Access

January 9, 2007 blog

As I was spending quiet time with the Lord and journaling my thoughts this morning, it occurred to me that I was immensely grateful that, at any time of the day or night, I had access to Him. I could enter His presence simply by turning my mind to Him. What a privilege, I thought, and to be perfectly honest, there have been innumerable situations in my life that I wouldn’t have survived, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, and even physically, had I not been able to do so. There have been instances when I was completely overcome with a sense of helplessness that only found remedy in prayer and the mysterious counsel that often serves as the sole answer. As a long time practicing Christian, this awareness of the benefits of access was not new and did not comprise what I’m considering for the purpose of these blogs, an odd thought, but what followed in my mind after my paean of praise and gratitude was the idea that perhaps, He did not have the same access to me and that the desire and need on His part was as great as my own. Imagine! Not that I think God requires my help to survive in any way. Yet, He has gone totally out of His way, putting Himself in some extremely awkward positions, if the scripture is to be believed, in order to convince the human race that this is His very desire, to have access to us, in the most intimate and purposeful of ways. Though I am never thwarted, other than by unbelief or guilt, in my attempts to contact Him, He regularly is when it comes to making conscious contact with me, because I’m a busy person and my mind is filled with the need to attend to the myriad aspects of my human existence that enable me to live in the civilized world with any success at all. I need to focus my attention and remember and make lists and take action or I will soon be left in the dust of failure, in my work, my human relationships, even in my spirituality. How can I possibly be expected to be readily available whenever the Almighty comes a-knocking? How do I know it’s actually Him after all? I don’t know to be honest. I haven’t received a satisfactory answer yet. I only know the thought was there and needed to be considered because it all ties in with finding my life’s purpose and being able to live it out, an endeavor foremost in my mind at this present juncture in my earthly life. The journey is a short one and can be interrupted at any point, without apparent reason or explanation so it’s vitally important to get it settled. Too many wrong turns can make you too late for the party after all and what a disappointment that is for all involved.