Last week I conversed with an inmate whom the Lord has blessed me to be a mother to for 15 yrs of his incarceration. At one point in his incarceration this inmate was on fire for the Lord. His meditation time, reading time, prayer time and fellowship with God was the envy of anyone who desired depths in God. The inmate kept this way of life with God for a few years. Somewhere through out the years the fire began to die down. The embers began to lose the fuel that kept them burning.
While conversing with the inmate earlier last week he began to reminisce about his on fire years with God. “Momma I would just be in God’s presence” he said. “There were times when I wouldn’t even go out for physical recreation. I’d just stay in my cell praying in the Spirit, basking in the presence of God. I want that back!” he exclaimed. “During that time momma” he continued, “there was no lack for me in this place. I had money when I needed it, personal and pleasurable items when I needed and wanted them; I saw no hardships. Now I have holes in my sneakers. I can’t go to rec. when it’s damp outside. I’m down to two calls left on my global tel-link account.”
The inmate was devastated about where he’d found himself when he actually stopped to view himself.
“I’m going to get back in the presence of God momma. I’m going to go back to the way things used to be” he vowed.
This morning before 8:00 a.m. I received a call from the correctional center where the inmate is facilitated. “Oh good morning” I answered once the call was connected. “Momma were you asleep? he asked not chipper at all. “I was but awakening me is fine” “Momma” he starts “Here I am getting myself together with the Lord, praying, reading, meditating and doing all the things it takes to get myself together and guess what? he asked rather annoyed. “My television blew up last night!!
Followers I tell you that this was the highlight of my day. Oh I laughed and laughed. After calming myself my statement to the inmate was, “Oh my…..what better way to get back to the ways of your first love for God!”
Unfortunately the inmate didn’t share my sentiments. Neither did his daughter who resides with me and was hearing the conversation as she readied for school. Both she and her dad thought I was being mean and wasn’t offering the consolation they felt should have been extended for what appeared to be a tragedy.
“I watched spiritual programs on that t.v.” the inmate wailed.
My response: “Oh what better way to have a more personal relationship with God; you and God establishing a deeper depth without the influence of someone else’s relationship with Him. Many times people try to have with God what Moses had, what Joshua had, what Elijah had, what Peter, James and John had.”
“Why are you saying these things to me this morning?” he asked, still devastated about his blown up television. “I know not to call you in the mornings anymore. You ought to be sympathetic. Why would God…..
This partial question followers takes us to the thoughts and conversation God and I have been sharing.
We often hear; God and I, confessions of wanting to know God, to have a deeper understanding of God; to experience God. In God’s ear He hears. “Oh God I wanna get to know you. Oh Lord I wanna a deeper depth in you. Oh God…to experience you like the patriarchs” and the endless confessions of desires uttered floods God’s ears in the heavenly sphere. In the earthly sphere I hear, “Oh I want to know God more, to walk the deeper depths of God, I want to experience Him more, oh I, oh I and oh I.
Well….while God and I watch and wait for actions to be put into play that will lead to the fulfillment of confessed desires and….while we watch and wait putting things into play that will help the confessors to begin the journey of confessed desires, we see the confessors running off on shopping sprees, lounging hours upon hours in front of the t.v. screen, chasing nickles, dimes and quarters, playing endless games on face-book and or gaming systems at home or the cell phone and browsing endless hours on social media. God and I see everything else attracting the attentions of the confessor than confessed desire. Wow… that was a mouth full.
“Why would God”… the inmate asked. “To help you to fulfill your confessed desire” would be my answer. Some things that God allows seems mean, uncalled for, unfair and simply should not happen. Know that what ever God allows will work for you the good.
The fulfillment of desires calls for action. “I sure would love to have a piece of fried chicken” you say while sitting on the couch lounging.” Four hours later while sitting on the couch lounging: “I sure would love to have a piece of fried chicken.” The next morning when you get up: “I sure would’ve loved to have had a piece of fried chicken YESTERDAY!
Added to some of our confessed desires should be clauses. With this being said the confession should sound like this: I sure wanna get to know God when the pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, Sunday school teacher, and or the president leads me. I sure wanna walk the deeper depths in God when somebody else walks it for me. I wanna get to know the Lord better when he makes the move.
Is the confession really one of desire or was the confession of desire prompted by an underlying motive, need or want? Desire is a driving force. Desire moves you to act in order to receive. Jesus said. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Matthew 7:7 KJV
Look at the action words in the verse. Ask, seek and knock is what you do in order to obtain. On His part God has already moved and put into play what is needed to help you to fulfill the confessed desire to know Him. Flip the script.