The simple things are most precious

:: Have you ever been alone with God? Oswald Chambers

    His Solitude with Us.

  Mark 4:10

When God gets us alone by affliction, heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new friendship -- when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded, and cannot ask one question, then He begins to expound.  Watch Jesus Christ's training of the twelve.  It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were perplexed.  They constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly expounded things to them; but they only understood after they had received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).

If you are going on with God, the only thing that is clear to you, and the only thing God intends to be clear, is the way He deals with your own soul.  Your brother's sorrows and perplexities are an absolute confusion to you.  We imagine we understand where the other person is, until God gives us a dose of the plague of our own hearts.  There are whole tracts of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone.  Are we alone with Him now, or are we taken up with little fussy notions, fussy comradeships in God's service, fussy ideas about our bodies?  Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.

This is todays devotional from My Utmost for His Highest.  Ever since deciding to strive for the simpler life, to rid my life and mind of the nonsense, the drama, the fussy notions and comradeships in God's service, fussy ideas about my body, my Heavenly Father has brought to me, time and time again, confirmation that I am indeed on the right track.  The Holy Spirit encourages me, comforts me, nurtures me with the remembrance of the simplicity I found in Christ when first I received salvation.  As the years flew by, and the "works" piled up, the drama increased and the simplicity decreased.  The noise grew louder and louder . Until such time that I could hardly hear that still small voice, that sweet spirit of God speaking to me.  It's been through God getting me alone, in my case through affliction, sickness, broken friendships and relationships, new friendships and relationships, loss of the ability to pursue my career outside the home any longer (thankfully),  and I came to a point where I was truly dumbfounded.  I couldn't ask why, or how.  I could not ask any questions.  I was totally depleted.  The only thing that was clear to me is the way that God would deal with me and my soul.  He revealed the plague of my own heart, the huge tracts of stubbornness and ignorance revealed by the Holy Spirit.  I could never had heard Him otherwise.  I was too busy with busy-ness, trivial busy-ness, unimportant fussy stuff. 

It's been 6 years since the inception and finally, finally, we are living the simple life.  At least the very beginnings of it.  But I can see the light of simplicity out my window.  I can hear the whispered quiet of the simple treasures.  It's softly snowing outside, dreary clouds, but what a beautiful day.  My washer and dryer are finally hooked up again after the moved so the last two days have been very productive around the house.  Nesting and spring cleaning ahead of time feels comforting.  The tiredness at the end of a productive day is a precious simple treasure.

May your day be filled with those simple treasures.  Listen quietly for His whisper.

A happy servant

Sherri

Thank You

4:47 PM, 2006-Jan-13 .. Posted by karatemom

Thanks for the encouraging words Carla. They bless my heart so. See you over at your blog.

I'm just learning so much and there are not many things that really make me hum as much as learning. (my husband, children, home and God goes without saying)