God Whispers

Not long ago I heard a story about a young man and an old preacher. The young man had lost his job and didn’t know which way to turn. So he went to see the old preacher.

Pacing about the preacher’s study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, “I’ve begged God to say something to help me. Tell me, Preacher, why doesn’t God answer?”

The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply - something so hushed it
was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. “What did you say?” he asked.
The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper.

So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair. “Sorry,” he said.
“I still didn’t hear you.” With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more.
“God sometimes whispers,” he said, “so we will move closer to hear Him.” This time the young
man heard and he understood.

We all want God’s voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God’s is the still, small voice … the gentle whisper. Perhaps there’s a reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God’s whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer.

Better still, I find myself closer to God.

(author unknown)


God Said NO 

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, no.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, no.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, no.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, no.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
 God said, no.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me. 

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, no.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, no.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.

God said…Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
(author unknown)



The Still, Small Voice of Love

Many voices ask for our attention.
There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person."
Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself."
There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you,"
and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful."

But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says,
"You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you."
That's the voice we need most of all to hear.
To hear that voice, however, requires special effort;
it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen.

That's what prayer is.
It is listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."
Henri Nouwen




Receive Jesus’ Love

Jesus wants us to receive the love he offers.
He wants nothing more than that we allow him to love us and enjoy that love.
This is so hard since we always feel that we have to deserve the love offered to us.
But Jesus wants to offer that love to us not because we have earned it,
but because he has decided to love us independently of any effort on our side.
Our own love for each other should flow from that “first love”
that is given to us undeserved.

Henri Nouwen




Call home

I got off my flight with a cramp in my leg, an empty stomach, a bad attitude,
and three more hours to go. And the connecting flight was late!

I set down my bags and called home.
Denalyn answered.  She’s always glad when I call. 
We made no decisions.  We solved no problems.  We just talked.  And I felt better. 
When we finished, Denalyn said, “I’m glad you called.”  And I hung up happy!  
I can handle being a pilgrim as long as I can call home whenever I want.

It occurs to me Jesus needed to call home in the middle of the hassles as much as I did. 
He needed a minute with Someone who would understand. 
So He chatted with the One He loved; heard the sound of the home He missed.

And He was reminded when all hell breaks loose, all heaven draws near! 
Maybe you should call home, too!

Max Lucado
From: In the Eye of the Storm




Rugs


Many of the world's finest Oriental rugs come from little villages in
the Middle East, China, or India. 
These rugs are hand-produced by crews of men and boys
under direction of a master weaver. 
They work from the underside of the rug-to-be. 
It frequently happens that a weaver absentmindedly makes a mistake
and introduces a color that is not according to the pattern. 
When this occurs, the master weaver, instead of having the work pulled out
in the order to correct the color sequence,
will find some way to incorporate the mistake harmoniously into the overall pattern. 
In weaving our lives, we can lean to take unexpected difficulties and mistakes
and weave them advantageously in the greater overall patterns of our lives. 
There is an inherent good in most difficulties.

 Norman Vincent Peale



see also: poems