Have you ever tried to listen to someone complaining, someone describing a horrible woe, anguish, or delimma?
Many times in my life, I've encountered "that's over my head" dilemmas, or "I have no answer for that" questions, and even "that problem is just too complicated to know where to start" predicaments, and they all leave me discouraged, disappointed in myself, or even worse just completely helpless and somewhat useless. Now, depending on the predicament (significance), you can just 'chock it up to experience' and keep moving along. But, there are many, many times this occurs as I am interacting with people (family, friends, life-long relationships, etc), and it is not so easy to just let it go.
Our devotional today reflects on just how the Lord can and does use us right in that moment of helplessness. See... as I listen to others and hear their laughter and their pain, their fears and their dreams, even their questions and their opinions, I sometimes quiet that 'ready to speak' side of me, and just listen... helplessly listening. As a devout and committed Christian man, I know the Lord is strong in my heart, my mind, my very life, and too quickly I can be 'poised and ready' to pounce out an answer or guidance, and sometimes even encouragement and admonition, or judgement and rebuking. Then, I remember that 'greater is He that is in me', and just quiet myself so His Spirit can address this issue before me. Remember, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says; "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?", which all-too-often is used as a rebuke from one Christian to another regarding doing something 'wrong' with our bodies, whether it be eating, drinking, or smoking, to name a few. But, actually, since my/your body IS the temple of the Holy Spirit, how about me/you just sit there and 'helplessly listen', and watch the very Spirit of the Lord 'work a work' through us!
The next time you find yourself in a place where you can minister with someone else, rather than quickly providing them with some logical or 'makes sense' supportive help, take a breath and settle your heart... and maybe even treat this like God did when Moses was approaching the burning bush. In Exodus 3:5 , it states; "And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.", which not to say someone cannot approach God, but rather remember to do it reverently, humbly, and certainly with a posture of patience and surrender.
Jn 7:38-39 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)