PREDICTING WITH ACCURACY
Christine Wyrtzen
…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:17
Intimacy means that I will probably have an idea of how someone I’m close to will react to something ahead of time. “Oh, he will like this or hate that. Or, be angry over this; even moved by that.” There are no shortcuts to knowing a person that well, either. Time and investment are required.
Ron and I have been married for 44 years. Yesterday, I walked in the kitchen and said, “You know what?” He chuckled and gave me four possible subjects I might address. He then continued with a couple of points I’d make about each topic. I was laughing and undone. He could have easily been right on all counts but this time, he didn’t guess it. My point is, there is nothing like longevity in a loving relationship.
Do I know God that well? I should. If I’ve spent enough time hanging out with Him, getting to know what He loves and hates, becoming acquainted with what makes him angry or sad, familiarizing myself with what kind of person He blesses and whom He shuns, I should also be able to predict pretty accurately what He thinks about a certain situation. Not only do I have history to lean on, or the Word to refer to, but I have His Holy Spirit inside of me emitting His feelings. The latter is not talked about enough.
Have you ever felt God’s sadness over someone lost? Have you felt His disappointment at the news of a failed marriage? Have you felt His grief, even anger, when a church has grown cold? I believe that I should pray more, “Lord, let me feel what You feel about this.
After a long life with Jesus, there should be a certain amount of predictability. Time and investment affords that.
Re-write my mind with the washing of the water of the Word. The outcome ~ intimacy with You. Amen
Originally published Tuesday, 04 September 2018.