Leap Frog

“There are not three levels of spiritual life – worship, waiting, and work. Yet some of us seem to jump like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work. God’s idea is that the three should go together as one.” Oswald Chambers, January 6, My Upmost For His Highest

I seem to say the following a fair amount in this harried life …. “I don’t seem to have enough time….”

Here are some examples of my time excuses:

‘Work is so busy when I get home I have no energy left to spend with God, sometimes I even fall asleep while I am trying to pray.’

‘In school I have no spare time to even eat, never mind spend time with God.’

‘I have 3 kids where would I find the time to fit God in.’

‘I am so depressed I cannot get God to break through the fog….’

I, me, Jane, have said all of these things at one point of time or another.

Yet if I re-read the paragraph at the beginning of this blog, it seems Oswald is saying that this spiritual leapfrog lifestyle could be different.

Could it also be that it will depend on my “version” of spending time with God?

If you were raised “in the church” then you could have been taught that a person encounters God in the actual physical building of the church. How mind blowing would it be if God is not actually contained within the building because God says He is everywhere.

If you were raised that you must (according to scripture) go into your “secret place” and spend time with God. You possibly even have a minute count of how long that should be and you believe your day will not be good without putting in your allotted time. How mind blowing would it be if God is outside of time – time is nothing to Him, it is only you that is counting.

“But the kingdom of God doesn’t work according to the laws of this world, but by its own (laws). And to prosper in God you must learn the secrets of that kingdom. In the world it is the strong and fierce who rule. But in the kingdom of God, the weak are strong and the strong are weak. …if you would have, you must let go. If you would receive, you must give. If you lower yourself, you will be lifted up…..” The Book of Mysteries, Jonathan Cahn Day 130

God’s kingdom is not bound by any manmade rules, or manmade time, it is totally God’s rules, and God’s ways. Take for instance the miraculous way God showed up in the Prayer Room last week (see last weeks blog if you missed it). God chose the time, the place, the setting, the people and we had nothing to do with it. It defies logical sense…..yes it defies human sense, but not God sense.

Take a mental journey with me for a moment: let us picture a blank piece of paper in front of our eyes.

In your head draw a lamb representing God onto your blank page – got it? No right or wrongs here, stick lambs work.

Now put a stick person onto your page to represent you… make it right beside the lamb.

Leap frog – do not draw on the page, rather picture a bunch of frogs hopping about, hopping on the page and then off, some never to be seen again.

Now picture yourself at Work: where is the lamb and the stick person?  Together. This is how we work “with”  Him and listen for His ideas: “Hey,” He says, “what if we did it “that” way…..”

How about at School: where is the lamb and the stick person? Together. Talk to Him and listen, ask Him for His answer to question #3 or 5 or 6 on your test …….

Church: where is the lamb and the stick person? Together. Talk to Him inside the church and outside the church, you are the temple of God, you are “the church”.

Driving: where is the lamb and the stick person? Together. Ask Him to navigate and direct where you are headed.

Walking outside in nature, birds singing, grass growing or covered with snow: where is the lamb and the stick person? Together. Converse as you walk through the nature He created.

You could even physically draw the lamb and the stick person onto an actual piece of paper and put them both together. I would be willing to say that if you lift the paper up, the lamb and the stick person will still stay beside each other on the paper. It will remain so even if you put the paper upside down, sideways or throw it on the floor, you could stomp on it if you wanted. Those 2 will not be separated no matter what happens to the paper and neither will you and God be separated.

What if you were one of the frogs? Leaping and hopping all over trying to find the lamb? Chances are you would wear out fairly quickly.

Regardless of how many frogs you have leaping all over the page, the stick person and the lamb will not be separated.

This is the meaning of the Kingdom of God: “I will NEVER leave or forsake you.”   Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6

We do not have to look for places or areas to go to find God. He is NOT lost. You might be, but He is right beside you, He is not going anywhere.

I heard the most phenomenal sermon from Jamie Winship where he takes the concept of God being “separate” from us to a place of giggling.

He had a lady who felt that at work God was not present, she could not feel Him. So he asked her where she thought God was when she was at work?

He said, ‘Perhaps in the car waiting?’  

You know, I have to admit that driving is my special time with God. So, does that mean if I am not driving, He is not with me? Or that He is waiting in the car for me to go for a drive?

Sounds silly doesn’t it? But when Jamie said his story, well I totally got it! Jesus is with me everywhere, perhaps the car is where I am least distracted, but it is NOT the only place God and I can talk.

We can and do talk all the time. The other day I was having a lot of discussions with God and I had not yet read my Bible… I normally have a “rule” that I read my Bible at a certain time and for a certain length of time. I sit here and giggle because God and I have been chatting all morning and I do not have any feelings of guilt or that I have let God down. It is so freeing to not feel “guilt” at not doing what my “rules”  told me to do.

How about God at work, you know that place where you can barely find time to go to the bathroom? What if you talked to God right there at your station or walking around the office or even, in the bathroom! He is there, He is talking, He wants us to be listening.

‘Well I haven’t done my “prayer list” today’  Okay, that is not a crime, simply start talking to God about the list. Did you know that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are interceding for you, that means they are praying for you. They already know your list, just talk to God about the people, no format.

I think so much of the leap frog activity is from guilt. We think we are “not doing it right”. Who says? God is a God who knows all, sees all and is present at all times.

Henry Blackaby in the book: Experiencing God has some points that I think we often forget:

1)       God is always at work around you.

(He can work with or without you, your choice – Janes addition)

2)       God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.

(He pursues you, not the other way around – Janes addition)

3)       God invites you to become involved with Him in His work

(He loves you to partner with Him, it is a privilege, not a guilt trip and please notice, He makes the plan, it is not the work I drum up to do for Him – Janes addition)

Whose rules are you following? Your own, ones you adopted and they leave you hopping around like a leap frog tying to find God. God’s rules are a little bit upside down: “The first will be last, the last will be first” Matthew 20:16. God finds you.

“My yoke is easy, and my burden is light…”  Matthew 11:30  Jesus said these words to us as a promise, He is willing to do the heavy lifting. If you my friend are finding life to be heavy, and it is taking it’s toil, hopping around trying to find direction, perhaps it is time to look at who is the lead in the relationhip.  You or Jesus.