What is God saying?

Devotion by Dianne J. Wilson @diannejwilson

Do you ever wish God would put some skin on and come sit in your lounge and explain exactly what He wants from you? I sure do. 

As a kid, I loved doing dot-to-dot puzzles. There was something deeply satisfying in watching something emerge from the seemingly random numbers.

I've come to realize that figuring out God's will is much like doing a dot-to-dot. But instead of pen and paper, you have events and promises. 

The numbers alone don't make much sense. When you start a new puzzle, all you see are numbers dotted on a page. None of them mean anything by themselves. But when you start connecting them, the bigger picture will emerge. When it comes to life, sometimes single events will leave you perplexed. Until you are able to step back and see those events in the bigger context of the rest of your life, you may find yourself sliding towards fear and unbelief.

So how do you do a real-life-what-is-God-up-to-dot-to-dot?

1. Pay attention

Take note of anything that happens that's out of the ordinary, Bible verses that stand out, conversations... Some things will be significant, some of them won't. But you won't know unless you keep track of them all. Before I landed my first official publishing contract with Pelican / Harbourlight, I was throwing all my energy into catching the attention of an agent. Three things happened that highlighted the phrase 'Harbourlight'. One in particular made me realize there was more to it all. A song on the radio caught my ear and when I investigated, it was by a local band called 'Harbourlight'. In my Googling, I fell over this publisher that stood for all the things that are in my heart when it comes to fiction. The best part? They are one of the few that are happy to accept un-agented submissions. I'm currently working on my fourth book for them.

2. Write them down

I find it useful to keep a journal and make notes of scriptures that pop, events, conversations, anything that seems vaguely significant. Every so often I read through and as I do so, similar themes often emerge. Patterns. As I home in those, I get a sneak-peak into what God is busy doing with me.

3. Be patient

Eugene Petersen wrote a book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. That sums it up nicely. The picture is seldom clear by dot number three. When it comes to complex puzzles, dot thirty is still a spaghetti mess. But as you continue to pay attention, listen, keep a soft heart, and do what He tells you to, His plan will emerge, perfect in design and timing. 

 

This puzzle of life is not sent to frustrate and exhaust you. It is a beautiful opportunity to choose to trust the One who holds the pencil of your future. He is good and His plans for you are good!

Dianne J. Wilson writes novels from her hometown in East London, South Africa, where she lives with her husband and three daughters. She is writing a three book YA series, Spirit Walker, for Pelican / Harbourlight. Affinity (book 1), releases on the 8th of June 2018

Finding Mia is available from Amazon, Pelican / Harbourlight, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

Shackles is available as a free ebook from Amazon & Smashwords.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her sporadic blog Doodles.

Your Pink Think Seat

A number of years ago (dare I say last century?) my husband, a pastor at that time, met with a church minister of many decades who used to talk about his pink think seat. This seat, a comfy armchair a shade of - you guessed it - pink, was this man's favourite place to sit, to contemplate, to meditate on God, on life, the universe, and everything. He didn't work in this chair, he had no mobile or laptop or iPad to distract him, he just sat. And thought. And thought some more.
      I remember thinking at the time 'how indulgent, to have a chair just for thinking - I hope his wife has one, too!' But now I'm older, and perhaps a shade wiser, I see just how intentional such a thing can be.
      I don't know about you, but I'm pretty addicted to my technology, to checking my phone regularly for emails, or Facebook, or Googling whatever random thought might pop into my head. Even when I try to be quiet my thoughts seem to carousel between story plot lines, to marketing, to upcoming events, to friends, housework (rarely!), oh, and things affecting my husband, children and friends.
      The notion of being still, of intentional pause, is not something I'm terribly comfortable with. I know God is a fan of meditation and quietude, hence His call in Psalm 46.10 to "be still and know that I am God."
      Perhaps a pink think seat might be necessary - for all of us. A place to be still, to still our hearts to seek God, to hear
God, to be intentional, rather than be carried away with the flotsam and jetsam of the worries of our ordinary life. A place where God's truth can be revealed to us afresh, where creativity can recharge in the presence of the Creator, where we can sit at the feet of the Master and hear His words to us, that can help shape our words for others.

