As we travel from one place to another, do we just get there, or do we experience the journey?
As I travelled from the car at Liverpool to the shopping area with my family I was very much aware of the nature around me. Seagulls were flying around and enjoying the brief sunshine reprise, and the water was lapping the edges of the harbour, and the wind was gently blowing the grass that had been planted to remind us of a beach. The grass swayed in the breeze ever so gently and no one seemed to notice. When you look at the grass you can only see one part in focus at a time. Is God like this, only to be focussed on as one part at a time; Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
So I was walking but I was also aware of the nature around me. I believe “being aware of nature” is a step towards being aware of God, and in the busy lives we lead any steps to walk towards God have got to be encouraged.
“I’ve listened to and received all your prayers, your ever-so-passionate prayers. I’ve sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always.
The next day I awoke and was aware that God had been trying to tell me something in a dream. 1 Kings 9:3 is all I can remember. I read and sat back. In the old testament times David wanted to build God a temple. God didn’t need a temple but he seems to suggest “go ahead and build it and I will put my name on it forever”.
But in these days, we are the temples that God dwells within;
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
He puts his name on us, He looks at life through our us, and He puts his heart within us through the perfect unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Is that not an awesome privilege to have?
The New Living Version puts it another way;
“I have heard your prayer. I have hallowed this Temple that you have built and have put my name here forever. I will constantly watch over it and rejoice in it.
God is eternally watching over us, but more fascinating is that he is rejoicing within us. We are his beautiful creations so lets us start acting that way, because the last few words of the Corinthians verse tells us that we are God’s children that have been bought by a huge price. We have no ownership over our bodies anymore, so let us stop acting like we do.
When we are mistreating our bodies by eating rubbish, drinking rubbish, and thinking we can just treat these bodies as we will. Do we not realise that God is within us, and being aware of the moment, being mindful is a step towards hearing God’s voice.
Tonight I am thankful that I have just started to hear God’s voice, and though it has no sound but pure stillness, His voice will be the loudest voice you will hear if you allow him, because;
He has put His name on you
He has put His eyes through you
He has put His heart within you
Amen
365 Exhortations 