At the start of this year something amazing happened.
Before, I’d been plodding along thinking I was doing OK, praying to God sometimes, reading my Bible on and off, spending a bit of time meditating. But I had this nagging thought: “I’m not hearing a lot from Him…”
But now I feel utterly compelled to spend time with God – praying, delving into His Word, meditating on it, generally chatting with Jesus throughout the day. I can’t get enough!
Want to know what happened? How you can enjoy God’s company? Then read on because I’m going to tell you. Using rocks (haha, here she goes again…).
Enjoying Jesus: How I became compelled to spend time with God
1. Christ’s true love revealed
In January I received a word from God through someone I knew. It deeply affected me as it set off a chain of events leading me to Song of Songs in the Bible. I was lost in His Word for days! Such delights can be found there.
God spoke directly into my life about how much Jesus loves me. He really does. And He loves you too 💓
Combined with doing the Lectio Course, this allowed me to give my heart to Christ in a way I’ve never done before. Realising the depth of His love for me (and all of us – yep, that includes you) let my own heart change forever. Now my relationship with Christ is so much deeper and I can’t help but spend time with Him. I can’t avoid it because He’s my true love:
“… I yearned deeply for my lover… “Have you seen him anywhere, this one I love so much?”… I found him and held him, I didn’t let him go…” – Song of Songs 3:1-4 (NLT)
2. Even the rocks cry out with His love!
It made me think of the time when I used to research fossil plants. I spent hours, weeks, months in the lab hunched over a microscope, rock underneath, using a fine needle to remove the sediment – sometimes grain by grain so I didn’t destroy the fossil inside.
This process (known as degagement) was compelling. I couldn’t stop poking. I was continually discovering more and more of God’s beautiful Creation with every grain removed. And the more I found, the more I had to keep going: “What wonders are hidden beneath?”
It’s how I feel today when I spend time with God…
- Realistically, when I decide to spend time with Jesus, it can seem like a mammoth task and I often feel I can’t be bothered. Working on a new fossil also seemed daunting when all I had was a huge rock with a few twiggy bits on the surface: “Oh my gosh, this will take months!”
- But once I begin, persevere, expecting to meet King Jesus, I do! Joy follows, sometimes with tears as He speaks into a difficult situation. I sometimes have questions as I ponder on Him but always I receive comfort and His love. I come away from the experience challenged but feeling secure and completely, unconditionally loved. It was the same with my fossils. On the surface there may have been only a small branch with some barely visible indents. But the indents told me there were more branches and leaves below, and who knew what else! That was exciting. So I kept going. And found whole branching systems from extinct plants no-one had ever seen before! It wasn’t just a twig, it was a complete world of discovery!
So, are you compelled to spend time with God?
Degagement of fossils revealed God’s Creation to me and kept me engaged as I persevered and expected to find beauty within.
Reading, meditating, praying and contemplating His Word compels me to keep going with Jesus. And He continues to reveal more of His beauty day by day. Bring it on!
But I have to ask, are you compelled to spend time with God?
If you do I promise you’ll find the treasure of knowing Christ’s love – the best love you can get. Joy will flood your heart and you’ll soar to heights you never knew existed.
This is what Christ says about you:
“How beautiful you are, my beloved, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are like doves. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats frisking down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are as white as sheep, newly shorn and washed… Your lips are like a ribbbon of scarlet. Oh how beautiful your mouth! Your cheeks behind your veil are like pomegranate halves – lovely and delicious… You are so beautiful, my beloved, so perfect in every part…You have ravished my heart, my treasure, my bride…” – Song of Songs 4:1-9 (NLT)
If you’re struggling to spend time with God, and that’s the reality for all of us at times, do check out the Lectio Course. It’ll help you feel excited about Bible reading, expecting to meet Jesus every time you delve into His Word or purposefully decide to be with Him.
It has brought me peace knowing that I’ll hear from God without having to constantly strive. I pray you find this peace too.
God bless xx
And I’m just wondering, how do you hear from God? Has it taken time and perseverence to get there? Are you still trying, unsure whether He ever speaks to you at all? Do share in the comments section below 👇🏼 Or if you’d prefer email me at susan@creationlifeadventure.co.uk