      Have you got a 'pink think seat'? If it's not pink, or you don't have a place to be still, where do you do your best thinking - and encountering God?

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher. A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her debut Regency The Elusive Miss Ellison released in February 2017 from Kregel; The Captivating Lady Charlotte released June 27. Both are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD etc.

Connect with her:         www.carolynmillerauthor.com

                                      www.facebook.com/CarolynMillerAuthor/

                                      www.pinterest.com/camillering

  twitter.com/CarolynMAuthor

Consider Carefully by Marcia Lee Laycock

Little Girl on a Beach

 “Therefore consider carefully how you listen.” Luke 8:18

It never ceases to amaze me how you can read a passage of scripture that is very familiar and suddenly see - or hear - something that you’ve never seen or heard before. Such was the case when I read Luke 8:16-18. It’s a familiar passage, one often quoted in the context of gifts and talents. But that is not the context. The context is talking about hearing and receiving God’s word.

It comes immediately after the parable of the sower – that wonderful and somewhat convicting passage about those who were hearing the word but received it in different ways, under different circumstances. For a while I wondered how these two passages were connected. They seemed isolated – one about hearing, the other about sharing. But as I pondered it, the light began to dawn. You cannot have one without the other.

You will not have a light to put on a lamp stand or anywhere else if you are not receiving that light from a pure source. If you are not hearing from God, you have nothing worth saying.

Now I’m not talking about divine revelation in the same terms as we would consider scripture divinely revealed. I am talking about the everyday, ordinary way God speaks to us. I’m talking about how we listen. That is a difficult thing to do in these days that are so full of noise, busy-ness and stress, but it is an essential thing, especially for those who would dare to be writers.

I remember a day some time ago when I realized how important it was. The day couldn't have been more perfect. The sky was clear, the sun dancing off the water. The beach slowly filled with parents and children, out to enjoy a day at the beach. After an overnight camp‑out, my friend and I had brought a few girls from our church's Kids' Club to have a swim and a picnic. We stretched out on the sand and chatted as we watched the children play. Little ones were busy making sand castles. An older pair tossed a frisbee above their heads.

A little red-haired girl caught my attention. She had wandered in front of us a few times, as she dashed from the edge of the lake to her mother, sitting in a lawn chair not far away. I watched as she stood still, her small head bent studiously over something in her hand. She turned and started toward us, stopped and peered at her hand once more, took a few more steps and stopped again. Her progress was slow as this pattern was repeated. As she approached, I could see a moth cupped in her palm. She tilted her hand each time it moved, stopped when it crawled dangerously close to the edge and moved slowly forward when it was secure again. Eventually the little girl reached her parent, holding her hand out for her to admire the precious treasure.

My delight in watching that little girl deepened as I heard God’s voice. “That’s how I carry you, to my Father’s delight.” The depth of Jesus’ love overwhelmed me in that moment.

I know I could have missed His voice that day. I could have been anxiously watching the little ones under my care. I could have had my mind on all the stresses that come with being a pastor’s wife and mother. I could have let all of “life’s worries, riches and pleasures” get in the way. But somehow He broke through. I heard and was blessed and several times I have used that story in written form to illustrate God’s care for us.

We must take time to listen, consider the circumstances in which we have placed ourselves and see to it that we find a place that is conducive to hearing God’s voice. Then we will indeed, have something worth writing about.

****

Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel,One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has three devotional books in print and has contributed to several anthologies. Her work has been endorsed by Janette Oke, Sigmund Brouwer, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan.

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded here. 

Abundant Rain Journal is now available in ebook form on Amazon and will soon be available in paperback.

Her most recent release is the first book in a fantasy series, The Ambassadors

Visit Marcia’s Website

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