Sometimes our lives get into such a funk that it’s hard for us to believe that God is near. It’s hard for us to hear him. When that happens, maybe it’s time for us to focus on trying to hear him. Practice and work at hearing him. But be ready. Because sometimes what you’re going to hear, is not what you want to hear.
Here’s what I know. There are times that we get desperate. We want to lift our hands up. We want to surrender our hearts. We can’t go on anymore. We can’t do it the way we’ve been doing it. And we long to hear God. But we don’t. We think we cannot go on like this. There is no hope. When we find ourselves in moments like these, I want to say this: Maybe, just maybe, we don’t hear God because we are not listening like we should. Read that again.
When I was playing basketball, I would imagine situations before they happened. I would close my eyes and put myself in the situations and visualize playing through them. It would even include details down to the point that my shooting form was perfect. This was a tool that I used to help me be better prepared for what was going to come. So here is some advice. Try to spend a few moments imagining Jesus. Try to visualize him and feel his presence. Try to listen to what he’s telling you. Imagine him walking you through the hardships and obstacles that you face. Look at the picture of him in your mind and know he is always with you. No matter what it is that you’re bearing. And know this: God loves you. Always has. Always will.
