July 3: Insight Post by Karen Heal
Friday Insight Post
by Karen Heal
I wonder what Jesus and God talked about all those hours when Jesus went away alone to pray. I know for me, reading a Scripture passage and saying a prayer can be as short as ten minutes. Instead, what does God have for us when we quietly concentrate on Him?
Solitude is important because it helps us focus, but the silence is for our benefit, not God’s. He can hear us anywhere. Adding silence to my ten-minute devotional reveals a new way to experience being with God. It becomes more than rattling off a checklist of prayers and clicking my Bible app. It’s inviting the creator of the universe to communicate directly with me.
What does that look like? Often He reminds me of people He wants me to pray for and kindnesses He wants me to do. He prepares me for my day by giving me glimpses of people I will encounter along with an idea of their needs. He gives me wisdom for situations I have no experience in. (His wisdom is the best wisdom because He knows everything.) We even have some jokes where He’ll put me in positions to hear songs or words that repeatedly confirm His direction. “OK, OK, I get it!,” I say.
Being alone with God is getting His marching orders for participating in His kingdom. We don’t have to wait for heaven to be part of God’s plans. He wants to prepare us right now, if we set aside time to listen to Him.
Karen Heal
Unbound Team Member and Children's Ministry Volunteer
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org