Wednesday Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

Remember there is one other tool I told you to take to your time with God and that is a prayer list. One of the keys to walking with God is talking with God. It is interesting to see the first time in the Bible where that phrase, “draw near to God” is used. It is used over in I Samuel, chapter 14 where King Saul is about to go into battle. He has his plan all laid out until a priest makes a suggestion.

“Then Saul said, ‘Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.’ And they said, ‘Do whatever seems good to you.’ But the priest said, ‘Let us draw near to God here.’ And Saul inquired of God.” (I Samuel 14:36-37, ESV)

When the priest said to the king, “Before you go to battle, you better draw near to God,” Saul immediately, understanding what he meant, began to talk to the Lord. A walk with God/takes talk to God.

You can pray without being close to God, but you cannot be close to God if you don’t pray. If you are going to walk to God, you’ve got to talk with God. If you are going to seek God you’ve got to speak to God. If you want God to be near to you, so near you can reach out and feel Him and touch Him, then remember this,

“The Lord is near to all who call on him.” (Psalm 145:18)

This next thought is so profound that you might want to write it down. The way to talk to God is just to talk to God. If you are a parent you can remember how sweet it was when your kids were really small and the way they would talk to you. Remember how refreshingly candid and open and honest they were? They would tell you anything and everything. They didn’t try to hide anything and didn’t try to sugarcoat anything. It just came out. The same way a child talks to a father is the same way we ought to talk to God.

I’ve give you a little clue. The best way to get started is just to do two simple things: thank God and praise God.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!” (Psalm 100:4)

When I begin talking to God I start thanking God. I have a list of things I thank God for - everything from salvation, to family, to friends, to church, to health. Then I just begin to praise God. Many times I’ll just quote praise verses back to Him, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” One of my favorites is this, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands.”

Do you know what I have found? So many times, like you, I don’t feel like praying. I don’t want to talk to God, but when I thank God and praise God it puts me in the mood to talk to God.

I want to give you an assignment. I want you to do something for 30 days. The reason is psychologists tell us if you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit. I want you, beginning tomorrow, to make an appointment with God. Set aside one 15-minute block. That is all - just 15 minutes! Build a fence around that time and say, that in this time, at this place, I am going to listen to God, as I read His word. I am going to be so expectant that He is going to speak to me that I am going to write down what I hear. Then, I am going to talk to God and be open to God and trust God with transparency. I am going to be totally an open book and share with Him everything on my heart as I pray for myself and pray for others. If you do that for 30 days just watch what happens both to your heart and to your relationship with God.