Experiencing God

It has been a while since I have received what I would view as a clear word from the Lord.  On an emotional /spiritual level this has translated into a pretty dry, down time for the past several months.  Two things happened today that brought a fresh measure of joy into my spirit.

The first is pretty mundane and the second a tiny bit mystical. I will try to quickly share both here in the context of my very first blog post.  The first part of the more mundane experience was nearly imperceptible at first. On the way to a luncheon meeting in Cincinnati I wanted to drop my putter off at Golf Galaxy to have a new grip put on so I could pick it up on the way home. I knew if I stopped that I would be a few minutes late for my meeting. This was not a life or death decision either way so I was a bit surprised when I had a clear sense that I should not stop and drop the club off. I followed the simple leading and continued on to my lunch meeting.

Following my meeting I stopped by the Bethesda North hospital to see one of our guys who is there recovering there heart surgery.  On the way out of the hospital I met a guy that was a part of our church family until about eight or nine months ago.  I stopped to talk with him and after a few moments of catching up I asked him how things were going with his walk with the Lord. He got real teary and replied that for the first time in about a dozen years he had his whole family back in church. In that moment God spoke to me saying, “I am at work in the lives of the people that stay at Winchester and I am at work in the lives of those that choose to leave. ”  That quick word was a great reminder to trust Him with things that I have no control over. If I had stopped at Golf Galaxy the timing of the rest of the day would have been off by several minutes and I would have missed this moment with God. Paying attention to a very small, very slight leading led to a moment of encounter with God that brought joy and reassurance to my spirit.

The second God moment of the day which is a bit more mystical came as I was listening to an audio book on the way home from the hospital. The book is by John Eldridge and is entitled “Walking With God”, a neat book definitely worth a listen.  In the specific segment I was listening to Eldridge was sharing a personal experience from a season in his life when he was complaining to God about some things that were not going as he had planned.  He said that it seemed that God listened patiently to his ranting and whining and then simply said, “John, don’t get so fixated on what I am not giving you that you miss the things I am giving you.”   In that moment the Spirit of God witnessed clearly to my heart that this was a word for me as well – “Don’t get so fixated on what I am not giving you that you miss the things I am giving you.”  I don’t need to bore you with all that this word meant to me but it meant a ton.

God is showing up in my life these days in simple ways that are refreshing my spirit and enabling me to experience more of the joy of His presence. My encouragement to you – Don’t Miss His Joy in either the mundane or the mystical and don’t be bashful about sharing with me where He is at work in your life as well.