2 thoughts on ““Don’t go to work.”

  1. Jenny Reply

    Jerry-

    I find myself relating to so much of your experience that I’m not even sure where to begin.

    I also went through a time where God would gently prompt me to do something or not to do something. Frequently I would be nervous that He would ask me to do something strange, but He seemed only interested in my learning to listen and respond, and in the process, to build up my trust in Him.

    For me, this verse best explains this kind of loving prompt:

    “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will guide you with My eye.
    Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
    Which have no understanding,
    Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
    Else they will not come near you.”
    -Psalm 32:9

    There’s a kind of loving intimacy in being led by eye contact or the fingertips or the hand, and not by the bit and bridle. To me, it implies relationship, not dominance.

    Over time, I learned that if I didn’t follow the prompts, He would simply be quiet and wait. Eventually I would catch on to this and return to the last thing He had said, and start from there again.

    Once I learned this kind of trust, and learned His voice and His touch, I ceased to feel such specific prompts so often, though I still hear them from time to time.

    Through this process, I grew from fear and doubt into obedience and trust and from there, to love and relationship.

    But it’s all just such a mystery, a beautiful mystery.

    1. Jerry L Martin Reply

      Jenny, you have been engaged in a wonderful process of spiritual discernment.

      I recognize and relate to each stage just as you describe it, including the phase where the prompts become internal, much as they are for Joseph in Genesis. And, yes, “from doubt and trust … to love and relationship.” Just so. You and I have been blessed with so vivid a sense of God’s presence. For most people, the hints are softer, difficult to note amidst the sounds and sights of daily life. That is why quiet time, prayer, and meditation are helpful. But God can also be present in a casual conversation with a friend, or in a sequence of events that seem to carry a message for you.

      Thank you for sharing.

      Jerry

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