Marybeth Whalen
“Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don’t see him; quietly but surely he’s active, and I miss it.” Job 9:11 (MSG)
For a long time, I lived life unaware of God’s activity around me. I wrote things off as “coincidence” or “random”—never realizing that the God of the Universe is a living and active part of my life. I lived a crazy, chaotic existence, too busy and distracted to focus on God’s presence. Instead I rushed from one urgency to the next—not relying on God to get me through, depending foolishly on my own strength. It never dawned on me to slow down, to tune my ear to God’s voice, to learn to listen and look for Him. I simply didn’t know how gratifying life could be if I did.
Then a friend of mine began to share with me how God would often speak to her, urging her to do things that didn’t always make sense to her, but always produced miraculous results. My friend was on a daily adventure with God. Her day began with a prayer to help her see Him at work, and her life became one big “yes” to Him. She experienced a level of faith that I knew I hadn’t come close to, and it excited me to hear what God was going to do next. I realized that I was missing out by living life unaware.
I think that living life aware of God’s presence—of His activity all around us—is the life Jesus described when He spoke of living life “to the full.” (John 10:10) He didn’t mean a life of material abundance, but of spiritual abundance. He wanted all of us to feel the joy and abandon of participating in miracles with Him. He wanted us to lose sight of the world’s opinion as we turned our eyes to Him and allowed our purpose to line up with His. He knew that this is a life that is truly life (I Timothy 6:19).
He also knows that we face an enemy who would like nothing more than to snatch that abundance away from us. He knows that too many of us never even come close to this life. We live life ignorant of His activity, and ignorant of the possibilities for blessing and true joy that exist just beyond our comfort zone, just a step outside our busy lives. The trick is to start looking for those “yes” moments.
Yes God, I will give that money away—not because it makes sense or because I know exactly how You will provide, but because I trust You to do so.
Yes God, I will let that person know I am praying for her—even though she isn’t a Christian and might laugh at me.
Yes God, I will reach out to that person I don’t know—even though I might look crazy. I care more about what You think than what others think.
Yes God, I will … (you fill in the blanks)
Do you need to live life aware instead of unaware? Are you ready to start saying “yes” to God? Is God prompting you to do something crazy, but are too afraid to step out in obedience? Living life aware is a great way to live. It is a life of abundance that is unmatched by anything the world can offer.
Dear Lord, I want to live life aware of Your promptings. I want to say “yes” to You without counting the cost. I want to learn to listen for your voice. Please help me to do so today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst
Marybeth’s blog
Do you know Him?
Application Steps:
In your journal, write about one thing that God is personally speaking to you about. How have you responded? Think about a time when you felt God was speaking to your heart and record that as well.
Reflections:
Think of the way my friend influenced me by simply sharing what God was doing in her life. Her influence became a key part of my own faith walk. Are you sharing your adventures with God with other people? Should you be bolder about doing so? Is there someone God is bringing to mind that needs to hear your stories so their faith can be increased?
Power Verses:
I Timothy 6:118-19, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (NIV)
Isaiah 30:21, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”(NIV)
I John 2:5-6, “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (NIV)
“Somehow, though he moves right in front of me, I don’t see him; quietly but surely he’s active, and I miss it.” Job 9:11 (MSG)
For a long time, I lived life unaware of God’s activity around me. I wrote things off as “coincidence” or “random”—never realizing that the God of the Universe is a living and active part of my life. I lived a crazy, chaotic existence, too busy and distracted to focus on God’s presence. Instead I rushed from one urgency to the next—not relying on God to get me through, depending foolishly on my own strength. It never dawned on me to slow down, to tune my ear to God’s voice, to learn to listen and look for Him. I simply didn’t know how gratifying life could be if I did.
Then a friend of mine began to share with me how God would often speak to her, urging her to do things that didn’t always make sense to her, but always produced miraculous results. My friend was on a daily adventure with God. Her day began with a prayer to help her see Him at work, and her life became one big “yes” to Him. She experienced a level of faith that I knew I hadn’t come close to, and it excited me to hear what God was going to do next. I realized that I was missing out by living life unaware.
I think that living life aware of God’s presence—of His activity all around us—is the life Jesus described when He spoke of living life “to the full.” (John 10:10) He didn’t mean a life of material abundance, but of spiritual abundance. He wanted all of us to feel the joy and abandon of participating in miracles with Him. He wanted us to lose sight of the world’s opinion as we turned our eyes to Him and allowed our purpose to line up with His. He knew that this is a life that is truly life (I Timothy 6:19).
He also knows that we face an enemy who would like nothing more than to snatch that abundance away from us. He knows that too many of us never even come close to this life. We live life ignorant of His activity, and ignorant of the possibilities for blessing and true joy that exist just beyond our comfort zone, just a step outside our busy lives. The trick is to start looking for those “yes” moments.
Yes God, I will give that money away—not because it makes sense or because I know exactly how You will provide, but because I trust You to do so.
Yes God, I will let that person know I am praying for her—even though she isn’t a Christian and might laugh at me.
Yes God, I will reach out to that person I don’t know—even though I might look crazy. I care more about what You think than what others think.
Yes God, I will … (you fill in the blanks)
Do you need to live life aware instead of unaware? Are you ready to start saying “yes” to God? Is God prompting you to do something crazy, but are too afraid to step out in obedience? Living life aware is a great way to live. It is a life of abundance that is unmatched by anything the world can offer.
Dear Lord, I want to live life aware of Your promptings. I want to say “yes” to You without counting the cost. I want to learn to listen for your voice. Please help me to do so today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst
Marybeth’s blog
Do you know Him?
Application Steps:
In your journal, write about one thing that God is personally speaking to you about. How have you responded? Think about a time when you felt God was speaking to your heart and record that as well.
Reflections:
Think of the way my friend influenced me by simply sharing what God was doing in her life. Her influence became a key part of my own faith walk. Are you sharing your adventures with God with other people? Should you be bolder about doing so? Is there someone God is bringing to mind that needs to hear your stories so their faith can be increased?
Power Verses:
I Timothy 6:118-19, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (NIV)
Isaiah 30:21, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”(NIV)
I John 2:5-6, “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (NIV)
Labels: God's Perspective, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Warfare
3 Comments:
Thank you Marybeth. I have something to pray about. I know I need to share my belief in a matter with someone and I need God to go before me in this. Pray for me and I'll update you later.
I love your ministry and very much appreciate the daily devotions. Could you update them earlier? I'm an early riser and would love to use this as my quiet time at 5:30 AM. thanks again!
This was definitely for me but I am going to have to go back to work to give any money to the Lord because my husband allows me to give some to the church as tithe but he is against other gifts that I want to give. That is fine with me though. I love giving to the Lord.
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