A Walk With God (Part 2 - continued)

I will start with the analogy of being hard of hearing.  I have hearing loss in both ears equal to 40-45% of normal hearing.  The doctors believe it was the result of being born premature.  As a child, I would sit in the front row of the class to hear my teachers.  I have learned to read lips.  I study body language.  I had speech therapy as a child.  I have worn hearing aids at times and currently mine are not working properly.  (Most health insurance policies do not address hearing loss and replacing my hearing aids is expensive.) 

  In order to hear others I have to work hard at it.  I don’t believe we have to work hard at hearing the Lord.  Hearing the Lord starts with asking Him to speak to you.  It starts with praying to Him on a regular basis and “listening” for His response.  So often, His answer comes through others.  You receive a telephone call from someone you need to ask for forgiveness and you have been estranged for years from that person.  You pray for God’s will in your life and doors start to open. As you seek God’s will in your life, you see the door you need to walk through, but you need His help to have the courage.

  What are the best hearing aids available for hearing God in my estimation?  The Bible and prayer!  If you know this passage (paraphrased), I ask you to remember it and think of it early, often and late:  Love God with all your heart, all of your mind and all your soul.  I know this instruction seems virtually impossible to many of us especially if we don’t feel like we know God or if we feel like He has hurt us in our lives.  Maybe you feel like he has been absent.  But, I know if you ask Him to help you love Him, help you know Him (personally), He will show up.  He always does.  And don’t forget the 2^nd part of this passage that Jesus gave us, “love your neighbors as you love yourselves.” 

  What I have come to understand is we do need to listen for Him.  When I started listening hard for the Lord, I began to hear Him more and more frequently.  Over time, it has become a lot easier because I have grown to recognize His words and presence in my life and in the lives of others around me.  I have actually seen miracles in my life and in the lives of others.  I am very thankful for that.

  The toughest news in this is that once I starting seeking the Lord in my life, my life has not been easier.  If anything I would say it has been harder, significantly harder.  Stuff that I thought was mine, started going away.  Some of the people I trusted most in my life I came to see in a very different light.  By the way, per God’s word I am still called to love them, to forgive them and I do.  It isn’t easy, but it is God’s word and God’s will for me in my life.  In fact, it is those people in my life that are most difficult to forgive and most difficult to love, that I HAVE to forgive and love.  As Jesus shared with us, it is easy to love our family and friends, it is a whole new way to love our enemies.

  I started praying months ago about being reunited with my family.  I had been working and essentially living in Charleston, SC for the past 17-1/2 months.  My family has been in Atlanta.  I was not going to bed next to my wife or waking up beside her.  I missed part of our youngest daughter’s sophomore year and all of her junior year in high school.  Our oldest daughter had been overseas doing mission work and adopting our precious Granddaughter.  When she came home to Atlanta, I was living in Charleston and so I have missed precious time with them too.  I asked God if I should remain in Charleston and if so I would.  I asked God to give me some signs.  I wanted to be sure I was doing what He wanted me to do and not just doing what I wanted.

(to be continued)