"Hello, It's Me, Jesus!"

Late yesterday afternoon while walking at the mall, my cell phone rang.  It was our oldest daughter calling.  We cut our walk short and headed for a quieter place to talk...first the car and then our home.  It was delightful to visit and catch up on what is going on in their lives. When at all possible, if one of our kids calls, we put everything else to the side to visit with them.  What could be more important?!

This morning during our devotion time, I pondered how important it is to Joel and I to hear from our kids.  Emails are nice, texting is great, but when real time hugs are impossible, hearing the voices of those we love has a powerful effect on us. It nourishes our souls. 

The reflections continued as I studied God's Word.  Just like with those we love and care about, we need to take the time to connect with our Heavenly Father, Papa God.  Zephaniah tells us that our Creator, our Father, our Everything delights in us.  He rejoices over us with singing, just like we do with our own children (and grandchildren).  So when we "call" Him and He hears our voice does He smile?  When we have a conversation with Him does it fill His heart with love the way it does with us when we talk with our children?  Of course it does!  He loves us deeply.

And what about our feelings for Him?  What if we answered our phone and we heard, "Hello, it's Me, Jesus!"  God desires to have a relationship with us on an intimate level and there is no better way than through spending time with Him.  We talk.  He talks.  Yes, He does.   He may not call us on our cell phone, but God speaks to us in His Word, in our minds, in our hearts, through nature, His powerful presence manifested, and much more.  He waits to for us to come to Him, and certainly He comes to us.  Be open, be still.  Be still and know that He is God.

For the past three years most mornings I take time to sit back, close my eyes, and go into the "garden of my heart" with Jesus, Papa God, Holy Spirit, or all three!  I am a very visual person and it is such a blessing for me to have these God-guided times of imagining.  Today when I went into the Garden I sat in the grass down by a stream, and deliberately made my mind and body still as I waited for Papa God.  It is not easy for me to be silent or keep my mind in check,  as I usually have an agenda for these morning gatherings, but as I sat In the quiet I felt peace come with Jesus.  What happened next is not for me to share, but I could not help but feel how much we are loved, how much He wants to have a personal relationship with us and bless us fully in that relationship.  It is not much different than when we nourish our souls through a conversation with our children.   How blessed I am, we all are, to freely come to Him for a chat.  It nourishes our souls!

Next time your phone rings, check caller id.  You may hear, "Hello, it's Me, Jesus!"