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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
You Can Hear God If You Listen
March 30, 2007
I went into the Christian bookstore looking for some worship folders and
baptism certificates and came away with an affirmation of my faith. It is
funny how God can break into an ordinary day and give you a sign that He
has heard your prayers and that He is going to bless you. I am not talking
about something subliminal that has to be interpreted and massaged to
make it fit into some preconceived notion of a miraculous revelation. I am
talking about a burning bush kind of experience where there can be no
doubt that it is God speaking to you.
As I approached the check out counter the heavens opened and my gaze
was drawn to a magazine rack. Right there out in the open was a copy of
Sports Spectrum magazine. I couldn't believe my eyes. Nate Robertson of
the Detroit Tigers was all over the cover as the focus of the featured story
this month. It could only mean one thing: My Tigers were going to repeat
and make a return trip to the World Series. God had heard the very
question I had been wrestling with this spring and he spoke to me clearly.
You think I am kidding. Well, maybe I am pushing it a bit with the Tigers,
but the truth is that God does break into our every day experiences and
speak to us more often that we even know. The author of the Book of
Hebrews begins by noting, "In the past God has spoke to our forefathers
through the Prophets at many times and in various ways..." God is so
creative that he has used not only the burning bush, but a donkey, a whale,
a star, a blinding light, and so many other vehicles to reach us. When God
wants to capture our attention he can use anything, even a magazine cover
with our favorite baseball player.
At the heart of our faith is the fact that God wanted to have a special
relationship with us since the very beginning of time. That was God's plan.
When we went our own way, God didn't give up on us. He kept reaching
out to us. He used Abraham and his descendants as a flare to get our
attention. He used David and his songs of praise to let us see his heart. He
spoke through Isaiah and the Prophets to reveal his long term hopes for
us. In Jesus he unveiled the plan to bring us back together.
Today God is not so subtle. I have always said there is no such thing as
coincidence. Every day we experience unexpected blessings but we don't
always recognize them as coming from God. You see God wants to be a
part of our daily activities. He knows our hopes and dreams and prayers.
Every time one of these wishes comes true, you can bet that God is not
far away.
When you see your granddaughter in her first dance recital, or your son
swing and hit the ball off the tee, God is there with a smile. When you and
your husband put a bid on your first home or your mother calls to tell you
that your dad made it through surgery, God is with you. When you are
driving home after a bad day and you see something that makes you laugh,
it was sent from God to cheer you up. So stop, look and listen. What is
God trying to say to you today? The Tigers may not go back to the World
Series, but that magazine cover reminded me that God was with me on an
ordinary Wednesday afternoon.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
March 30, 2007
I went into the Christian bookstore looking for some worship folders and
baptism certificates and came away with an affirmation of my faith. It is
funny how God can break into an ordinary day and give you a sign that He
has heard your prayers and that He is going to bless you. I am not talking
about something subliminal that has to be interpreted and massaged to
make it fit into some preconceived notion of a miraculous revelation. I am
talking about a burning bush kind of experience where there can be no
doubt that it is God speaking to you.
As I approached the check out counter the heavens opened and my gaze
was drawn to a magazine rack. Right there out in the open was a copy of
Sports Spectrum magazine. I couldn't believe my eyes. Nate Robertson of
the Detroit Tigers was all over the cover as the focus of the featured story
this month. It could only mean one thing: My Tigers were going to repeat
and make a return trip to the World Series. God had heard the very
question I had been wrestling with this spring and he spoke to me clearly.
You think I am kidding. Well, maybe I am pushing it a bit with the Tigers,
but the truth is that God does break into our every day experiences and
speak to us more often that we even know. The author of the Book of
Hebrews begins by noting, "In the past God has spoke to our forefathers
through the Prophets at many times and in various ways..." God is so
creative that he has used not only the burning bush, but a donkey, a whale,
a star, a blinding light, and so many other vehicles to reach us. When God
wants to capture our attention he can use anything, even a magazine cover
with our favorite baseball player.
At the heart of our faith is the fact that God wanted to have a special
relationship with us since the very beginning of time. That was God's plan.
When we went our own way, God didn't give up on us. He kept reaching
out to us. He used Abraham and his descendants as a flare to get our
attention. He used David and his songs of praise to let us see his heart. He
spoke through Isaiah and the Prophets to reveal his long term hopes for
us. In Jesus he unveiled the plan to bring us back together.
Today God is not so subtle. I have always said there is no such thing as
coincidence. Every day we experience unexpected blessings but we don't
always recognize them as coming from God. You see God wants to be a
part of our daily activities. He knows our hopes and dreams and prayers.
Every time one of these wishes comes true, you can bet that God is not
far away.
When you see your granddaughter in her first dance recital, or your son
swing and hit the ball off the tee, God is there with a smile. When you and
your husband put a bid on your first home or your mother calls to tell you
that your dad made it through surgery, God is with you. When you are
driving home after a bad day and you see something that makes you laugh,
it was sent from God to cheer you up. So stop, look and listen. What is
God trying to say to you today? The Tigers may not go back to the World
Series, but that magazine cover reminded me that God was with me on an
ordinary Wednesday afternoon.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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