Set Aside Time To Hear…©

So often we expect God to crash into our lives thunderously and shake our foundation with His presence. How many times did we miss Him because He appeared in just the opposite?

Now, of course there are those times when God speaks loudly and clearly. But more often, He speaks to us in a quiet voice. In order for us to hear that Voice we must be in a position to listen, spiritually and physically. To accomplish that, we must designate “quiet time” each day. I’m sure most of you reading this are saying “I do that every morning when I pray and read my Bible!” How often do you actually take time out to just be in the Lord’s presence – silently, to hear and listen to Him?

I read an article recently that asked “Can you quiet yourself long enough to listen to your conscious?” I re-read the question and pondered it for a few and tried to answer it honestly. I won’t bore you with my discovery, but I challenge you to answer it for yourself (you’ll be amazed with your answer if you’re honest!) Further in the same article another question was asked that again halted me in my tracks; “Are you willing to pray sincerely and then to wait quietly for God’s response?” Did you catch the second part of that question? That’s the part we have the tendency to miss. Waiting has somehow been erased from our 4G, optimal speed lives.

One of my favorite Scriptures is Psalm 37. It speaks of trusting and waiting on the Lord. Verse 7 starts “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” If we sincerely desire to hear His voice, we must listen carefully, and we must do so in the silent corners of a quiet, willing heart. Now before you start screaming, (so much for quietness!) I know that God can reach us in any state, but just think how much more effective and serenely beautiful it would be to receive His Word without life’s boisterous distractions?

If you’re anything like me, you have one hundred things on your daily agenda that all need your attention. The idea of setting aside time to sit quietly sounds absurd, but trust me – no, trust Him that it will be to your benefit if you do!

Our History – Month ©

Black History Month is coming to a close. I must say this had been the quietest BHM I remember. Is it me, or has the month’s celebration been muted into the background? The other day a friend of mine jokingly (not really) was channel surfing and asked “Where are all the black movies??” I laughed but silently wondered the same. Not just the movies, but where was the celebration?

I remember when I was a kid; February was on fire with pro-black activities. Just about every weekend there was some type of program, movie screening, or lecture going on and I was involved in most of them. Albeit there may have been activities going on this year and I just missed them, but still I didn’t feel the fire. There was no sense of ‘Power To The People” in there air. No dashikis boldly worn to work that dared the manager to send us home for violating the office’s dress code. I wondered if I was the one that had lost the fire.

This year, I attended a screening of Harry Belafonte’s documentary “Sing Your Song” at a local theater (I highly recommend it!) to which I was sadly the only black person in the audience of 7. I chalked it up to low advertising. Maybe not many people, our people knew about it. The same theater will be screening another feature for BHM called “Rejoice and Shout” I’m curious to see how many of us will be there.

So I pose the question, have we dropped the ball – again? Generations before us fought long and hard to have a specific time carved out for us to celebrate our heritage and what have we done with it? Have we become so self-absorbed with trying to fit into mainstream America that we have let our month become just another block of weeks on the calendar? Could it be Black History Month has lost its flare or have we lost it?

PBS aired a documentary (yes, I am a documentary buff!) called “More Than a Month.” The filmmaker, Shukree Hassan Tilghman, explores cross country on a quest to end Black History Month. Now, don’t get your knickers in a bunch! Before you judge a film by the first line of its description, it’s about the implications of stuffing our History into a month, as opposed to 360 days. 

I highly recommend you check this out and maybe we’ll all be fired up next February (Maybe…)

S.R. Paulk ©

Ask For His Help ©S.R. Paulk

The Bible promises that God will guide us if we let Him. The key to that promise is IF WE LET Him. So often we get distracted and do the opposite. We jump in and want to do it our way or worse, we want it done “Right Now” both of which are God’s way. His Word tells us were are to resist these urges to go outside of His will. Easier said than done. So often we believe we think we see the solution because it looks to be the answer to our problem. For some reason, we forget that God sees all and knows all – He knew it before we did. Even better, He knows the outcome. That alone should keep us in our place, but it doesn’t. More often than not, we attempt to handle the problem, situation, or person according to what we believe should be done.

In the past two weeks I have learned, re-learned, and learned again the importance of leaving God’s business to God. Frustrations mounted, and anger rose to a level that warranted medication, but I’m so glad for that quiet, still voice that reminded me to sit down and ask Him for help.

God has promised that when you ask for His help, He will not withhold it – just like that. So I asked, and I encourage you to do the same. Ask Him to meet the needs of your day. Sure, you can ask for help regarding days in advance, but how do you know those days are yours? Focus on the day you have been given. Ask Him to lead you, to protect you, and to correct you. Now that last one I know is hard, but without correction there can be no growth.

He says when we ask, He answers and provides. When we knock, He opens and guides. So ask confidently, and trust that what you have asked for will be granted…according to His will.