On The Riverside
The silence that a person has when in nature is awesome. Yes you
end up hearing leaves, water, animals, and other things, but
it's truly remarkable how peaceful the forest is. People these
days really have no clue how marvelous everything is when we
allow God to show us through his heart. If we listen and
meditate on God long enough, he's sure to say something to us.
We have to be willing to listen though, and not discount what is
being said. Satan will do everything he can to keep us from
listening to God.
I was walking down a path next to the river. While walking, I
started asking God to reveal what it was he had in store for me;
what exactly it was he wanted from me and our relationship. I
knew that I needed time to allow Him to talk and for me to
listen, so I started to look for places along the bank to sit.
There were plenty of trees, bushes and other forest-like things
that blocked an open spot. It was rather warm next to the water
and the breeze that flowed through the trees gave an awesome
feel to the air. Walking down the path, I had already started
asking God to sit, and show me things he wanted me to know. I
soon looked down and saw three snapping turtles. They were lying
on the driftwood in the water, basking in the sun. As reptiles,
they need to find ways to stay warm, so it's always been
interesting to me to watch them.
God said, "Sit here, and we'll talk."
As I went to clear a decent spot and sit down, all the turtles
scurried off into the water. I sighed a little because I wanted
to watch them a bit more. So I sat down, closed my eyes, and
started to pray. I thought about the horrific details of Jesus'
crucifixion. The torture, beatings, physical weakness, and
emotions of this day became real in my mind. This was the first
time I truly understood what happened to Jesus on that memorable
day. He did this out of obedience to the Father, love,
compassion, duty, and our future relationship with us between
himself and God. When Jesus understood the weight of the sins he
was taking responsibility for, he asked God as his Lord, not his
Father, why he had forsaken him. This had to be one of the
hardest things God had to do. He turned his back on his only
begotten son. I imagined myself having a son, and the feelings I
would have if I had to allow him to be sacrificed for something,
and for me to lose him in every way I know him to be. I don't
know about anyone else, but I don't think I'm even close to
being that strong. I couldn't do it. That in itself tells me
that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the only ones that can
give me strength in my faith. Glory to God...
While sitting and praying, I would periodically open my eyes and
look to see one of those turtles making its way back up onto the
log. Every time I would move just the slightest, it would dive
into the water. I watched this happen several times before I
heard a voice telling me something important. I listened
intently to that message, and there were actually two parts.
Both were very vivid and strong.
Noticing how the turtles were so skittish, I started playing
with them in my own weird way. I tested how much movement I
could make before it freaked and took cover under water. Almost
like a brick up side the head, this is what I got:
When God starts working in our lives; we tend to get scared and
take a dive. He moves in so many ways in our lives that it still
amazes me each time. We back away from a situation that God has
called us for in fear of failure, and not wanting to get too
involved. We mostly don't like our little world changed and
uprooted in what we believe. Once we're under cover and feel
like we no longer have to do what God wants of us, we climb back
up and ask in a fraudulent way for God to work with us. As soon
as he does start working, we head for cover again. Each time God
tries to get our attention it's in a different way. He'll move
boldly at first, and then try a more subtle approach later. Just
like I tried to move with more subtle gestures, well it's the
same with God. He'll do whatever it takes to get our attention,
and eventually it's going to be a bold statement if we won't
listen.
We don't tend to like how God is doing his work and that the
sacrifices he calls of us. We're comfortable just going to
church on Sunday without actually having to impact someone
else's life. We as human beings put God on this pedestal, we
fear him in the wrong ways. This fear causes us to back away
from God and not allow him to nurture our spirit. Fearing God
isn't a fear of his grand power. It's kind of like a respect we
would have for a person we know in our life that has had an
impact on us; someone that we agree with on moral issues,
wisdom, and whatnot.
One thing though, God only gives us what He knows we can handle,
and he never gives up.
The next thing on the agenda God wanted to cover was that no
matter how many times our circumstances seem to get the better
of us, we'll overcome that obstacle. It's a struggle sometimes
to keep our eyes on the prize; the eternal life with God, but
our focus should be for that power over our weaknesses. We must
allow ourselves to be strong in what we believe, and know that
there is an end to the current madness.
When we are in the valleys of our life, it's like being under
water. We feel like we can't breathe, our chest is tight and we
can't come to the surface for that refreshing intake of air. We
feel like we're drowning in life's sorrows and problems. Like
the turtles, we can't stay under too long or we'll drown. No
matter what our circumstances may be, we strive to look into the
face of God. Once we're out of the water or valley, we stand
strong on the mountains; on the driftwood as the turtles do, and
raise our arms to our Father and say, "Thank you God, it was
your Grace and leadership that I was able to find my way out of
this. I am blind and too weak to do all of this on my own."
Therefore, by continuing to keep a lookout for God, our
situations get easier, and harder to handle at the same time. We
have to learn by experience how to stand strong and come out of
the valley unscathed. Stand up and tell Satan that he has no
power over us, then reach for our Father for his love and
comfort. God in turn will always reach down and protect us and
hug us in his wonderful arms. So in faith and the Glory of God,
we're strong as Christians to fight for that surface; for that
refreshment of air. In turn God will do more with us because we
have that experience under our belt. He'll use that knowledge in
a most wonderful way.
Those messages remind me to overcome every obstacle. They remind
me to stand up, dust myself off, and keep looking to God for
support, love, grace, and strength. No one can take that away.