Hearing From Daddy

This is my first “blog” post for nearly 4 years!! Yes, I am still alive 😊

I am not going to promise I am going to be writing once a month but I am going to say after the weekend that has just passed I feel an urge, or a nudge, from a certain “Father” that I ought to just type a few words out every now and then as I once did, share it and let it be used as it will.

Hearing From Daddy

I know this next sentence will depend on how your relationship has been with your Earthly father but:

I love it when I am with my Dad and we chat and discuss and enjoy time together just putting the world to rights.

The greatest debates and discussions have not been about fishing, (something we have done together most of our lives and completely love), not about our beloved West Ham whom we have supported all our lives (we rather struggle to keep up to date with players in this modern era), nor about politics, (where we often have interesting differences) nor about food (which we both love).

No: The best discussions I have with my Dad is speaking about the things of God and the lessons to be learned from the Bible! Because we make time to listen to each other and allow each other “space” to express our views. And if you now us that is not always easy to say the least because both of us have strong views and opinions and we like to express them. But we know how to let each other have the space we need for our discussions to be fruitful and meaningful.

If I am ever checking over my prep for a sermon he is the one I would go to get an opinion and receive genuinely constructive criticism

This past weekend, as a church family, we had a theme of “Raising The Bar” at our weekend away. Within that, two wonderful people, Paige & Jonathan Squirrell led our sessions which were titled; Worship, Intimacy, Identity, Authority and Service.

One thing that ran through all of this was that everything we do is about developing our relationship with the Father.

And they used a visual demonstration of a table set out for two people and one seat was for Daddy God and the other was for you or me, by way of a special invitation to meet with the Father.

Now I hasten to say I am not giving true justice to everything that was said and admit that is a highly paraphrased version. But some of the key messages were that Daddy invites me, invites us to feast at the special table with Him so that we can really get to know Him and that He can enjoy time with us.

But the question was what else do we bring to the table? Do we let that experience be a unique one on one time with the Father, or do we allow other areas of our lives to creep in and take over until finally we have set up a third chair at the table and that issue/sin/interference has been invited as well, and it is no longer this intimate special moment between a Father who loves me/us dearly and His son/daughter (me and you)?

I put that as a background to what I really wanted to share: Yesterday during our final session together, we were asked “What has God revealed to me about Himself and about me over this weekend?”

Now I had already received one revelation the day before (but that is for another time possibly) but I did not find it easy. As the organiser of the event there were times when I was thinking about the next stage of the schedule, were people okay, were the children alright, were the catering team coping etc. etc. And whilst I did listen to every word from Jonathan & Paige during reflective times I honestly got distracted every now and then.

But this time round we were at the end of everything with nothing but dinner and some clearing up to do, and I sat and just listened quietly to the background music I had put on and could sense all around me God impacting people as I heard small sobs and quiet crying (if that makes sense) and just knew, as you can sometimes sense that God was really at work.

And then it was if He was speaking into my ear and everything else was just a hum of sound in the background and I felt within me that I heard the following:

“I have chosen you and invited you, personally, to have intimate times with me. I have set aside time for you personally so we can get to know each other so much better. The truth is I know ALL about you, but you do not know all about me and what I have for you.

And you do come to the table I have laid out for us, and you do sit down. And we start to have a conversation but too quickly you want to rush away and just do “stuff”, and you do not stay at the table long enough for you to really hear from me and get to know me!! SO: Sit, Stay Don’t Rush Away!”

As this was being said to me I was busily writing it all down, and as I was doing so I was thinking, God you so know me. That is so true. I do settle down to spend time with Father, I do pull up my chair to that table he has set out for me, but He was right (isn’t he always though 😊) that I do draw up a third chair oh too quickly that is business or activities that could be and should be left to one side so that I can focus on hearing what He is saying to me.

My intention is to find that time slot where I can just sit and be with my Daddy, to have that “conversation” with Him to take the time to listen to what He is saying and to continue to grow in my intimate relationship with my Heavenly Daddy

God Bless Steve x