The “Yes” of God
It’s Sunday morning and I went to church with Jesus, just the two of us. I walked the 20 minutes of the wooded path following the signs carefully placed to let travelers know where He is. As always I first passed St. Francis, then Mary Jesus’ mother along the way. Finally in the clearing I saw the way to where the three disciples were sleeping and then just beyond them, there He was.
Since I had my GPS phone I marked the location of where I found Him. Now I can send His co-ordinates to anyone who’s interested. And since I knew it would sound like a far-fetched tale to anyone who hasn’t also gone to see Him, I took pictures. One of Jesus Himself at prayer. One of the rock I sat on for worship.
For music a male and female cardinal did a duet. They also added a visual reminder that the Spirit was near as they flashed their red-orange feathers amidst the 100 different greens of the forest. The sermon was quite good.
I told Jesus I didn’t have anything prepared for worship and He told me it was alright, He had it covered. He said most of the stuff He hears at worship anymore is more ‘wish-list’ than prayers and that it’s seldom anyone just sits with Him. He longs for creation to say the words “Thy will be done” and mean it. The grasses, the planets, small creeping things they do just that. It's the sons and daughters of Adam, who pretty much go their own way.
It took me a while to respond to His provocative observation. After all, I’ve spent years praying such wish-lists. I’ve learned and taught that God has three answers to our prayers: “yes” – “no” – and “wait.” Cracker-Jack theology. Prayer 101.
What’s being formed in me as I sit here with Him today however is something quite different. The take away message from our conversation and the silent sermon is that God’s answer to prayer is always a resounding “Yes.”
God’s answer to our prayer is always “Yes” when we lay down our wish-list and pray for His will to be played out in the drama of our life. God’s answer to prayer is always “Yes” when we surrender our will to His will and walk into the life He desires to live through us. God’s answer to prayer is always “Yes” when we stop running our lives in our own wisdom [foolishness] and submit to God’s Wisdom and His Love. God’s answer to our prayers is always “Yes” when our prayer consists of more listening than talking – more hearing than speaking – willing obedience rather than negotiating.
We do not hear the “Yes” of God or experience its blessing while we’re arm-wrestling God for control of the details of our lives or while we're making decisions for our future from places of the unhealed pain of our past. It’s only when we step into the stream of intercession that Christ and God’s Spirit are praying on our behalf without ceasing that we experience God’s “Yes” and His peace. The invitation to live God's "Yes" is yours and mine today.
Rather than going back over the wooded path returning from Sunday morning worship with Jesus, I chose the sun-filled prairie path instead. It was over-flowing with milkweed and assorted prairie grasses that hundreds of butterflies of multiple species could not resist. Several times I stopped in sheer wonder of their delicate beauty and amazing colors. These creatures, I thought, have long known the secret of living the life God designed for them – a life of desiring only what God has already provided - a life without sadness or regret – a life that echoes eternity.
My worship time this morning gave me a new conviction; to live my life so that God might say “Yes, Yes indeed!” to my prayers and my life. I invite you to join me in this adventure. BLESSINGS AND JOY, THE CELTIC MONK
Since I had my GPS phone I marked the location of where I found Him. Now I can send His co-ordinates to anyone who’s interested. And since I knew it would sound like a far-fetched tale to anyone who hasn’t also gone to see Him, I took pictures. One of Jesus Himself at prayer. One of the rock I sat on for worship.
For music a male and female cardinal did a duet. They also added a visual reminder that the Spirit was near as they flashed their red-orange feathers amidst the 100 different greens of the forest. The sermon was quite good.
I told Jesus I didn’t have anything prepared for worship and He told me it was alright, He had it covered. He said most of the stuff He hears at worship anymore is more ‘wish-list’ than prayers and that it’s seldom anyone just sits with Him. He longs for creation to say the words “Thy will be done” and mean it. The grasses, the planets, small creeping things they do just that. It's the sons and daughters of Adam, who pretty much go their own way.
It took me a while to respond to His provocative observation. After all, I’ve spent years praying such wish-lists. I’ve learned and taught that God has three answers to our prayers: “yes” – “no” – and “wait.” Cracker-Jack theology. Prayer 101.
What’s being formed in me as I sit here with Him today however is something quite different. The take away message from our conversation and the silent sermon is that God’s answer to prayer is always a resounding “Yes.”
God’s answer to our prayer is always “Yes” when we lay down our wish-list and pray for His will to be played out in the drama of our life. God’s answer to prayer is always “Yes” when we surrender our will to His will and walk into the life He desires to live through us. God’s answer to prayer is always “Yes” when we stop running our lives in our own wisdom [foolishness] and submit to God’s Wisdom and His Love. God’s answer to our prayers is always “Yes” when our prayer consists of more listening than talking – more hearing than speaking – willing obedience rather than negotiating.
We do not hear the “Yes” of God or experience its blessing while we’re arm-wrestling God for control of the details of our lives or while we're making decisions for our future from places of the unhealed pain of our past. It’s only when we step into the stream of intercession that Christ and God’s Spirit are praying on our behalf without ceasing that we experience God’s “Yes” and His peace. The invitation to live God's "Yes" is yours and mine today.
Rather than going back over the wooded path returning from Sunday morning worship with Jesus, I chose the sun-filled prairie path instead. It was over-flowing with milkweed and assorted prairie grasses that hundreds of butterflies of multiple species could not resist. Several times I stopped in sheer wonder of their delicate beauty and amazing colors. These creatures, I thought, have long known the secret of living the life God designed for them – a life of desiring only what God has already provided - a life without sadness or regret – a life that echoes eternity.
My worship time this morning gave me a new conviction; to live my life so that God might say “Yes, Yes indeed!” to my prayers and my life. I invite you to join me in this adventure. BLESSINGS AND JOY, THE CELTIC MONK
Kathleen, AWESOME post. Simply AWESOME. Not sure what else to say. I felt like I was there and then "bam" it put me there with Jesus thanks. Blessings and Joy from The Practical Disciple.
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