Close To Thee

Do you ever forget the obvious?
This is something that I am a master at doing.
Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees--
That's me.
And I do this in many areas of life.
I think in one way, I am just not observant of details.
I notice a difference in even the way my four year old
takes note of details that I am completely oblivious to
---until they are pointed out by someone else.
I'm just often "in my own little world."
That's just another one of the many nuances
that make your faithful Bell
the nut job that she is.

Here's what I did last week one day:
I was having my little quiet time in the morning
and I was praying and I asked God to speak to me.
I'm sure this is not a novel idea to most of you.
I dare say some people do this every single day,
maybe several times a day.
I don't know why it was like a unique thing for me
to make that specific request,
but anyway, that's what I did.
And it was not like
"speak to me about this certain situation"
or "give me direction about X."
It was just "speak to me.
What do you have to say to me today?
I want to hear it. Help me to hear it."

And do you know what happened?

It was like God had a message for me
around every corner.
I just remember when thing after thing was
striking a chord with me that I realized
I had asked for that and that God was
answering my prayer. It was such a blessing.
I wonder how often there have been
messages for me around every corner
and I have been so caught up in my own
thoughts or whatever that
I have been unaware of these things.
I wonder how many times I have been deaf to that
still small voice because my life and my heart and
my mind were full of so much noise.
Or a barrier of sin.

I remember this example that Elisabeth Elliott gave one time.
It was talking about the relationship between servants and
masters. The closer the servant is to the master,
the less has to be said. Sometimes just a nod of the head,
sometimes just a pointing of the finger.
But that servant who is out trying to run away and
do his own thing---he often has to be dragged into the
presence of the master and under pressure and violence
be made to do what he ought to be doing.

I am a servant who has been bought with a price.
I have a Master who would speak to me in a
small, kind voice. His yoke is easy and His burden
is light when I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.
But sometimes I am that willful, rebellious servant
who has to be caught and dragged back and punished.
How much more pleasant life is when I am standing there,
eyes fixed on my Master,
just waiting and watching for any directive from Him.

Oh, that I would be that faithful, attentive servant
more often than the wicked, willful one.