Like a giddy little girl, I climbed into the rocking chair with my Nanna trying to find the right spot on her lap. After a few tummy tickles, a kiss on the nose, and a few bounces on her knee, I finally found it. There I sat, safely nestled in her arms as she spoke to me in soft whispers, feeding me stories of eras long past. She shared her plans for the day, the places we would visit and her hopes for the future. She spoke and I listened. Such is how our relationship with the Father should be.In James 4:8, we are admonished to come to the Father with outstretched hands. The scripture says that when “we come close to God, God will come close to us.” God wants us to wiggle through the chaos and valley experiences in our life and find the perfect spot on His lap. He wants us to make time to rest safely in His arms while we listen to Him reveal His plans, hopes and direction for our lives. If we truly desire to hear from God and conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to him, then we must make spending time with Him a priority. But what does spending time with God look like?
Spending time with God is as simple as having a conversation with an old friend. It can be as long or as short as you want it to be. You can discuss something major or something minute—the choice is yours. Spending time with the Father can also include meditation, a staple in the way of life for Christians as well as Buddhists.
Meditation is simply allowing the word of God to root itself in the inner parts of your mind and soul. It is during meditation of the word, that we hear God’s voice through scripture. We read the verse, think about its meaning and pray for revelation of how to apply its principles or power to our lives. In essence, you allow the word of God to illuminate the dark areas of our minds. Once these areas are illuminated, we can then begin to “course correct” our lives. What does this mean? It means we do an about-face. We stop walking, turn around and adjust our steps accordingly. In other words, we repent for the things that we’ve done and we recommit ourselves to living a God-inspired life.
In Psalms 27:4 David says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that I will seek…that I may behold and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate, consider and inquire in his temple.” For David, the only thing that truly satisfied the longing within him was to spend more time with God—it’s what David wanted.
Like David, we need to want more of God all the days our lives. We need to pursue God if we are to hear His voice, receive His blessings and draw closer to Him.
©2010-2013 Oracle Claretta Taylor Pam, Global Ecumenical Ministries Inc. and Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts. All Rights Reserved