“But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord…” -I Peter 3:15 AMP
I greatly anticipate the moment in my day when I get to take a hot shower. In my current situation, the shower is the one place in my house where I can be entirely alone. Throughout my day, my three children bombard me with stories, questions, challenges, and needs. I must be honest. At times, the inner cry of my questions and challenges drowns out the cries of my children. I don't know about you, but usually, cries for retreat come when I can't be alone. When I receive an opportunity to withdraw from the demands of my day, even if it is only fifteen minutes while in the shower, I am appreciative.
Today was no different for me. I retreated to my shower to have a little alone time. As I listened to my worship music and savored my relaxing hot shower, sudden silence brought my serene atmosphere to an abrupt end. In the middle of trying to ascertain the reason for the interruption in my music, I heard my four-year-old son Gabriel bellow out his request, "Mommy, can I have a Tic Tac?"
I quickly realized the cause for the pause in my music and began wishing I had a lock on my bathroom door. It was not unusual for my youngest to request for a "sweetie," the Ugandan name for candy. However, asking for a tic tac while I was in the shower was unusual and entirely unacceptable!
By this point, I was feeling quite annoyed. How could my son disturb my sacred space? Did he not realize I might not be able to regain my tranquil mindset until the end of my shower or never at all? Due to the rising frustration I felt, I admit I didn't respond as kindly as I should have. I hastily squawked, "Not right now, and please turn my music back on."
He obediently responded and then left the room. The instant he did, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me. It was time to learn more lessons from my Heavenly Teacher. As I placed myself under the shower nozzle and welcomed the soothing hot water to run over me, I opened my heart to God. I invited His divine anointing to bring fresh understanding and revelation to me. The following were insights I received:
1. When you press the pause button of your heart, you will always hear God’s heart and thoughts more loudly and clearly.
Gabriel had to be intentional about pressing that pause button. (I was even wondering how he thought to do such a thing.) His craving for candy drove him to take drastic measures. He needed to ensure I heard his request. Many of us want to make sure God hears and sees us, but we cannot even take the time to pause our minds and hearts long enough to pursue Him intimately. Instead of talking with Him, we talk at Him. We complain about God not speaking to us or not being able to hear God, but we haven't put ourselves in a position to listen to and interact with Him.
As we approach God, He wants us to be ready to receive His answers and thoughts. We should not be coming to God with preconceived ideas and responses. When Gabriel pressed the pause button, he communicated, "I am here to communicate with you." The pause in the music immediately shifted my attention from my thoughts to Gabriel's thoughts.
We intentionally pause our hearts and minds because we recognize our need to perceive God’s heart and mind. We choose to stop talking because we long to hear His voice. We patiently wait because we are confident He will speak. We willingly rest because we need His renewal.
Many noises are competing for our time and attention. If we are not careful, our cluttered hearts, souls and minds will generate an inability to hear and understand what the Spirit of God is saying to us. I am sure you have experienced what happens when you are not fully engaged in a conversation. Although you might have heard someone talking, you cannot adequately respond to what was spoken or repeat anything from the conversation.
2. God wants the attention of our hearts more than He wants the attentiveness of our ears.
Gabriel has always surprised me with his desire to ensure I am engaged in his conversations. When he was two and wanted to talk to us, he would remove our phones, take my face in his hands, and focus it on his face. This shower incident only confirmed this aspect of his personality. My other children would have tried to talk over the music and the shower, but not Gabriel. He wanted to make sure I was hearing him before he spoke to me.
Many of us haven't paused our hearts long enough to communicate to God that we genuinely desire Him to be the Lord of our lives. We haven't expressed our desperate need for His input in our lives. I Peter 3:15 says, "But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord…"
“But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord…" I Peter 3:15 AMP
Casually acknowledging God's presence in our lives by rattling off a quick prayer when waking up or maybe before going to bed is not how we intentionally accept God as King and Lord of our lives. I wonder if this occasional interaction serves to bring satisfaction to our souls rather than bring delight to God's heart and Spirit. If we allow our lives to play uninterrupted, without ever pausing to accept we exist for God's purposes and plans, we have already enthroned ourselves as Lord. As a result, we are physically demonstrating we do not need divine interaction in our daily lives.
Before we close, let us step into our spiritual shower room and pause for a moment. Take a few minutes to carefully consider these questions:
1. Despite our demanding schedules and relentless to-do-lists, how many times a day do we pause to grab our phones and look on social media or check email to see what others are saying?
2. Do we stop our hearts and minds that number of times to check on what God wants to communicate to us or to meditate on what He has spoken through prayer or Bible reading?
Today is the day to revisit how we live. Remember, everything always begins with the heart. Are we taking the time to pause our hearts and acknowledge God as Lord of our lives? Do we take time to hear His thoughts and His heart?
There’s a private place reserved for the lovers of God, where they sit near him and receive the revelation-secrets of his promises. Psalm 25:14 TPT
Lord,
Take my heart in your hands today and refocus it on you. I know you have reserved a place for me to sit near you and receive your revelation-secrets. Take away any selfishness in my heart that places me and my desires above you and your desires. Give me the passion for following you wholeheartedly and the resolve to pause my heart to experience true communion with you.
Amen
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