A relationship with God is like a friendship between two people. In any friendship, people who only talk to each other when they need something do not seem like true friends. In the same way, we must not only pray to God when we need something from Him.
A friendship also involves conversation between (at least) two people. Listening is a very important part of this conversation. If one person talks the whole time, then the other friend will feel limited and unimportant. However, when both friends equally share in the talking and listening, then it seems like they are having a more realistic conversation. When we pray to God, we are having a conversation with Him. The same “rules” described above about friendships are also applicable to our friendship/relationship with God. Since friendship involves taking time to listen to the other person, we must also take time to listen to God. The Lord is always listening to us when pray. However, I think that we forget to pause and listen to God since He is not physically sitting right in front of us. Lately, God has shown me that He speaks to us when we take time to listen. During this summer, my family and I have not been able to go on any vacations. Although this does not seem like the worst-case scenario for my life, there is so much more to the story than what it appears to be on the surface. My little brother is a special needs kid who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD about ten years ago. People with autism often struggle with social skills like communication. Specifically, my brother is nonverbal. (Although he is not completely mute, he can’t speak fluently.) Most of the time, it is difficult for him to understand and to speak in full sentences. My brother also has difficulty understanding logical reasoning. When he does not understand why he did not get his way in a situation, he becomes very upset and he may throw a tantrum, just like any regular kid. Since my brother becomes easily frustrated when trying to communicate verbally, it is hard for my family to go on vacations together. There are so many factors that could go wrong during a vacation, so my family prefers to stay home because it always ends up being less stressful. Throughout these past few months, I have also had a lot more time to do fun things since I recently graduated from high school. Unlike last year, I do not need to do any summer assignments or write multiple college application essays. With all the extra free time that I have had, I started picturing what it would feel like to travel to different areas around the world so that I could explore new places and relax. However, I began to feel discouraged when my hopes did not become a reality. One day, I was sitting in my room and I decided to pray about my situation. I started talking to God in the same way that I talk to any of my close friends—I was honest and I told Him exactly how I felt. God wants us to be honest with Him, even if we express doubt or disappointment because He cares about us. (1 Peter 5:7) After going on and on about my situation, I decided to pause and listen because I did not want to leave God out of the conversation. In that moment, God put the verse “Psalm 72:12” in my mind. I looked it up, and turns out that verse does not exist. (Haha) However, while I was flipping through my Bible, God reminded me of Psalm 91. I then flipped a few more pages until I reached that Psalm, and I began reading: “(1) Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (2) I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ (3) Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. (4) He will cover you with feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge—” After I read the underlined phrase from verse 4, the voice in my mind just suddenly stopped reading. It was so unusual because I stopped reading subconsciously, without my brain’s command. However, it was in that moment that God told me something SO POWERFUL! He said, “Christina, you want to go on vacation so that you can find rest and relaxation. However, you can find that rest right here and right now in Me.” Wow, wow, wow! My mind was awestruck after God spoke to me. God reminded me that no matter where I search for rest in this world, true rest can in be found in Him only, because He is my refuge! The rest we find in this world is temporary, but the rest we find in God is eternal. I am so amazed that God knows exactly what to say when we are feeling discouraged. However, if we do not take the time to pause from the chaos in our busy lives, then we will miss the encouragement that God has for us! This situation has really opened my eyes to the importance of being still and listening to God. I am also reminded that being able to communicate with God so easily is a blessing. The people who lived on Earth before Christ came were separated from God because of sin, and those people were not able to have such a close relationship with God. However, through Christ’s death and resurrection, we now have an opportunity to speak with God anytime and anywhere, and we must not forget to make the most of this blessing. I encourage you all to open your hearts to God, because I know that He is able to speak to you in a very personal and encouraging way if you simply pause and listen.
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Last year was my senior year of high school, and it was a hectic year for me. It involved many stressful things, such as filling out college/scholarship applications, and doing my best to excel in every task.
The previous year was also filled with a lot of confusion and unknowns. During my time of filling out college applications, questions like, “What college are you going to choose?” and “What do you want to study?” repeatedly came to mind. With these questions, I found myself feeling confused and nervous about my future. Then, I came across James 1:5, which says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” This verse encouraged me to pray for wisdom, and it reminded me to trust God with my future rather than worry about it. As I look back now, I can definitely say that God came through for me. He answered my prayer! It all happened during January 2019. I was working on some scholarship applications on a weekday when I did not have school. As I was looking at the forms, I saw the question, “What are you interested in studying?” once again. I then decided to do some research so I could come up with a more realistic answer. As I was thinking about where I could start looking for answers, I remembered a career website that my high school uses. On that website, I have taken career tests as a part of previous assignments. I decided to log in and look at my scores from those previous career tests. When I finally found the results, I saw that I scored highest in the business category. The description of that category blew my mind! It said that business jobs involve “an interest in organized, clearly defined activities requiring accuracy and attention to details, primarily in an office setting.” Prior to finding this description, my parents had been asking me questions about what careers I might want to pursue in order to help me get some ideas. When they asked me about my future job, I told them that I don’t mind doing repetitive work every day and that I wanted something where I can work in an office setting. Well, “clearly defined activities” and “primarily in an office setting” perfectly describe what I had been saying! In addition, I am an organized person and I always pay extra attention to the tiniest details. I was so thrilled to read a job description that described me and my interests so well! Now, when asked what I want to study in college, I say, “Business Finance” and it is a career that I can easily picture myself doing in the future. This situation has definitely strengthened my faith, and it has taught me the importance of praying for wisdom. During seasons involving the unknown, it can be so easy to feel stressed and worried. Despite this, God tells us that He will generously give us wisdom if we simply ask! We must also not lose hope. I had been praying for wisdom for a few months prior to the moment where God gave me the wisdom to make a career choice. Everything happens in the Lord’s timing, and He may have different timing for each of us. However, James 1:5 promises that those who ask God for wisdom will receive His wisdom, and God is a faithful God Who always keeps His promises! James 1:6 also says that those who ask for wisdom "must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." Although I might change my mind about which career I will pursue once I start college, I am thankful that God has shown me a general direction about what I may like to do. |
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