Worship Is….Part 8: Listening

That is what worshiping the Living God is all about!

And man, oh man, do I worship a LIVING God!

I was recently having a conversation with some friends about the Word of God and scripture. And a statement was made to the effect of, “If scripture was given to us to be used as the words of a living God, then it’s contents cannot be controlled by context.”

In other words, if my God was like all the other gods of the world, then whatever it ‘said’ would have to be filtered and processed through the filter of what was going on at the time of ‘speaking’. Because that god would not be relevant to today’s concerns and situations.

However, if my God is a living God; one who cares about today’s concerns and situations, who knows the ins and outs of my heart and will, and best yet, CARES about me, then words that he may have spoken centuries ago will have new life breathed into them when He gives them for the situation at hand.

We have the Scriptures – the law, the history and the words of the prophets and the apostles – so that we have a frame of reference. When God speaks to us, we can know that it is Him that is speaking because he “is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) and we need only to compare today’s commands with yesterday’s commands. Are they in line?

So this gets me excited! It gets me excited because as I conclude this amazing story about what God has been teaching and doing and working in me in the last…two years - Worship - it’s also the preface into the beginning of a new story, a new journey.

I apologize (sorta). I left the story hanging for a few months, I know. But I couldn’t finish it until now. There were words still to be given. Lessons still to be learned. And obedience to be carried out, before this story could be given for you to share in.

Some of you may recall a few blogs back (Part 6), me sharing about my struggles with completing my degree and figuring out what to do about colleges and such. For months after the news, options and considerations for schools in the States and online where given ear. But nothing settled. I had no indication that returning to America was the way to go, but doing classes online wasn’t quite making sense to me either. It’s very difficult when your mind is saying “this is logical, let’s do this” and your heart says “no. wait. This doesn’t make sense.” You can’t always give a reason, but you learn to trust that it’s the Father’s still small voice whispering, “wait”. So you wait.

In November, a fluke message came to my awareness about studying in Germany. My immediate response was, “no, I live in China.” But it began wearing on me. It kept coming back in the most random conversations or situations….”Germany”. By December, I was pretty much convinced that I was moving to Germany. But how? Why? When? Where?

In the last five months, I’ve spent time fasting, praying, sharing with trusted mentors about the decision and gotten surprising and edifying responses from both man and God.

One night, I randomly decided to use one of my journals as a dream journal and I declared it to my roommate (mind you, I don’t generally remember my dreams at all) and was woken up with a reminder to write it down after having a very German dream.

God has spoken through friends who unknowingly confirmed questions that I had submitted to Abba, through messages that were perfectly timed, and through His blessed scripture.

This is by no means an easy obedience. God said go to Germany. Go be a student. Go serve my Body.

But as many of you may know, packing up and moving to a new CONTINENT is not exactly an easy thing. There are so many unknowns that even now, with only two months left in China, are still not completely settled.

But this one thing I do know, unquestionably: that it is the Lords will to take what He has been teaching me and use it in Europe, starting in Germany. Starting this summer. 

I don’t know what will happen once there. I don’t know anything long term. I do know that for the time being my new home will be on another new continent and more to come!

Your prayers for the journey would be wonderfully and graciously appreciated!

I encourage you to listen to our Lord. It’s not always what makes sense right now. But His will is good. When He speaks, however he speaks, listen and obey. There’s no better way to live!