Is God knocking on your door?

I really enjoy my quiet time I spend with God in the morning. I sit in my easy chair or on the deck. I keep my coffee warm in the great cup warmer my daughter gave me and I read. I read the Bible, as well as devotional and inspirational books. And I listen for God’s “still, small voice” as he often speaks to me through what I’m reading. Sometimes, I’ll come across a word or phrase that I’m not familiar with or a Bible verse that I’m struggling to grasp. In those cases, I’ll Google for some insights or go online to the Bible Hub (a free online resource and app) to view multiple translations of a Bible verse. It’s all at my fingertips as opposed to not that many years ago, when I would have had to refer to multiple physical books or go to the library. None of which did happen or would have happened. In my mind, I was too busy at the time.

To state the obvious, the internet is a real game changer. I have a wealth of information literally available at my fingertips on my mobile device. But as is with most of life, it’s my choice as to how I use it. I can use the internet to get sports recaps, shop on Amazon, share minutia on Facebook, get the latest toxic political views, look at porn—or dig deeper into God’s Word and the meaning of life.

My quiet time with God is the the best time of the day for me, and I can tell a difference in the days I choose to have a “quiet time” and the days I don’t. I think it honors God when I do it; plus I get a great ROI for the time I invest in getting to know God better.

This may be a new concept to some men so I’m sharing it with you because I’m a “happy customer”. I’m not bragging about it or trying to appear “holier than thou”; I’m just a happy customer. I wasn’t always as resolute about prioritizing having a good quiet time, but I am now.

In Jeremiah 29:13, God tells the Israelites and us, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The verse emphasizes that a sincere and wholehearted search for God will lead to a genuine discovery of Him. Of course faith is an important component. The Bible also says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

To me these are much more than phrases or sayings from an ancient book; these are promises from God—promises to be claimed. In a sense, the internet provides a fantastic tool to help those who wholeheartedly seek God. Many men, like myself did not grow up with the internet as a tool, so we might have a mindset that doesn’t include it as an option. This reinforces the belief some have that reading the Bible and seeking to know God intimately is only for priests, seminary graduates and scholarly holy men.

C.S. Lewis said, “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” This quote suggests that while God’s presence can be felt in moments of joy and through our inner moral compass, suffering often serves as a powerful, undeniable call to attention.

Years ago, God used the pain of my two divorces to get my attention. I’m eternally grateful that his megaphone roused my deaf heart. It would be the height of ingratitude for me not to now wholeheartedly seek to know Him better—especially considering I live in the “free world” and have access to his Word and books about his Word.–physically and online. I have no excuse.

Some of you have heard the megaphone of pain and adversity in your life. However, even as loud as that megaphone can be, we each still have the free will to ignore it—and some do. Some even choose to curse God. (All kidding aside…How’s that workin’ for you?)

I’d like to believe everyone doesn’t need pain to turn to God. I believe God puts it into some men’s hearts a desire to seek Him. Men either respond or they don’t. Jesus says: “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together” (Revelations 3:20 NLT). That’s an invitation to have a relationship with the God of the universe.

Is God knocking on the door of your life right now? Even if you ignored that knocking at sometime in the past, He is still there waiting patiently for you to open that door to a relationship with Him. I’m sure glad I opened that door when I heard him knocking.

This is the FATC FORUM which is a great place to share your thoughts and questions on this or other matters. Remember…It’s not just about the fly fishing.

John Muckerman

FATC Inspirational & Leadership Studies Lead