Lying
quietly in the sun beside the sliding glass doors that lead to our deck is a
favorite pastime of Beamer and Kari. Whether sleeping, looking out the window
or keeping a keen eye to see if I may drop a morsel of food while I work in the
kitchen, these pups enjoy that peaceful spot. Suddenly the distinct sound of an
anticipatory whine comes from extremely alert dogs. Prancing and jumping at the
door soon follow. As excitement increases, Kari begins leaping in the air at
more than twice her height. (The paw prints on the glass door attest to her
acrobatic feat.) Something has been moving in or behind our back yard
By the
time I reach the door to let them out, I can see nothing that would cause this
excitement. Both dogs race toward the back corner of the yard. I’m assuming
that a rabbit or a squirrel had caught their attention and then swiftly fled.
There is an easement behind our yard where children often play or people walk
their pets, but I would most likely have been able to catch a glimpse if that
had been what my animals had seen. This had been more subtle and quick.
Laughing at the excitement level that Kari had displayed, I returned to
what I had been doing and allowed the dogs to spend some time
outside.
We can
enjoy time just resting in the presence of God. Worship music may be playing or
the Scriptures may be open before our eyes. Then just as suddenly, a truth that
we had not seen before can be spoken to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. God’s
presence suddenly seems more real and intense. Do we display the same
exuberance with which Kari jumped into the air when that animal caught her eye?
Does our heart leap causing us to desire to understand everything that this
gentle whisper entails? Even before his birth, John (the Baptist) had this
reaction to the presence of Jesus who was also yet to be born into this world. “And it occurred that when
Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb,” (Luke 1:41 AMP) There was an
excitement at the entrance of the tangible presence of God.
As
born-again believers we have the presence of the Holy Spirit abiding in our
lives every day. This is a source of hope, contentment and joy. “You will show me the path of life;
in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11 AMP) At times the Lord
will speak clearly to our hearts. We may be rereading a familiar Scripture and
suddenly see a truth that had not previously been obvious. We may suddenly know
the direction to go in an area that we have been praying. There are so many
ways that the Holy Spirit may enlighten us. When we see something clearly, do
we get excited and run after it? Is our excitement uncontainable to the point
that our inner man leaps into the air?
We have a
great example in Scripture of a young boy who responded well when hearing the
voice of God. Young Samuel was a servant of Eli, the priest. (See 1 Samuel
3:4–10) We see his exuberant response the first time he heard God call his name. “When the Lord called,
Samuel! And he answered, Here I am. He ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for
you called me.” (1 Samuel
3:4-5a AMP) Even before the young Samuel knew he was hearing from God he jumped
up and ran to answer. Could this exuberance of youth be part of what Jesus was
referring to when he commanded us to come as children? We know that He desires
we trust like a children, but I wonder if there wasn’t just a little bit more
when He said, “And said, Truly
I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little
children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom
of heaven [at all].” (Matthew
18:3 AMP)
As we
grow in our relationship with the Lord, we should never lose that same
excitement of hearing His voice. Whenever something appears to “jump off the
page” at us, we need to be ready to “jump up” to pursue it and find the full
meaning of what is there for us. The critter that captured Kari’s attention was
elusive, but God will never withhold His truth from our pursuit. He is waiting
to see if we will chase after it. Will this be our response to a glimpse of
truth? “My whole being follows
hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8 AMP)
When God
speaks to your, heart leap with excitement and chase hard after all He wishes
to teach you. “Do not
quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit;” (1 Thessalonians 5:19 AMP) Pursue
Him instead.
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