How Deep?

It goes on – and it is truly wonderful! Each day begins, for me, with an amazing time of communion with Him, my Father, my Heavenly Dad. He fits me to meet the day, and to face whatever the day has in store for me. As days go, yesterday was a bit of a doozy! After a fabulous “God Time”, the day took a turn for the worse. The main culprit was my reasonably new mobile phone which I have struggled with since day One. It likes to cut me off in the middle of calls, or simply put me on “mute” with the person at the other end crying out, “Are you there?” It is very likely “operator error” – which persons of a younger generation kindly try to tell me!!! Yesterday was simply too much. Early afternoon, after about the eighth drop out – several on calls from the specialist’s office and, finally the third drop out from a call from a dear friend in Queensland, I lost it! I simply slammed the phone to the floor. It shattered, and I said, “Hallelujah!!” 

Of course, I recognised this to be an attack which needed to be fought – with the power of heaven and not any measly worldly weapon. I took myself to Him – and we got through. 

This morning, as I lay in bed, the thought came to me to write about, and call this entry, “Fight the Good Fight”. But then I turned to my book, “God Talk”. Yes, I do read my own writing. Just as, during some message deliveries from the pulpit, I will quietly say to myself, “Peter, are you listening to this? For you need to hear it.” God talks to us in many ways, not least, at times, through our own voices. If He’s talking, do please listen! This morning, my page just happened to open at the reading How Deep? So, here it is.

The word of the LORD came to me: “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown.’ ”                                               Jer. 2.1,2

These beautiful words of affirmation of Israel are soon to be followed by God’s question, “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me?” (v5). In her youth, Israel was devoted to the Lord. She loved Him as a bride, and willingly followed Him through desert territories knowing that He held good in store for her. But, just as the love of some brides wanes and turns sour, so Israel relapsed and strayed far from God.

This stirs me with the question today being: Am I as deeply and fully in love with God, and as totally devoted to Him as I have ever been?

I can say, “I want to be!” I can acknowledge, “I need to be!” But, am I? Could I now follow God through the desert? Can I trust Him to lead me, whether it be into a land of milk and honey or- wherever? Or would I rather say, “Where are You, Lord? Why have You left me?”

How relevant these questions are for me today! The issue is not where God is, but where I am.

Lord God, Sweet Jesus,

My desire is to love You more and to be more totally committed to You today than I have ever been. My wish is that our relationship will be closer and stronger and deeper tomorrow than it is today. And so on. I seek a new outpouring of Your Holy Spirit in my life that will bring me into deeper intimacy with You. 

Yes, Lord, this surely is my prayer. I give myself completely into Your keeping. The world has not the answers. I look fully to You.

O Lord, hear my prayer.        Amen.

That’s it, folks. I’m off now to buy a new mobile phone!

Enjoy your day!