Holy moments 4 – God will lead you. (Or, ‘Look who’s talking!’).

These holy moments are not supposed to leave you burdened or exhausted. Ironically you’ll find life heavy going without them.
This is what David observed in his life: “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” Ps 23:2-3 (NKJV)
Look at it, the focus is on God. He leads us, He restores us.

Quiet times are not about us; us praying, us ranting to God. While God encourages this it is the luxury of our friendship with God. Quiet times are not about us taking God by the hand and leading Him through our day, He wants to take us by the hand and lead us through His take on the day!
‘Quiet times’ speak for themselves, we are quiet, God is vocal! It’s not rocket science.

The nature of these times can be encapsulated in one wee prayer uttered by one confused young lad, not yet in his teens, trying to sleep on an uncomfortable bed in the corner of the place where he worked.
All he said was “Speak Lord your servant is listening.” 1 Sam 3:10
God changed his life through this and the lives of generation after him. In fact changing our lives too!

It is as though God is saying, ‘Things are going to change. I may not explain everything because it may not be helpful to do so, but don’t worry I am in charge. I have been waiting for you, let’s get moving.’

What happens as a result of this is seriously history changing, not to say life changing!

We need holy moments in our lives. We can’t afford not to have them!
What would life be without God’s voice in our ears?

They may be necessary but they are radical by nature. If you are not radical minded after a quiet time then it’s all wrong. When you watched Mission: Impossible you didn’t hear the message and think, “Ah. ‘Mission: Walk in a park’”.

We need to defend our holy moments because with out them we become lost and ineffective. Make a habit of them.

Ex33:7-11 (NLT) “It was Moses' custom to set up the tent known as the Tent of Meeting far outside the camp. Everyone who wanted to consult with the LORD would go there.
Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in their tent entrances. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at the entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses. Then all the people would stand and bow low at their tent entrances. Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, stayed behind in the Tent of Meeting.”

Here God is doing the talking. It doesn’t say that Moses chatted with God, it said that God spoke to Moses like a close friend. These holy moments are about listening and then doing.

Look at the last sentence. It is the making of the man who conquered the Promised Land. Joshua is not likely to have been a tame and timid lad. He was a warrior, full of beans. But he was made in God’s presence, he was sculpted in the quiet times.
If you want to take this nation for God, listen first. Wait for the command to go.



The radical thing about all of this is that it is not about you, it is about God.

This is what David Crowder writes in his book Praise habit:

There is a sign in my favorite restaurant, which happens to be located directly across the street from my house, that hangs by the bar and states, in black letters on a pale-yellow background, "You Are Here." I call often for takeout. I pretend that they are my residential kitchen staff that just so happens to cook the most flavorful foods on the planet. The chef's name is Bill, and he knows exactly how I like my pork tenderloin. We have never discussed it; he just knows. He's always known. And as I wait for my order to be packed in white Styrofoam and placed in a plastic bag for transport. I sit at the bar and read, "You Are Here," and it brings a comfort and solidity to things. You often hear or encounter inspirational art convincing you to live as if today is the last, to engage each moment as if it were all we had, but usually this is married to the idea that it is. That this is it. There is nothing more than now. All we get is what we suck out of this moment. But I disagree. I read, "You Are Here," and I am equally inspired to be fully present in this moment, but it is not because that is all I have but because I am bringing something more. I am bringing the very kingdom of God. I read, "You Are Here," and I, ignoring the dramatic punctuation of finality, think, ”The kingdom of God is sitting at this bar, waiting to bring something better." We are to be rescue. We are to be redemption. We are to carry the story of God to the ones waiting. To the ones with their hands on their chest, begging you to notice that things aren't right. And this is praise. You are the note sounding in a thousand different rooms. There are chords and reflective surfaces around you. There is context.
Sometimes life comes at us with the delicacy of a sunset, and other limes it comes with the rawness of sushi and the bitter bite of wasabi [sauce]. Sometimes the tears will be because you cannot stand empty-eyed in the presence of such beauty and sometimes they will be full of fire, but notice/know this: You are here. You Are Here! You are here and you are not alone.

We are here as radicals.
Living on the edge.
Our life should scream redemption, it should reveal hope. But people will only hear the echo of their redeemer in our lives if we let our redeemer speak into our lives. Not blanking Him, but letting his words break in – fill us – when we are quiet before Him. When we keep moments of our lives holy, dedicated to Him alone.

Holy moments define your life.
Failing to listen to God for 7 days makes one weak.