"My heart has heard You say, 'Come and talk with Me.' And my heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming.' " Psalm 27:8
I once heard a brother say that we ought never to embark upon any day
without first having a true encounter with the Lord. In almost all
cases, this comes about through a concentration upon His Word, and a
time of intimacy with Him in prayer. These are Holy Spirit supplied
water and bread for our souls. We "know" this because we have heard it
again and again from many different teachers of the Word. Yet such times
may be the most neglected aspect of our walk with Him. Indeed, can we
even say we're walking with Him if we are neglecting them?
I
cannot begin to count how many brethren I've heard say that they could
trace most, if not all of their spiritual struggles to that very
neglect. They've let those times of fellowship with Him go by the
wayside, and as a result, "leanness has entered their soul." They are
missing the nurture of the Lord, and so are spiritually starving as a
result. I know from personal experience that whenever I put aside these
times, that very leanness enters my soul. I'm far more vulnerable to to
the enemies onslaughts, through the circumstances of the day. Anxiety,
impatience, fear, temptation, all of these gain strength against us
because His life within us is being ignored. Our "outer life" can seem
unchanged. We're still "doing ministry," or carrying out our secular
occupations with integrity and faithfulness, but our inner life is
withering by the moment. Weariness, lack of fulfillment,
disillusionment, and more, will be present in some form or another. The
desire to go on, to go further, deeper, fades. We come into real danger
of just having the form of godliness, but totally lacking the power of
such a life.
Some years ago I saw the results of a survey that
said pastors on average, spend less than 10 minutes a day in prayer. If
the shepherd has such a prayer life, what could be that of the flock?
More, this goes a very long way to explaining why so many pastors suffer
from burnout, and even leave the ministry, worn out, and used up. To be
a true pastor and preacher of His Word requires an ever growing inner
life in Him. If it is lacking, then that pastor will at best, only be
going through the motions, ministering in the flesh, and at worst, will
find their ministry shipwrecked. Yet all the while, the voice of His
Holy Spirit woos us. I believe that in every waking moment, He calls us
to "come and talk with Me." Do we hear Him?
The Psalmist says
that his heart has heard Him. Has ours? Or, have the demands of all the
other "taskmasters" we've allowed into our lives silenced His voice,
made our hearts deaf to that voice? He calls us. He calls you. Have we
heard? Have you heard? Will we, you, come? Or, do we yield to the other
voices that seek to draw us from Him? His voice brings forth life. All
other voices bring only death. Which do you hear? Which do you come to?
Jesus is calling. To Jesus do we come?
Blessings,
Pastor O
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