"Come to Me" Yesterday in a conversation it happened. We were talking about these three words "coming to Me" and the person asked the question. Do you ever experience times when you're trying to come to Him and it seems that He is hidden or far away? Not even a week after finishing an exhaustive look at those very thoughts. Of course I sent them to the blogs of the past month as I was/am having no part of those questions again. At least not this soon! All I could say was yes, yes I have experienced those thoughts.
All I can tell anyone going through that place is "Press in." Be persistent. Regardless of what we think is silence, it comes down to, we must KNOW. He said.... no He promised that He would never leave me or forsake me.
Ann Marie is my wife of 35 years and my best friend of 38 years. We are close in every way. We do most everything together. There is no one I would rather be with, whether we're doing something or absolutely nothing. Yet.... there are times when I want her to be closer. I 'll even ask her to hold me. I mean squeeze me so tight that we just become one. What I want is, to "know." But the best holding and squeezing she can do is really never enough. One body cannot absorb another. This week she is out of town so the holding and squeezing are not possible. But if I get real still.... I mean real still. I "KNOW." I can not see her or hear her but I "know." "Know what? That she is here!
God is my Father of over 45 years and that's according to my recollection. God inhabits my praise. God placed His spirit within me. Jesus death and Resurrection was so that His spirit could come. Come and dwell within me. Why? So that in times when I need Him the most, when I need to be held close, close on a bigger scale that Ann Marie and I exist in, I can "KNOW." So that when He seems silent I can "KNOW." When Jesus spoke, "Come to Me" He was not asking me to play a game of play hide-n-seek. He was saying "Come to Me" and feel the warmth of My embrace. "Come to Me," and "Know that I am here!"
Every now and then I like to use the Message translation. This is one of those times because it fits me. It's where I was a year ago when I went to IHOP in Kansas City. IHOP is a place where they do prayer as worship 24 hours a day seven days a week and 365 days a year. Read the first part of the verse and I'll explain.
28 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.
I was tired! In fact worn out, burned out puts it mildly. BUT..... it was not tired of God or worn out because of God or burned out on God. Religion, ministry, organized traditional church gets the credit. I was addicted to the illusions of ministry. DO NOT HEAR WHAT I AM NOT SAYING! This was my state of being. In the midst of my tiredness God was revealing much. My intimate times with Him were the best, that is until time became an issue. Uncountable numbers of hours spent doing. Complete abandonment for the ministry, for my church, for my employer for what I thought was all God. I must caution myself and any readers that, while hindsight can seem to be useful it is more often harmful. To often we began to look in hindsight and devalue what God did during those times because we now have a new revelation of how to live for God. The only times I regret in hindsight are those where I clearly heard God saying, "Come to Me" and I chose not to accept what I thought was just an invitation.
Maybe it's my age, but today I am realizing that time is to short, to not accept any invitation from God.
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