Apples of Gold

I am really enjoying my study of the Japanese language. It is intensely complex and creative. I have noticed that the further I advance the quicker the cadence of the speaker becomes. I find myself replaying the same sentence over and over trying to differentiate between subtle pronunciation differences that bring with them extreme meaning variations. My daughter has told me that you often have to listen for context clues to know if someone is talking about the weather or eyeing a decadent dessert. 

As I listen to practice sessions I find that while I am recognizing a lot more of the words, that doesn’t necessarily translate into understanding what is being said. 

Listening for God’s voice is an important part of our spiritual lives. There are times that we know without a doubt that he is leading us. We all experience times when we are pretty sure it’s his voice but we are having difficulty decoding the message. 

Sometimes I feel like Thomas (who incidentally was probably the only one brave enough to vocalize what everyone was thinking) when Jesus is preparing to ascend to Heaven and he tells his disciples:

“You know the way to where I am going”. John 14:4

His response resonates with me:

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going so how can we know the way?” John 14:5

How often do we come before God asking, maybe even begging for obvious, clear direction-the kind that I cannot accidentally mess up? For me it’s a relatively frequent discourse. 

Show me the right path, O LORD: point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:4-5

Wanting to obey but not really understanding what it means. Sensing God is trying to tell you something but rather than a clear course of action you find yourself echoing Thomas’ heart. I want to follow you but I have no clue what you just told me to do! 

If you read on in John 14 you will notice that Jesus didn’t roll his eyes and point out that this isn’t the first time Thomas has needed more information in order to move forward. Rather, he explains things more fully-although I think they were still pretty sketchy on the details of the plan! 

If you need wisdom, ask your generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5

Like a middle school child, confused by a concept and yet terrified of revealing our struggle, we refuse to ask God for clarification. While the fear of getting laughed at by your school peers is real, our hesitation to approach our loving father is birthed in our own imaginations.

Our Lord gives us an open invitation to bring our questions, comments and concerns to him. There are times that it is really helpful to ask God to reveal the context of our situation. Our battle might be the inspiration a brother or sister in crisis needed to witness in order to get back up and try again. Take heart, God will not waste your pain.

The empathy and understanding we acquire during the really dark times allows us to climb into the pit with those who are hurting and offer compassionate assistance without assumptive judgement. We see a snapshot of another’s battle. It might be their worst possible moment and when viewed out of context eyebrows are raised, and confidence melts away. 

Our all-knowing God does things in context. He knows the end from the beginning and everything in between. When we recognize his voice but the message is garbled we can rest assured he will not leave us in an endless state of confusion. 

When we don’t know what to do, we need to do what we know. Pray, read the Word of God, get godly council, pray some more and then:

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Psalm 37:7

Sometimes the greatest faith is observed in those who stand strong in the middle of a battle that seems to neither advance nor retreat. As they face the onslaught with their feet firmly planted on the Rock of Ages and declare:

The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me. Psalm 118:6-7

Some of the snapshots of our lives are very painful, others are pure bliss. We can be sure that when we put the moments of our lives in context we will find that God’s plan really was good, even the tough stuff had purpose.   Waiting is not my favorite thing, but I pray for grace to embrace the divine waiting room.

The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. Lamentations 3:25-26