Recently Mike and I took our two oldest granddaughters to spend the day at Gibbs Gardens, a lovely 300 acre oasis where every kind of beautiful flower and plant you can imagine blooms. The girls loved being among the beautifully groomed trees, streams, and flowers.
That evening, when looking through the hundreds of pictures I took, I noticed one picture of Amelia, our oldest granddaughter, holding a pink flower blossom to her nose. Her eyes were closed and she had the most pleasant expression on her face. It was quite enchanting and I wondered what she was thinking about. So I asked her, and in her quiet sweet voice she said, “Oh, grandma, I felt so happy, and was thanking Jesus for making such beautiful flowers and letting me be here to enjoy them.” It touched my heart to see her spontaneous response to God speaking to her heart through the beauty around her. She was communing with her Creator.
I believe God is attempting to communicate with each of us in multiple ways, multiple times, every day. I believe He longs for each of us to hear Him and respond. Do I miss His voice sometimes? The root word of communication is commune. Webster says commune means to communicate with someone in a very personal or spiritual way. To be in close accord. Do I have that kind of a connection with Jesus? Do you?
Prayer to God must be the first activity of the day. Even before getting out of bed, thank God for the night’s rest and the new day. Ask God for His cleansing blood to cover and renew you. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you, speak to you, and help you recognize God’s voice. This we should do before checking social media, making breakfast, exercising, or anything else.
I believe God is speaking to us every day. He loves us. He is eager to bless. He is warm and receptive, and wants to be our daily companion. He says, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
In volume 2 of Testimonies of the Church p 189 -190, writer Ellen White says,
“It is impossible for the soul to flourish while prayer is not a special exercise of the mind. Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient. Secret prayer is very important; in solitude the soul is laid bare to the inspecting eye of God, and every motive is scrutinized. Secret prayer! How precious! The soul communing with God!… Sweet and abiding will be the influence emanating from Him who seeth in secret, whose ear is open to answer the prayer arising from the heart. By calm, simple faith the soul holds communion with God and gathers to itself divine rays of light to strengthen and sustain it to endure the conflicts of Satan. God is our tower of strength.”
Today there is no doubt, it’s time to commune with God. He is speaking. Let’s delight in hearing.
Juanita Edge, Communication Director