A God Day

I've had people ask me how I hear God. How I know it's His Voice. I know they ask because they want to know how to be certain they're hearing it too, so I always feel bad when my answer is I just know.

It's a hard thing to explain because it's something my heart has learned through experience.

I do like to tell this story, though, when people ask that question. During the desert, there was a morning when I awakened after a less-than-desirable night of sleep, and as I drifted in and out, I prayed about the ache of my heart, and God said to me I am sovereign. I told Mom about it later and she asked me how I knew it was God. Without hesitating, I replied, "I never would have thought of the word sovereign on my own before 7 in the morning - especially without coffee." I think that's one of the reasons I always hear God best as I either first awaken or am about to drift off to sleep. My own thoughts are silent and His Voice can be the loudest - even if He's whispering.

This past Saturday, I didn't have any concrete plans except my weekly phone Bible study with Olivia, and that was in the afternoon, so I was free to take it easy. I skipped the alarm entirely and slept until I stretched awake (with some help from the house under Saturday morning construction across the street...) and much to my delight, I saw sunlight crowding through the cracks in the blinds.

I scooted around in bed and began to pull forth the words to my morning prayer: What do You want from me today? How can I love You today? How can I live to the fullest today?

The answer? Spend the day with Me.

I peeked one eye open. What?

Spend the day with me. Get up...get your coffee...have your devotions...go to the bank (yes, you have to get up and go to the bank), get ready, talk with Olivia, and then write. Research. Be here with me. Go to the grocery store, cook some dinner...scrapbook if you want...but just spend the day with Me.

Can I tell you the absolute joy of being invited to spend the day with God? To know that while there were chores to do...laundry and dishes and grocery shopping and such...they could be done as part of a day spent with the Lord?

When I was in my first relationship, years ago, we didn't really do a lot of things. We rarely planned events to attend. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of "dates" we had. But we spent hundreds of hours together at home. Now granted, in some ways that relationship was its own brand of not-quite-right and we should have done more to cultivate it, but I learned from it that I really loved just spending life-time with someone. It was okay if we were home cleaning and changing the oil (okay that part was all him, but I sat on the curb while he did it!) and putting together furniture and watching TV and cooking dinner. I liked just being together even if we didn't have an agenda.

And that was my Saturday. Lazy by some standards. Nothing "special." Nothing grand. But a day spent alone living life with Abba. And that was beautiful.