Are You Looking Over Your Shoulder

Psalm 116:1-2 NLT  “¹ I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. ² Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”

I really like the visual of God bending down to listen to us! Like a true good Father does, He does! My heart also had a strange impression – from the view of someone that does NOT feel like this towards God. They cry out and cry out, pray and pray – yet, it seems like He is NOT listening or answering their prayers. Oh my – their heart!! I can see how they would cringe at every single one of these statements. Being truly angry at God verses seeing He mercies.

I have been in places in my life, where I have felt like the ugly step-child of God’s – it is not a fun place to be! However, looking back, I felt like that the strongest when I was OUT of God’s word. When I stopped going to church. I stopped hanging out with other believers that would hold me accountable and be truthful with me. When I stopped reading the bible, for myself, not just listening to a program and such. When I started trading Christian music for popular music. When I started allowing unwholesome movies into our home. When I also allowed and started using foul words and cursing. THAT is the time when I resented God, and I believed He ignored me and my prayers.

There is a popular phrase “When you feel like God is far away from you, look in the mirror. God isn’t the one who moved, it is you.” Boy howdy is this true!! When we get caught up in our own fleshly desires and continue to indulge in our sinful habits, they grow and grow. Kind of like sugar. When we have a little, we want more! If we start our day with sugar, then the whole day we want and crave sugary things. The same is true with our wandering away from God. It starts easy enough: being busy one Sunday morning and not going to church. Or being in the car with friends and changing the music to something “they” listen to. Watching that one movie that everyone is talking about… the ‘simple first step’ list goes on and on…

The opposite Simple First Step list is just as easy too!! Get up today and sit on the side of your bed and just give God a bit of praise for Who He is. Thank Him for 1 thing from yesterday. Then confess what comes to your heart and mind. Then pray a simple prayer asking for His forgiveness and guidance. DONE. First step easy, done! If you are already up and going for the day, then stop for a few minutes. Sit down. If you are driving, then pull to the curb. Follow the steps of praising God, thanking Him and confessing. Now you’ve made a positive and wise choice to seek Him again. Ask God to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the next step to take – then do NOT ignore it! Follow through with what you know you need to do next. Before you know it, you will see, hear, and feel the Lord listening to you and your prayers again! You know, your prayer might be something like “wishing you had the ‘old’ relationship you had with God back” – but I can speak from experience: God will never take us backwards, only forward. Forward is new, refreshing, growing and change. Backwards is easy, comfortable, and quick to slip out of habit again. Today, quit looking back over your shoulder, look forward – focus your eyes on what is ahead not behind – you’ll be glad you did! Come on, that “first step” isn’t as hard as you imagine it is! Be well, be blessed and be safe today in all you do! I’m praying for you. You ARE very loved and deeply cared for!! You are!