Have you ever decided that you were going to really see what the Bible has to say to you but found it tough going? Do you have to read some passages 4 or 5 times and still don’t understand what the writer is talking about? Let’s be honest. Sometimes the words seem so lifeless and hard to understand that it’s just easier to put it off until another time.
Today I’m going to give you some keys to open even wider the doors of communication between yourself and God, especially through reading God’s Word – the Bible.
“Lord, please give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to understand what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to me today.”
Being a homeschooling mum, I have the amazing privilege of being able to sit with 5 of our 6 children (as our eldest son works), each weekday morning to read the Bible or listen to a teaching, pray, and practise listening to the Spirit’s still, small voice. For the past few weeks, we have been making an intentional habit of welcoming Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit into our day and praying the above prayer before we begin our morning time together.
How it has changed us!
Without fail, every single morning – without exaggeration – the children (and myself) have been getting deep revelation about the Word that we have been reading. As in last weeks post, our second son received a revelation on mankind receiving God’s promises from the life of Peter.
Let this be an encouragement to you. Your children are NEVER too young to hear from Holy Spirit. Never! You don’t have to have all the answers for your children, yourself, or anyone else for that matter. Holy Spirit knows everything so it’s great to point our children to Holy Spirit. When I don’t know something and I am struggling to find an answer with them, I suggest to them to go to their room or a quiet place, sit still in that place, and ask Holy Spirit their question. I also encourage them to patiently wait for the answer. Almost every time they come down with an answer and they are very excited.
Worth The Wait
Have you ever had a child (or dare I say adult) come and ask you a question but then walk away as you are answering their query? I think God must feel the same with us when we ask Him a question but get impatient and leave before He speaks. We need to practice the art of listening and waiting for the Lord to answer. We live in a world of ‘I want it now’ so we need to constantly remind ourselves that not everything is instant and the truly worthwhile things really are worth waiting for.
Eyes To See, Ears To Hear, A Mind To Understand.
The ‘Shrek’ movies are some of our family’s favourite movies. In the first movie, Shrek is explaining to Donkey that ogres have layers – just like an onion. The Bible is like an onion. Yes, it can make you cry but what I mean is, have you ever read a passage of Scripture and thought you understood its meaning, only to read it for the 50th time and your heart races because you have just received a deeper revelation of it? This is because Holy Spirit has just ‘peeled’ back a layer to reveal it to you. It’s fantastic!
Matthew 13:16, as well as many other verses in the Bible, speak of having eyes to see and ears to hear. In the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 (NLT), Jesus is saying to the churches that “anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” The Spirit speaks to you each day but you need ‘ears to hear’ what He is saying.
One of my favourite verses in Jeremiah is in Chapter 33, verse 3.
“Call to Me and I WILL answer you, and WILL tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (ESV) Emphasis mine
Not “I might answer you” but “I WILL”. God never lies so here is a fantastic promise that you can hold onto and stand on.
So, the next time you are about to sit down and read the Bible, take a moment to just sit and appreciate the Word for what it is. It’s God’s messages directly to you. Each word is and opportunity to bring unique insight into your situation. The hope of Jesus can penetrate your very being to bring you a peace that you have never experienced before.
May I encourage you to sit quietly with Jesus and ask Him the questions that you have kept in secret for way too long. He is ready to answer you.
“Lord, please give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to understand what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to me today.”
Trust me, these prayers really work!
As always, I would love to hear from you. If you have any comments or questions, please leave a comment below or send me an email here. If you are enjoying these posts, please share them on your favourite social media sites or forward them to a friend that you think they may encourage today.
God loves you so deeply that His very heart yearns for friendship with you!
Many blessings to you.
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