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Hey, Get the Phone! (It's for You!)
by
Bill Walker
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’m sure most, if not all, of you know this old story, but I’m going to
tell it anyway. (Don’t stop me if you’ve heard it!)
Two old prospectors are arguing over the best way to train a pack mule.
The first one maintains that you have to be extra firm with a mule from
the beginning—just to let him know who is boss right away.
The other prospector maintains that you have to be gentle to win over a
mule; you have to speak to him softly and sweetly. Then, he says, you
can get the mule to do anything.
The first prospector doesn’t believe a word of this and asks the second
to demonstrate.
The second guy agrees and then picks up a log and hits the mule square
on its head.
"What do you mean—be gentle?" the first one asks. "Is slugging him in
the head being ‘gentle’?"
"No, sir," the second prospector replies. "But first, you gotta get his
attention!"
Now, my point in telling this story is that it is an analogy for how I’d
like for the Lord to speak to me. No, I’m not a masochist. I don’t want
the Lord to hit me with a 2x4 across the skull. I just want Him to get
my attention and let me know He’s really, really there and He’s really,
really speaking to me! Really! Perhaps some of you will be able to
identify with me.
A much better example might be the dramatic way God spoke to Moses:
"Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father--in-law, the
priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and
came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of GOD appeared to him in
flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush
was blazing away but it didn't burn up.
Moses said, ‘What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why
doesn't the bush burn up?’
GOD saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the
bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’
He said, ‘Yes? I'm right here!’
God said, ‘Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet.
You're standing on holy ground.’
Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, the God of Jacob.’
Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God." (Exodus 3:1-6 The Message)
(As a side note, I especially love the King James version of Exodus 3:5,
where God says to Moses, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." The
old language in all its majesty seems to fit a God moment like this.
Hey, if He spoke to me that way, I would make sure I drew "not nigh
hither" and I’d take off my shoes from off my feet in record time!)
And what if God spoke to us like He did on the road to Damascus one day:
"When Saul had almost reached Damascus, a bright light from heaven
suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice
that said, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you so cruel to me?’
‘"Who are you?’ Saul asked.
‘I am Jesus,’ the Lord answered. ‘I am the one you are so cruel to. Now
get up and go into the city, where you will be told what to do.’" (Acts
9:3-6)
Of course, you must understand that in Saul/Paul’s example, I’d just as
soon skip the 3-day blindness part (see Acts 9:8-9), although the 3-day
fast might do me some good.
Am I being clear? The point I’m trying to make is that, from time to
time, I’d like one of those Cecil B. Demille, Ten Commandments, Charlton
Heston/Moses experiences where, "wooo hooo!", there ain’t no doubt that
"God is in the building."
But then I realize…
First, I’m sure that, like me, if you’ve been a Christian for any length
of time you’ve had moments when the hair stood up on the back of your
neck; when you’ve gotten "goose bumps"; when the arrangement of events
have led you unmistakably to the conclusion that HE HAS SPOKEN. And you
didn’t need any wide-screen, Technicolor, or Dolby Digital sound to tell
you that!
Secondly, I realize that what I really want is not these 3D/IMAX
encounters with God which may come only once in a lifetime if at all
but, instead, the regular, intimate relationship with God that Adam and
Eve had with Him in the Garden. They lost this close relationship
through Sin, but you and I have regained it through the death of
Jesus—the second Adam. His death was the sacrifice of the Ultimate Lamb
to atone for our condition. His resurrection and ascension to the Father
and our receipt of the Holy Spirit was our salvation, and the total
reason that God now sees us without blemish. When He looks at us He sees
Jesus, and Jesus is our Mediator.
So, if we’ve regained it, why don’t we seem to have it, and how do we
possess it?
God gives us the answer: "'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you
great and unsearchable things you do not know.'" (Jeremiah 3:3 NIV)
God delights in revealing Himself to us, and He promises to answer if we
call on Him.
Too simple? The Gospel, or Good News, of Jesus Christ IS simple: God
does it all because we can do nothing. My relationship with God, through
my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, began with an admission and a request.
When I admitted my Sin condition and my total incapability to deal with
it on my own; when I expressed my belief in Jesus as my Savior and
Mediator; when I accepted Jesus’ death on the cross as full payment for
my Sin—past, present and future, I also turned the direction of my life
over to my Heavenly Father. It is by grace and grace alone.
And that responsibility, which I cast on Him, also includes the
establishment of a truly intimate, moment-by-moment loving relationship
with Jesus Christ.
If I don’t have such a relationship, I must ask Him to build it. "Lord,
I want to experience You, to walk with You, and talk with You, and HEAR
FROM YOU moment-by-moment every day of my life. Lord, as with all things
I admit my inability to do this. I ask that You draw me close to You.
Make me instantly aware of Your voice when You speak to me. Empower me
to practice Your presence wherever I am; whatever I am doing."
Don’t argue internally about this. Don’t say, "Oh, I’ll try, but…" Just
pour out your heart to Him. Persist in this attitude. Don’t try it for
awhile. Adopt it as your own. Just as your salvation came after you
asked God, you must ask God to do this for you. We couldn't save
ourselves and we cannot live any part of the Christian life by ourselves
either. Salvation began with God and our walk with Jesus comes in the
same way.
Read John 10. We are the sheep of Jesus the Shepherd. Tell Him, "I am
one of Your sheep, Lord. Let me recognize Your voice."
And when you do, mighty things will begin to happen in your prayer life.
There’s a song by Twila Paris which speaks powerfully about the
intimate, sweet times that can happen when we draw away from the crowd
and simply ask God, "What do You have to say to me today?"
The song is "When You Speak To Me."
"When You speak to me
When I take the time to listen
There is more than what I think I feel
"When You speak to me
When I sit and still the motion
There is nothing left but what is real
There is an answer to every question
The answer is You
"And the heavens open when You speak to me
Pouring light into my waiting heart
And the music fills an ocean silently, quietly
When you speak to me
"When You speak to me
When You call me and surround me
There is peace to cover any pain
"When You speak to me
When You place Your word inside me
I am filled and I am strong again
There is a reason for every longing
The reason is You
"And the heavens open when You speak to me
Pouring light into my waiting heart
And the music fills an ocean silently, quietly
When you speak to me"
My brothers and sisters in Christ, I know you long to
commune with Him--deeply, intimately and regularly. And there is a
reason for this longing: Him. God longs to have that relationship with
you. When you are there, the heavens will open for you. He will surround
you. He will pour light into your waiting heart. And He will place His
word inside you.
Take the time to listen to Him, right now.
Love,
Bill
About the Author:
Bill Walker (Brother Bill) is the creator and webmaster
of Sarcalogos. This site was created to offer Christian encouragement
and inspiration, as well as Christian ministry resources. This article
may be freely reprinted in your ezine, e-book and/or your web site so
long as it provides a link back to
http://www.sarcalogos.com.
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