But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, so I can tell about all You do.
Psalm 73: 28 (HCSB)
Scripture: Psalm 145
Knowing what God wants for our lives is sometimes difficult to determine. However, God will draw near to us to draw us to Him. This devotion looks at how God can initiate the contact to bring us to Him.
I have to tell you a story that happened a couple of months ago. I knew I wanted to move, but I was still on the fence as to whether God wanted us to move. I started packing, even though we had no clue as to where we were moving to or even staying in this town.
What I Heard
I heard one line after I had turned the car on before the radio station cut to a song. I don’t know who said it. It went something like this, “We draw near to God as He draws near to us.”
My first thought was that God initiates the contact. He pulls us to Him.
Where I Was
You have to put this into context. I was at Walmart. Along with my groceries, I was buying some bins to pack up for the move.
I knew I wanted to move. Adam was still on the fence a little. We had no idea if or when we were moving.
We had moved into the old place the year before. I had always thought it was the premiere apartment complex in Springfield.
Well, it may have been at one time. It wasn’t now.
Adam loved living there. He was fine with moving because he wanted me to be happy. So, he was good either way — staying or going.
My Conundrum
I was stressing because I was wondering where my priority should be. Should I focus on finding new living arrangements? Should my focus be, instead, getting the website and blog up and running? Should I be Herbert on my hamster wheel, as Adam calls me, and do both?
I figured we were going to move sooner or later. I could pack stuff we didn’t use except once a year and get a head start. I had done this two moves ago. That way I didn’t have to rush to pack everything at the last minute, like I had the last move.
My Shopping Trip
When I did my grocery shopping, I would buy bins. I figured I would do a better job of not taking any little critters with me if I didn’t pack boxes.
That trip, I bought three bins, which filled up my shopping cart. I had to put the bags of groceries into two of the bins. Unfortunately, I couldn’t lift one of the bins out of the cart to get it into the back seat of the car.
A guy who was driving in his truck looking for a parking space saw me struggling with my bin. He stopped in the middle of the lane, got out, and lifted my bin into my car. No, I didn’t flag him down. He just saw a damsel in distress and came to my rescue.
Angel, another Christian, just an ordinary man — who knows? At that point in time, he was someone I really needed.
Then I hear the one line. God has no problem coming to us when we need Him.
What Did This Mean?
Once we ask God to be our Father and Jesus to be our Redeemer, that isn’t the last we hear from them. God is this hands-on Father. He watches over us.
God gives us what we need. Sometimes, it isn’t especially what we want, but He knows it is what we need. He provides for us.
At the right moment, God also encourages us. He either nudges us or puts someone in our paths that will say exactly the words He wants us to hear — or just lift a bin without saying one word.
After I heard the one line on the radio, I just sat there in the car thinking, God is going to take care of us. I am seeking Him, looking to do His will. He is going to acknowledge that and show me His way. It may not be on my time table, but it will be okay.
God Does Make His Ways Known
Sometimes, it isn’t easy figuring out where God is calling us and what He wants us to do. In fact, it is really fuzzy. But He will make His ways known to us.
When I first started feeling like God was calling me to do something with the devotions I had written, I kept encountering closed doors. I asked my ladies a couple of times, “Is it God talking to me or the devil?”
Then I wanted out of where we were living. But I knew finding a place, packing, moving, and unpacking would take a lot of time away from starting the blog.
I really needed God’s guidance as to what He wanted me to do.
It is easy to think God is always going to have clear road signs and flashing lights, even flood lights, to point our direction. It doesn’t happen that way, worse luck. He is more subtle than that.
We have to actively seek God’s will for our lives. It has to be us looking.
But God isn’t going to hang us out to dry. He is going to keep working with us until we know what His Will for our lives is.
God doesn’t play hide and seek with what His will for our lives is. Rather, He makes sure that it is our choice. He doesn’t force us into a relationship with Him. He doesn’t make us do His will.
Instead, God is a loving heavenly Father Who has the best in mind for us. We just have to actively seek Him and accept all of His gifts and blessings.
God answered my questions. Just a couple of days before I had to give the two-month notice at the old place, we found the new place. It is bigger, nicer, and cheaper. I played Herbert and was able to do both blog and move without losing too much hair.
Thank You, God, for being a hands-on Father.
Gracious Heavenly Father. You are the supreme ruler of the universe, yet You ensure that little needs that we have are taken care of through Your working out situations to fill those needs. That You are even mindful of us is amazing. That You love us and take care of us is humbling. Thank You for setting Your plans in motion, plans that are for our good (Jer. 11: 29). We thank You that You set the plan of salvation in motion even before the first sin was committed. Forgive us we get on our hamster wheels and put these lives above Your kingdom plans. Thank You for drawing near to us and drawing us nearer to You. Amen.
What do you think? When has God drawn near to you first? How did He do that? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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