Getting Our Attention
“He cares more about your character than your comfort.”
I can’t give credit where credit’s due. I heard that phrase years ago and have held on to it since. I know it’s true. He’ll move heaven and earth to get our attention, if that’s what He must do.
I love that about Him.
How far do you want God to go in getting your attention? If God has to choose between your eternal safety and your earthly comfort, which do you hope He chooses?
What if He moved you to another land? (As he did Abraham.) What if He called you out of retirement? (Remember Moses?) How about the voice of an angel or the bowel of a fish? (A la Gideon and Jonah.) How about a promotion like Daniel’s or a demotion like Samson’s?
God does what it takes to get our attention. Isn’t that the message of the Bible? The relentless pursuit of God. God on the hunt. God in the search. Peeking under the bed for hiding kids, stirring the bushes for the lost sheep.
~Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder
I’m so glad He doesn’t give up. I’ve been hiding under the bed recently. He keeps finding me…I keep running back…but, thankfully…
…He is relentless.
I love that about Him.
March 15, 2009 at 11:26 am
Hey Michelle… lol yeah -
” God in the search. Peeking under the bed for hiding kids, stirring the bushes for the lost sheep.
. . . .
I’m so glad He doesn’t give up. I’ve been hiding under the bed recently. He keeps finding me…I keep running back…but, thankfully…
…He is relentless.
I love that about Him.”
I love his relentless love!
March 15, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Hey, Bajan! It’s good to see you here. I found as a kid afraid of firecrackers, under the bed felt like the safest place to be. My grandpa would bend down peering under, coaxing me out to the fun.
Fun for some but sheer terror for me!
I’ve been feeling like that fearful kid again. I need God’s strong arms and gentle coaxing. He sure is good to continually come after me. Who couldn’t love a God like that?!?
March 15, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Glad to be here
“I’ve been feeling like that fearful kid again. I need God’s strong arms and gentle coaxing. He sure is good to continually come after me. Who couldn’t love a God like that?!?”
True!
And as encouragement, I’m reminded of this Scripture to share:
March 15, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Cutting to the chase..
Can our Great Love overcome/eliminate our great fears?
Can we be brave in Him?
Is there a way we can find ‘here’ to live in Him all the time?
and be fearless of the things of this world?
Nice thought huh?
<B
March 16, 2009 at 6:56 am
I am aware of the grace of God more and more. Does He have to bother with us? No, but He does. Most of our lives we try and push Him away and be independent, and most of our lives He tries to show Himself to us.
March 16, 2009 at 7:47 am
I want Him to do whatever He wants with all of my life – I evaluate that and ask that each day. Mama and I want to hear His voice loud and clear. I think we tend to clutter up our lives so we are not paying attention when He speaks.
March 16, 2009 at 8:35 am
I’ve been promoted, demoted, called to a new land, exiled to a new place…
…if God wants my attention, He’s got it.
Earthly comfort? I’ve certainly redefined that. Sometimes daily. And, at times, opportunities have fallen through because I made the right choice. But, I have learned to be content–no matter where I am.
Eternal comfort? Well, it’s hard to imagine what I cannot imagine. But that’s where faith comes in–for still I believe The Destination will be worth these many thousands of miles.
And all the hits I’ve taken along the way, too.
When I went to church on Sunday, someone familiar with my situation said, “Everything will be okay. You just can’t see it now.”
She’s right. On both counts.
I just wish I could see it now.
March 16, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Really nice thought, Love.
“Perfect Love casts out fear.” ~1 John 4:18
“For we have not been given a spirit of fear, but one of power and love and a sound mind.” ~2 Timothy 1:17
So it begs the question, if I’m not thinking clearly, if I’m fearful and believe I’m powerless in a situation, then I’m not really following His Spirit but my own…hmmm…?
**************************************
Hey, Rain.
Nope.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! ~Ephesians 2:4-5
We had a great sermon yesterday on those verses. He is extravagant in mercy. I’m still amazed by His amazing grace. I’m so glad He does bother, aren’t you?
**************************************
I agree, Papa. It’s so easy to clutter up our lives.
My son is NYC for a Broadway tour during Spring Break. He called last night and I asked him, “Am I going to lose you to NYC? Do you want to live there now?” He said, “Uh…No, Mom. People are too busy here. It’s like they don’t have a purpose, so they’re filling their lives up with activity.”
I said, “It’s good to have a purpose.”
“It sure is,” he responded.
I’m very grateful he’s got that one learned…at least, at some level…not to clutter up his life with unnecessary activity and pursuits. He is wanting to hear God’s direction.
That right there makes me feel blessed today.
**************************************
Me too, Nor. But then, would it be called faith?
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see… And these all were commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. ” ~Hebrews 11:1,39-40
You know, Nor, maybe none of this is about us. Maybe it’s for someone else. Naomi and Ruth only saw that they were not going to starve when Boaz promised to give them provision. But God had so much more in mind. Eventually they became grandmothers to King David and many generations later, to Jesus, the very Son of Man.
We are called to live faithfully for His purposes.
Amen.
