Have you ever noticed how when God gives you an understanding to something that the devil immediately tries a sneaky trick hoping to throw you off?
Old killjoy tried this on me the other day. My husband and I were fussing over a long-standing disagreement. I was annoyed, he was annoyed. He went to the kitchen to get refocused and I went to the only place a woman can find true solitude—the bathroom.
I shut the door behind, closed the top seat cover to the porcelain throne, used it as a chair, and sat down and poured out my concerns to God. After filling His ear, I reached for a devotional book that was carefully propped on the tank cover of the throne called “Battlefield of The Mind” by Joyce Meyers. Before opening it I prayed, “Lord, please speak to me. I really need to hear you. I need to know why we can’t seem to understand each other in this area.”
I then flipped open the book and came to a devotion titled “Still, Small Voice” which opened with 1 Kings 19:11-12.
And the Lord said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still small voice.
The devotion told of a young man who had just returned home from war. Sitting down with his mom and dad for a family dinner, he was feeling discouraged in his faith and wanted to share his concerns with his parents in hopes of receiving some spiritual guidance, wisdom or understanding. As the son began to express his concerns, both parents began talking incessantly about their own problems. By the time dinner was over the young man left the table fully exasperated and neither parent knew why. Both parents had been so busy squawking about their own issues that they never really listened to their son’s concerns. Had they listened, they would have understood his conflict and been able to bring encouragement and hope.
As I reflected on the devotion I knew God was telling me that if I really wanted to hear His still small voice, I’d have to lay down my internal noise and truly listen. He was also showing me that while my husband and I may have to agree to disagree at times, when I truly listen to his concerns without immediately overshadowing them with mine, the conflict will cease. Listening unconditionally was the key.
I felt my frustrations begin to melt away as I prayed, “Remove the noise and help me listen.”
I then stood up and for some unknown reason I raised the lid to the throne while proclaiming out loud “I’m going to re-read this devotion so I can really get this truth in my spirit once and for all.” No sooner had I made the proclamation did the devotional book fly right out of my hand, splashing face down on the pages I had just read, into the clear water of the toilet bowl.
I am pretty certain you know what I did next right? Yes, I dug both hands in the toilet and pulled out the book. Water was dripping from every nook and cranny and the pages were so soggy that couldn’t separate them or else they would tear. Now, if I was prone to drama I would have fallen on my knees, raised my hands towards heaven and cried Why Lord Why? I wanted to re-read this…I NEEDED TO RE-READ THIS! Fortunately, I’m way too mature for that kind of drama.
What did come to mine however, was that old killjoy must not have been too happy that I was willing to spend more time learning and applying a spiritual truth. Perhaps he thought splashing the book in the toilet would make create enough irritation and noise in my head to throw me off. Although I was disappointed that I would have to wait until each of the 368 pages dried before re-reading it, I did remember God’s point.
God isn’t in the noise. He is in the silence and speaks with a still small voice. As we learn to be still and listen, we will hear Him speak through our every day challenges, including devotions in the toilet.
Send comments to this article to: Abreathofinspiration@yahoo.com.
Old killjoy tried this on me the other day. My husband and I were fussing over a long-standing disagreement. I was annoyed, he was annoyed. He went to the kitchen to get refocused and I went to the only place a woman can find true solitude—the bathroom.
I shut the door behind, closed the top seat cover to the porcelain throne, used it as a chair, and sat down and poured out my concerns to God. After filling His ear, I reached for a devotional book that was carefully propped on the tank cover of the throne called “Battlefield of The Mind” by Joyce Meyers. Before opening it I prayed, “Lord, please speak to me. I really need to hear you. I need to know why we can’t seem to understand each other in this area.”
I then flipped open the book and came to a devotion titled “Still, Small Voice” which opened with 1 Kings 19:11-12.
And the Lord said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still small voice.
The devotion told of a young man who had just returned home from war. Sitting down with his mom and dad for a family dinner, he was feeling discouraged in his faith and wanted to share his concerns with his parents in hopes of receiving some spiritual guidance, wisdom or understanding. As the son began to express his concerns, both parents began talking incessantly about their own problems. By the time dinner was over the young man left the table fully exasperated and neither parent knew why. Both parents had been so busy squawking about their own issues that they never really listened to their son’s concerns. Had they listened, they would have understood his conflict and been able to bring encouragement and hope.
As I reflected on the devotion I knew God was telling me that if I really wanted to hear His still small voice, I’d have to lay down my internal noise and truly listen. He was also showing me that while my husband and I may have to agree to disagree at times, when I truly listen to his concerns without immediately overshadowing them with mine, the conflict will cease. Listening unconditionally was the key.
I felt my frustrations begin to melt away as I prayed, “Remove the noise and help me listen.”
I then stood up and for some unknown reason I raised the lid to the throne while proclaiming out loud “I’m going to re-read this devotion so I can really get this truth in my spirit once and for all.” No sooner had I made the proclamation did the devotional book fly right out of my hand, splashing face down on the pages I had just read, into the clear water of the toilet bowl.
I am pretty certain you know what I did next right? Yes, I dug both hands in the toilet and pulled out the book. Water was dripping from every nook and cranny and the pages were so soggy that couldn’t separate them or else they would tear. Now, if I was prone to drama I would have fallen on my knees, raised my hands towards heaven and cried Why Lord Why? I wanted to re-read this…I NEEDED TO RE-READ THIS! Fortunately, I’m way too mature for that kind of drama.
What did come to mine however, was that old killjoy must not have been too happy that I was willing to spend more time learning and applying a spiritual truth. Perhaps he thought splashing the book in the toilet would make create enough irritation and noise in my head to throw me off. Although I was disappointed that I would have to wait until each of the 368 pages dried before re-reading it, I did remember God’s point.
God isn’t in the noise. He is in the silence and speaks with a still small voice. As we learn to be still and listen, we will hear Him speak through our every day challenges, including devotions in the toilet.
Send comments to this article to: Abreathofinspiration@yahoo.com.
