Come Closer
I've tried to tell y'all that Diamond is a prophet. I tell you I loose count at the number of Godly lessons and parables she has modeled for me over the last 16 years. She is the truth! LOL! But in all seriousness, I love how God uses His creation both human and furry to provide guidance and example. Diamond is no stranger to eating. It's one of her favorite past times. She wants her breakfast between 7 and 7:30am everyday, including weekends, and before sheltering in place, she would have her dinner between 4:30 and 5pm. When she realized somewhere around March 16th that everyone was at home, she moved her dinner time somewhere between 3 and 3:30pm. Trust me. As painful as zoom meetings are, she will get downright indignant if she is not fed within that period of time. Enough about her transgressions and on to her ministry.
Each morning I let Diamond outside as I do every other morning. While she is walking and relieving herself, I began to prep her food. Sometimes if she comes inside and she sees that her food is not ready, she'll return outside, or she'll move to a location in our home by which she can see what I'm doing, thereby keeping me within here line of sight, but free to engage in some other activity while waiting. Other times in frustration, she'll go upstairs while I prepare her food. At this vantage point, she cannot see me, but she can hear when I place her bowl in the carriage area for her enjoyment. I laughed thinking about each of these aforementioned actions because honestly, when I consider my activity amidst waiting for God to provide my blessing, or my ask, or answered prayer, I have enacted each position. If I see that He's not yet done what I've asked, I return to whatever I was doing and try to keep my mind off of my request. Other times, I keep Him within my line of sight, however still trepidatious of whether He will come through. Finally, I may vacate His presence altogether, moving swiftly so as not to be seen, but seek His audible voice of assurance that what I've asked is granted. Hey, I'm not here to judge, but I wonder what if there is another way to get to the promise. Diamond the prophet provided.
This morning as I prepared her food while she walked the grounds, she returned to find that her bowl was not yet set for her. However, instead of returning outside, or moving to another location with me in sight or further to only be within her hearing range, she moved closer to me. More specifically right at my feet. She sat and watched as I chopped up what was to be her first meal of the day. I chuckled. I thought how often I've asked God for something and assumed that my simple ask was enough for Him to move. I don't doubt that is the case. After all, He's promised us so much and He keeps His Word. However, I'm curious as to what my expectation would resemble if I moved closer to the one who has the ability and propensity to grant what I've asked as opposed to creating space as though He needs it to do His best work, His best miracle, His best response.
As Hebrews 4:16 affirms, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (ESV). The KJV better reflects Diamond's stance and serves as a model for us, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need." If we are big enough to ask God , we must in turn be big enough to remain close to Him as He responds to our ask. Being close to God may result in us seeing the people and/or places He moves to respond affirmatively to our desire. Also if we are up close and personal, we may incur some collateral damage in the process. Jesus assumed all our hurt and pain while being crucified. And while He wont experience it again in the natural for us, we can take solace that His heart is for us, He understands and can relate. It's been said that the safest place is in the eye of the storm. Jesus is our center and as we ensure that we remain focused upon Him, where we can both see, hear and feel Him, we can receive assurance in a way that is remarkably distinct from isolation.
The expectation for us is to come closer. The promises of God for us are Yes and Amen, yet during the wait, we can get frustrated, tired, angry and disappointed; and left to our own devices, we can wreck havoc on ourselves and if we are not careful, others too. However if we elect to remain close to Him, we can surround ourselves with peace, love, humility and hope. In the times that God has not elected to grant us what we've asked, we will not have lost our placing in God because it was in Him whom we've placed our trust from the onset. And in due season, if we faint not, we may anticipate that God will send forth something even better or perhaps allow us to come to the realization that whatever we desired wasn't for us, but accepting this reality while at the feet of Jesus. No matter what, we must resist the temptation to move away from Him and instead come closer.