FYP
March 16, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I LOVE that He is relentless. I see passion in that. Desire. A pounding heart. I’m so glad He is. Can you imagine if He were the God so many picture Him to be? Arms crossed, displeased look; “Well, I told you the right thing to do. I’ll just wait right here until you decide to listen to me.” Wow. How wrong are our images of Him? He pursues us – even when we don’t know, even when we don’t deserve it, especially when we don’t deserve it, and when He has done all He can do to pursue … He will keep pursuing.
March 16, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I keep imaging Him with arms crossed and the displeased look…
…or is that my mother???
Hmmm…He keeps coming after us, passionately pursuing…the Good Shepherd.
March 16, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Hey Sis – He gave us free-will – and he gave to us some power, and he especially gave to us the power of Love. each of us through our free will desired to experience our own power. This was mostly done before we gained the necessary wisdom to weild it with Authority in a manner in direct accord with His.
As we grow older we grow in wisdom ( hopefully!)
and we can learn how to ‘undo’ some of the things we did before we gained that wisdom ( like be first fearful and try to hide from our fears). it is not easy, but patience and persistence bears fruits.
See if you can find ways to gain control over the Power He has granted to you – as He has to us all. Practice them and try to ensure they stay true to the Scriptures and to Him – and to the real You, not the rebellious one who we first were.
As for Rain’s comment – Does He have to ‘bother’ with us.
Your answer ‘Nope’ would only be correct in that to Him – we are no ‘bother’ whatsoever.
He has NO CHOICE in caring for us since we are, in part, OF Him – we live IN Him and are thererfore a part of Him – we can never be separated from Him.
He IS concerned with each of us – never doubt that at all. We are closer to Him than our Children are to us.
We may reject Him but He exists in us always.
Him being infinite and us being finite it would be impossible for Him to care for any one of us ‘more’ (as a ‘percentage’) than we might care for Him (he might be ‘everything’ to us but we are but a speck to Him, but whereas we tend to ‘ignore ’specks’ God is incapable of doing so. A ’speck’ of His care far exceeds our own small ‘everything’.)
As humans we tend to expect that someone we love with our whole being should love us ‘equally’ and cannot conceive why our God might do that for little old ‘us’.
Many of us get that confused it seems?
<B
March 17, 2009 at 2:52 am
Yes I am so thankful that He does bother with us. I have been reminded this week not to consider the work of the Lord as small or insignificant.
I think (even though we struggle with understanding and really grasping it) we can easily get so used to ‘yes He loves us unconditionally’, ‘yes He paid for our sins so that we may be acceptable to God’ that we forget the significance of it.
And I understand what Love is saying up here and I do agree, (with regards to because of the very nature of God being God He has to bother with us) but still also, no He doesn’t need to bother with us. From the creation of the world we have pretty much done nothing but reject Him and try to live life our own way, and He has done nothing but to make sure that we can come right into His throne room holy and blameless. My heart wants to burst
March 17, 2009 at 10:03 pm
i was just talking with the Lord yesterday and told him how astounded i am that He has never given up on me.
His kind of love…i just cant wrap my head around. but my heart is wrapped around it. thats for sure!
March 18, 2009 at 10:59 am
I am learning this, Love. It brings me to my knees every. time.
Thanks for your love and support. I can feel it!!
************************
The overwhelming love of the Father and the grace that He bestows…day in and day out…moment by moment…yeah, Rain, my heart wants to burst, too!
***********************
Me either. And the heart can barely contain it. He is so good to us, Tammy Jo! Love you!
March 18, 2009 at 2:36 pm
if it weren’t for His relentless pursuit of my heart, i can’t imagine where i’d be…
March 18, 2009 at 4:13 pm
aleces comment reminded of a song i wrote.
here are the lyrics…
amazed – that You would love a wretch like me
embraced – by the One who died for me
Your grace and mercy set me free
it took a miracle to save me
in return im Yours completely….
i come to Your throne
kneeling at Your feet
to call me Your own
is all i’d ever need
but You pursued me
with unrelenting love
so here i am….
March 18, 2009 at 4:32 pm
tam – so beautiful. i want to hear it!!!
March 18, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Sis~Your posts are always on point for me. It is amazing to me that He has not given up on me yet. I am so not worthy of His pursuance but praise Him for it anyhow. I have to rebuke the enemy with that a lot of the times because he is good at trying to convince me that God does not love me and that He is through with me but the Living Word of God tells me otherwise, glory to God. Love you so much.
Tam~Beautiful song. I would love to hear it too
March 18, 2009 at 7:10 pm
I don’t want to think about it, Alece. At times I feel such desperation, I scare myself. I’m grateful He has ahold of me and in those desperate moments, reminds me of His Words. And as you well know, He’s holding on to you, too.
Beautiful, Tam! I’m chiming in on the request to hear it!!
Hey, Gorgeous Girl! How are you?!?!?! Been lookin’ for you and wondering if you’re okay. HE LOVES YOU, GCH!!! He is teaching us (and everyone else) how to kneel. He will never be through with His children. You have been adopted into the family of God. He will NEVER leave you or forsake you. I love you, Gch, sososososososo much!!!!!
March 20, 2009 at 12:13 am
thank you!
maybe i can get kass to record it with me some day…
hmmm…
March 21, 2009 at 6:36 am
I like the list of heroes that you gave here. How interesting that each of their callings looked unique. God is so unpredictable yet so faithful.