Bask in the Wonder of Who He is

So, it is 2:43 am on Sunday, October 9. I have to get up in 4 hours to get ready to go and do my Sunday thing and I haven't slept yet. Now I went to bed nearly 3 hours ago, yet, still no sleep. The Lord has really been working on me the last several weeks and this is the latest in several conversations that I have had with Him. Unfortunately...Many of these conversations have to happen in wee hours of the morning because I tend to be too self-absorbed during the day to really stop and listen to what God is trying to say to me. So, here is what He has been communicating to me this morning.

1.)Expose your heart

2.)Shut your mouth (He kind of has to use strong language to get through this stubborn head of mine!)

3.)Bask in your wonder of Me

You may be wondering what brought on this latest round of dialogue between myself and God.

On Friday I reached up to my shelf of "books that I intend to read" and grabbed a book I received at the Saddleback Worship Arts Conference called The Way of a Worshiper by Buddy Owens. I have yet to get past the first chapter because something struck me so hard. In this chapter Buddy says:

"...I have a message for you...This message comes from my own longing to know God. To know that he is really there--or really here, I should say--not just in theory, not just in feeling, either; but rather in day to day, moment by moment, living, breathing, present, absolute certainty--a certainty that is higher than intellect and deeper than emotions. I long to know him as my God. To know him as my Father. To know him as my Friend."

He continues in the next paragraph to say:

"I've had this longing since I was a young boy. My mother still laughs about the times she found me, long after bedtime, with my head under the covers reading my Bible with a flash-light. Sometimes I think God laughs about it too."

You may be thinking, "Wow, Josh, some really deep theological revelations you've been having."

Well, it may not seem deep, but it really opened up a door for me. I was challenge by the illustration he used about reading the Bible with a flash-light. It really struck me that I have never really longed to know God so much that I ever searched for Him "under the covers with a flash-light"(literally and figuratively).

I was challenged about the depth of my relationship with this God that I say that I love. That I worship. This God that has given me the privilege and responsibility to lead others into His throne room...into His intimate presence...in worship. I was challenged that I know about God. I have been exposed to His presence and power on occasion. But, I haven't longed to really know Him.

That revelation scared me. So, I did what all "good Christians" do...I prayed about it.

I was talking to Cammie about this today and she, in her wisdom, said to me "Don't just pray about it. Ask God to give you that longing. He desires to give this to You, so ask." So, I did. And that leaves me here early in the morning writing about the beginning of this process that, I am sure, will bring me to all sorts of questions and revelations about who God is and truly knowing Him and not just knowing about Him.

As I have been challenged by the Lord, I challenge you. Ask the Lord who He is. Ask Him to long to know Him in a more intimate way. Then bask in that wonder of who He is.

I don't plan on this being a very short journey. So, I will keep you informed of what He is revealing to me as you inform me of what He is revealing to you.

Post comments on this, please. I would love to hear feedback about what it means to "Bask in the wonder of who He is."

::vacation::

so...i am sitting here in the basement entertainment room of our house reflecting on the vacation we are about to embark on. i wish i could say that it is to some exotic place where we will do things like mountain climbing and snorkeling or swimming with sharks...but unfortunantly it is to indiana. what i think is ironic about vacations is the amount of work it takes to prepare for the vacation...travel to the vacation destination...do everything on the list...prepare for travel back home...travel back home...and finally unpacking. i find that it is more draining taking a vacation than it is just live normal life. but, alas, we all do it...we all torture ourselves. and, really, this vacation centers around a great event. we will be singing for a wedding and will also get to be involved at the church we love so much. so, tomorrow morning at 4 we will be setting off on this adventure. we will log all of memorable experiences in the files of our mind. one day we will say to each other "hey...remember when...", we will laugh, possibly relive some of the memories and return them to the file so we can revisit them at another time.