Chill Your Grill and Turn on Your Listening Ears

I’ve felt a lot like Jacob lately. I’ve been wrestling with God. Did you know after Jacob's wrestling God gave him a new name, and he walked with a limp (Genesis 32). After Moses had been with God, the Bible says, his face was “radiant” (Exodus 34). These men encountered God and it was evident. It’s made me contemplate my own life.

As I’ve been searching God’s been tucking some things in my heart. I’m starting to believe our power and authority in Jesus, has a direct correlation with intimacy. Our faith is more than religion, it's a relationship. The most intimate one we should have, and intimacy grows with time, commitment, and energy.

In Acts 4:13 it says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” There is so much power in this verse. The way they lived their lives, the fruit they produced, the power they walked in, was a result of their time with Jesus.

Over the last few months, I’ve heard him calling me into a deeper relationship with him. He’s longing for our presence. I’m going to be honest. It’s been a struggle. This weekend I was listening to a sermon, and it spoke so loudly to me. The pastor shared the statistics of how much we’re on our phones. It’s hours a day! How many times a day do you look at your phone just to see if you’ve received a text or notification, check your social media pages?

My husband has looked at me before and said, “you’re addicted!” The visceral response that arises in me is a clear indication of the truth behind that statement. I heard so clearly, “Your phone has become your idol!” I cringed, but then started crying, because I know it’s true. The hours I’ve wasted, saving recipes I’ll never cook, 100s of ab exercises in aspiration to get my pre-baby stomach back, which let’s be honest…I’ll never do, and watching mindless videos.

It’s become this loud distraction in my life, and I think if you’re honest, in most of our lives. I’ve started wondering have we let the “loudness” of our lives drown out his voice? Has he been talking to us, and we can’t even hear him over the “noise”?

I have three small, energetic children. The noise is LOUD in our house! The chaos is real! I’ve said on more than one occasion, “chill your grill, and come take some deep breaths. You need to calm your body and brain down!” Only after sitting quietly and calmly can they really hear me. If you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve repeated yourself 25 times to no avail.

The picture I've been reminded of as I write is of my husband reading with our kids. I so clearly hear, “This is what I desire from my children.” He’s, our daddy. He wants us to crawl up in his lap and snuggle in his presence. He wants to read us his word, and get this, when we read our Bibles, he’s reading to us! He loves us so much. I imagine him sitting on the couch, patting the spot next to him, smiling, and inviting. He’s waiting.

I so often think about David. The Bible says he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel). He was far from perfect. His life was messy, he screwed up on more than one occasion, but always found himself back in God’s presence.

Whatever you’re going through, no matter what you’ve done, he’s waiting with open arms. He wants to wrap you in his arms and whisper in your ear. He’s a good dad, who loves you no matter what.

James 4:8 “Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you.”

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all of your heart.”

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”

First Love- Josh Baldwin

Gethsemane- The Revelation Room