him.
Mark 11:24 declares, “. . .what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” So as I grew, I prayed for guidance, protection, deliverance, healing, financial matters, and a host of other needs. Here I was, treating God like my own personal butler instead of treating Him like my personal Savior. I sounded like an opera star warming up: mememememe.
When we seek God’s hands, we are at an ‘I need’ level of relationship. When we pray for His provision, we are praying for what He and His hands can do for us. What we need is to become like a little child and wean ourselves from milk to meat.
I came to the realization that all I was doing was just ‘taking’ of His provision. God gave me the desires of my heart but I was not giving Him the desires of His heart. Although I tried doing things for Him through the church and for people, I was like Martha with her many works. I did not seek the good part. There is a give and take in any relationship or marriage, without which, it cannot last long. God understands this but He does expect us to grow. Relationship is a process.
Is God’s provision all that there is in a relationship with God? To have a relationship with another person, in the natural, it is prudent to find out who that person is and who they are representing themselves to be. Seeking a relationship with God is no different because natural relationships release insights into our spiritual relationship with Christ. It goes full circle because Christ is the one who teaches us how to have a relationship with others in the first place.
Seeking God’s hands can be a one-sided relationship if that is all we seek of Him. However, by seeking God’s hands, we learn that what He wants to do for us is much of who He is. It pleases God when we ask for His provision instead of seeking the world's provision for our lives. . .but the goal here is to go deeper.
Let's go to a deeper level of relationship and find out who God is by Seeking God's Face.
3 comments:
Great post James. The beach is indeed a perfect place to rest in the Lord's arms and listen to His love song..Oh how He loves us..Oh how He loves us..just like He did when He created us..
God bless you,,,
Really Speaking i was on my Search for an Answer that kept me Troubled the last Few Weeks.The Devil was Trying to Put thoughts in my Mind, to Draw me away from my Goal and Vision, I felt very Lonely, Sad and Discouraged, many of my close Friends were not Responding, some were Distancing themselves, others were Busy in their own way, I went Alone to the Sea Shore close to my Home...I cried and Prayed, i knelt with my Hands Oustretched and HE said My Son You are not Alone,Look at each WAVE that comes to this Shore each has a Different Pattern, each one in Different from the Other, so are every man I created, none are the SAME, so dont worry if All Forsake You, I Will Never Leave You.
Then I saw the Crabs that were running on the Shore, some so tiny and some Big, but they were all Running and Hiding from me, as if i was going to harm them, then the Lord told me see My Son, they dont know you are not going to harm them, but they still fear you because they are Created to Protect them selves from Danger, the same way some hide thinking you are going to Harm Them, steal their Lives, break into their Safety and Spoil their Future.
As i Prayed the Waves were flowing through my feet, my eyes were very wet and Focus was Blured, then the Lord told me again, I brought People in your Life, to Help You, to Encourage You, to do what You cant Alone, I Choose them not You, so dont be Discouraged, Diappointed and Disheartened, Dont ever be Discreet,Despair and Down... For I have Great Plans for You.... I went back home in Peace, Patiently WAITING FOR THE TIME He has Prepared for Me.
May I take this Blog of my Brother and Good Friend JAMES WARREN to convey that God is Great and He really can Do and Do more than You can Ever Imagine, God Bless you Brother for your Love and Concern towards me , my Family and Ministry...e have Grown much Because of You, Thank You.Pastor Leslie Pinto.
Jim, I've thought about this concept of "knowing God" for a good long while. Now, with the risk of being misunderstood, it seems that seeking God is often wrapped in the sheer impossiblity of the concept itself.
In many respects, all that God choses to reveal of himself is captured in the stories of scripture and the life of Christ. Many times that's not enough for us because we want intimacy with a concept most of us will never fully comprehend. Not only that, the irony of it all is this - the more we think we know about God or understand about God is simply a revelation of how little we really do know God, otherwise, he would be God no longer - merely a representation of what we want him to be or believe him to be. For me, that's the danger of concepts such as intimacy.
Akin to this is the idea we hear often that Jesus is a friend. Of course it's true, as Christ himself said, you are my friends if you do what I command. However, we take that concept of freind and usually turn it into "buddy" or "pal" with little thought to the obligation of that SPECIAL friendship. Furthermore, we cloth the concept of friend around our often distorted and pitiful way we ourselves are friends to others.
Talking about God with human words is something that even God realized was impossible - hence - I AM. He's not definable he simply IS. If antyting, that is true intimacy.
Looking forward to your thoughts in the continuation of the series.
Post a Comment