As woman, we want to be completely known and this is why we like to communicate. Get a room full of woman and you’ll hear a lot of talking and hopefully see some good listeners too. This is how we get to know others and others get to know us. It is the same with Jesus. We get to know Him by talking to Him and listening. How do we do this?
Open communication is the key, aka prayer. Let Jesus know your every thought, feeling, heartache and joy. Pray about the big things in your life and the little incidental things. Read your Bible and pray through it. When you see a passage that resonates with your heart, stop. Meditate on it. Turn it into a prayer for you or someone you know who is struggling with that issue.
In my last year of teaching I had two flights of steps I had to climb each day with my heavy art bag and purse. It contained my lesson planner, supplies that I purchased and needed for the day, my lunch and other incidentals. Everyday I’d face those stairs and knew that soon I’d face over a hundred students with all their needs. As I climbed the steps, I’d pray:
Those who wait on the Lord will
renew their strength.
They will mount up with wings like
eagles
They will run and not grow weary
They will walk and not faint (Isaiah
40:31).
I’d
pray: Lord renew my strength, help me up these staircases and any other
obstacles I face for the day. Let me not grow weary in doing good and dealing
with the students. Help me not to lose my patience. Thank you that I will fly
like an eagle over these circumstances.
And
you know what? Jesus did it! He gave me the strength I asked for and needed. He
led and guided me throughout the day. As I kept my eyes on Him, He’d give me
the strength. So much so that a young teacher commented that she couldn’t
believe how much I did in my last year when most teachers really slow down. But
the most important benefit was that my relationship with God and Jesus grew
because I kept in constant contact with Him.
How do we do this? Talk honestly with Jesus about what you’re facing. He wants to know you as much as you want to know your husband. In the spiritual sense of things, He is your husband and Good Shepherd. He wants to embrace you and comfort you. Speak to you and encourage you, challenge you and guide you, fill you with wisdom and the joy of knowing Him.
He can’t do that if you’re not spending time alone with Him. Read the Word, pray and listen in return. Don’t do all the talking. After you’ve read the Bible, carve out a few minutes listening for the Good Shepherd’s voice. Get to know it. His voice will never contradict the Word of God so be careful not to listen to the wrong one. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and listen. If he shows you to do something, pray about it.
Think of this time alone with the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as your daily bread. You wouldn’t go a whole day without eating unless you’re fasting, so don’t go a whole day without carving time out for your relationship with God and Jesus. It’s your spiritual food that feeds your soul. Don’t starve. Get to know Jesus and you’ll reap the reward—a joyful relationship with the Good Shepherd. The benefits are innumerable—peace, love, joy, a sense of well-being, guidance, purpose, and more than that, all of them are eternal.
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