July 9, 2021
That God Conversation
Suzanne Eller
Today’s Truth
And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it (Habakkuk 2:2 ESV).
Friend to Friend
I sorted through items in the basement as we prepared to move. A dust-covered, battered suitcase hid in a corner.
What could be inside?
When I unzipped it, I found a pile of old notebooks filled with my handwriting. There were years of them. They weren’t anything fancy, just scrawled notes, scriptures, questions, and thoughts written in the pages and margins of an inexpensive tablet.
I sat on the floor with the notebooks around me and began to read.
As I did, I could almost see the person writing those words – the young mama with three little kids at her feet; the woman diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer at 31 years of age; the woman who felt called to teach others about Jesus, even as she wrestled with that call. Year after year, she studied the best she knew how and wrote down her thoughts.
The book of Habakkuk reminds me of those old notebooks in a way. This book of the Bible is different than any other of the prophetic books. Rather than talking to people about God, the prophet is holding a long conversation with God Himself. It’s clear that he longs for understanding.
At one point Habakkuk waits for God to answer a more difficult question. When God responds, He offers these instructions to the prophet:
And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. (Habakkuk 2:2 ESV)
Why was this important?
God asked Habakkuk to write down their conversations for two reasons. The first was for Habakkuk’s benefit. The second was because others would one day ask these same questions and God’s conversation with the prophet would help them find their way.
You and I might struggle with starting a conversation with God. We don’t know what to say. Our questions or thoughts might seem too big or too difficult. Yet Habakkuk shows us that God is not only waiting to answer, He’s willing. As Habakkuk talked with God and wrote those words down, it became a historical account of not only the power of talking to God, but the intimacy of it.
Perhaps that is why I was so excited by those old notebooks. Within the pages, I could see the beauty of a life-long conversation with God, and how I grew because of it. I could see how some of those questions were later answered. I could see how that wrestling transitioned into not only direction for me, but later how God used that to help others find peace or a next step.
That time you spend talking and listening to God?
Don’t underestimate what is taking place.
Those thoughts, questions, or scriptures as you share your heart with him is doing a work.
That conversation, whether recorded in a notebook or journal, the margins of your Bible, or the contours of your heart, are the story of your relationship with Him and it also will one day help others “run” toward Him as well.
You and I are invited to a life-long conversation with God. Isn’t that exciting? Whatever is on your heart, whatever questions you have, let the conversation begin.
Let’s Pray
God, as I show up to pray and learn and grow in my faith, You meet me there. You bring Your Word to life. Your direction takes root in my heart. Thank You for the invitation to a life-long conversation with You. Help me to celebrate what You’ve done over the years, and for what is yet to come.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Talking to God can be as simple as asking or answering a question. Perhaps this will help you get started.
What is one way that God has encouraged you in the past year?
Write your answer in a journal or in a notebook. Write the date beside it. If there is a scripture that encouraged you during that season, write that down too.
If you have kept a journal or a notebook in the past, go back and read a couple of pages. Thank Him for any growth that has come through those conversations.
More from the Girlfriends
In Suzanne’s book, The Spirit-Led Heart: Living a Life of Love and Faith without Borders Suzie shares ways we can not only hear God’s voice, but discern it. The good news is we have a Helper who will not leave us alone or ill-equipped.
Download a gorgeous frameable Spirit-Led Heart print for free.
© 2021 by Suzanne Eller. All rights reserved.
Originally published Friday, 09 July 2021.
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