Reliance

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:13

Do you listen?

I mean, do you really listen? Do you ever feel that need to do something, yet you don't and then you find out that you really should have? Way back at the beginning of the year, I was having a conversation with my brother and sister-in-law about my niece and some strange behavior that she was exhibiting. We talked about it for awhile, they left, and then for like three days I really felt like I needed to call them up and tell them to take my niece to the doctor. I had dreams about taking her to the doctor, and more than once I picked up the phone to call, or started an e-mail. But then I stopped, thinking that I was just being meddlesome and a know-it-all, and I really didn't want to worry anyone just because "I saw this on TV once" type of thing, you know? And of course, you know where this is going. Several weeks later, my niece was finally taken to a doctor, and sure enough, the precious little girl had type one diabetes, and had been exhibiting the symptoms for quite a while. I felt awful! I felt horrible, because in retrospect, I knew exactly what the problem was, and I also knew that the Spirit was telling me what was wrong with her. I was just letting my earthly brain and fears get in the way of listening to what God was trying to convey to me. I was ignoring that "feeling" that I should do something. Thank God she got to a doctor in time, and thank God that she's managing incredibly well with the disease so far.

But that experience really made me open my eyes, my ears, and my heart a little more to God. I asked God to forgive me for not listening, and asked Him to help me learn to rely on Him and the Spirit to guide me. Not too long after that, I had another experience. A dream about a young man we know. It woke me, because it was so real and so sudden, and something that was uncharacteristic about this person. I really felt like I needed to pray for that person, so I did, for some time. I think my prayers were well-timed, and ever since then, this young man has been on both mine and Andy's hearts as someone to pray for. God has great things for him, he just doesn't know it yet.

It's the Holy Spirit who we can rely on to help guide us, and sometimes, He is there when He is least expected. There has been more than once where I have had a sense of unease about something. Maybe something as simple as I was going to make an off-hand comment about something. But before I could even open my mouth to say something, I felt like I should just be quiet, and then later it is revealed that my off-hand comment could have been very offensive to someone.

Or like last week. As I was lying in our tent one night, I was drifting off to sleep- you know, that happy place where you are content to lie there, and you know that sleep is just seconds away, when all the sudden my heart literally started pounding and there was this extreme urgency for me to pray. I had no clue... no idea what was going on, or what I was even being asked to pray for, but by golly if I didn't just start praying right then and there. I was scared awake so badly that I prayed for a good long time. I still have no idea what I was praying for, or for whom, but by golly, I had a few words with God that night, I can only hope that my prayers had the effect the Spirit was hoping for.

See, the Spirit is our helper. He's that nudging, that prompting to move forward. Or he's that voice of reason, of caution, to hold back and think on that longer. He will only guide us into the truth, that we can be certain of. The Spirit is full of truth and care and love, and when we welcome His presence into our lives, He will only serve to help us. He becomes a part of us, and the more we rely on His guidance, and follow what He asks us to do (like in the instance of crazy praying!) , the easier it becomes to hear His voice and see what He sees. The more we allow the Spirit to have a say in what we do, the easier those decisions become. It becomes more clear to us which is the choice that God would have us make. The more we rely on the Spirit, the more we get to see through His pair of glasses and see all the unspoken dangers before us. He will help us to navigate around and through them.

I pray each and every day that the Spirit will help me to be the person that God wants me to be. That the Spirit will guide my every move and every decision that I make. That as I am about to make that online purchase, he will stay my finger before I click confirm. That as I am tempted to make large purchases that He will help me to decide whether or not that purchase is a necessity and to not think too hastily. The Holy Spirit is such a wonderful helper, I am so thankful for His presence in my life. May he continue to work in me and my family, and may he continue to make his presence well-known to each and every person who walks through our door.