Inspiration

How does God speak to us? Where do we hear his voice? Maybe the better question is do we hear his voice?

I write a lot. I write this page each week. I write sermons even when I don’t take the notes in the pulpit. I write articles that have, from time-to-time been published in periodicals. I write. I write because God lays something on my heart. The problem is, what do you write when God seems to fail to deliver a theme which would inspire? Well, you do a lot of sitting. You get up and walk around your office. You pull random books off the shelves thinking a word, a picture, or a phrase will energize you to complete the task at hand. You doodle. Sometimes, you throw something on the page just to be done. Usually your readers know when you follow that method of inspiration. It comes across much more like a method of surrender.

Every so often you wear out and everything goes blank from exhaustion. When that occurs, it is usually time to sit up straight and listen because God is about to tell you something. God uses those times to show that a little less of your efforts and a lot more time spent before him will yield something worth more than the paper on which it is printed. This is the Holy Spirit telling you your tank is just about empty. It is the dinging sound your car makes when you get under two gallons left in your tank. You can only ignore that sound so long before the vehicle coasts to a stop due to lack of fuel. Our spiritual lives are the same way.

We lack story and testimony because we have neglected growing our relationship with the one who is the author of all inspiration. If someone were to ask you, “What is the Holy Spirit accomplishing in your life right now?” and you have nothing to reply, maybe you need a time of quiet reflection waiting for the good shepherd to come find the little lost lamb.

Even in the midst of the urgency of Jesus’ mission on earth, he told the disciples “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get yourselves some rest.” Quiet time, alone with Christ is never lost or wasted. It is a time of refueling where we get the answers to the questions the world seeks.

Pastor Craig















[1] Mark 6:31 (NIV)