This morning, I had my daily devotional time, which normally runs 30 minutes to an hour. I usually start by reading Scripture or religious poetry, then use a prayer or meditation app on my phone, and close by sitting in silence to listen for God. During today’s listening portion, I asked God if it would be okay to reach out to someone from my past. My relationship with this person ended badly years ago, but there was lots of love there. They have been on my heart in recent weeks, and I’ve been writing and rewriting an email to them in my mind. When I finally asked God about sending the email, I got a very clear message – “It is finished.”
That’s not what I wanted to hear, especially if I might never see or communicate with this person again. But as I reflected on these words Jesus spoke from the cross, I felt a sense of peace in God’s “no.” I nailed whatever sin, hurt, fault and messiness from that relationship breakdown to the cross years ago. In turn, God has used the experience to teach me, draw me closer to Jesus, and help me bear good fruit that serves others. This is a form of resurrection, and it’s quite typical of how God works through our weaknesses. In the words of Richard Rohr, “Salvation is not sin perfectly avoided…; salvation is sin turned on its head and used in our favor.”
Okay, God. Message received.
A few hours later, a Christian friend just happened to speak to me about the power of asking God the right questions. We can get so caught up in making plans for what we want to do – or even what we think God wants us to do – without ever directly asking for God’s permission, opinion, input or desires.
Is there a question you need to ask God? Maybe a question you’ve been avoiding because you’re afraid of the answer? If nothing comes to mind, perhaps the question is simply, “God, what should I be asking you about?”
Then take your time, settle in, get “prayed up” and go for it. You may or may not hear a direct answer, but chances are there will be an inkling and, more importantly, an invitation to return to the conversation.
Adrian+