J-group Discussions

Side Note before the actual post: Please pray for me: I have a test tomorrow at 7-9:30am for which I have done virtually no studying, but most importantly for wisdom in making a decision and the courage to stand by it not regretting anything. Thanks

A rough slightly edited set of emails and thoughts...

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Abbie
> Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
> Subject: J-Group Meeting
>
> "Only those who have wrestled with a silent God are ready to hear Him speak again"
>
> So this entire time we've been searching for God's Will we've kind of glanced over the one thing that probably frustrates us the most- when we're looking for His Will, but God is silent. I think that we've kind of already hit on this topic in our conversations- which is why I am that much more excited about specifically talking about it again. It could just be me, but I feel like this is a really relevant topic to discuss.
>
> So who would you think is the one person in the world that has never experienced silence from God? Jesus? Wrong. :) we will be lookng at Christ this week and seeing exactly how God's own son dealt with silence from God- and how we can handle it in our own lives.
>
> First off I think that there are really two kinds of silences one can experience from God. There's the one that you just pain out feel abandoned. You're in trouble, you're trying to make important life decisions and you need God- now! And it feels like He's no where to be found. Read Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness. God was silent when Jesus was tested- and Jesus was tempted in some pretty big ways. Sometimes I think that God uses His silence to test our hearts- to see what we're really made of.
>
> Then there's the other silence that comes more from our own disobedience and/or questioning God's plan. Read Matthew 26:36-46. Jesus is in the garden and he is asking God to essentially "rethink" what He had to do. But God remained silent. Sometimes I think that God gives us an answer and then remains silent while we wrestle with what we then have to or not do.
>
> Speaking of wrestling :) The last Biblical reference for this e-mail is in Genesis 32:22-32. Jacob wrestles with God- literally. Do you ever feel like when God is silent- that's also the times when we wrestle with Him the most?
>
> What are the main things you deal with during the times that God is silent?
>
> I can't wait to see what you all have to say about all of this.
> Abbie

On 10/29/09 11:17 PM, wrote:

Hey Ladies,
After our discussion tonight, I was doing some more reading in a book I was given about Intimacy with God. I haven't really looked much into it until tonight, but what I read I felt was relevant. So here some thoughts from the book, hope it's helpful.
~
Thoughts:
"Whom have I in heaven but You? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides You." ~Psalm 73:25

Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking. -A.W. Tozer [I really like the phrasing in this quote, I'm not sure what he meant initially by in and out of season but to me I feel this applies to the times when God's silent.]

There is a restlessness deep within each of us that compels us to search for the person, the place, the job, the "god" that will fill the void and give us peace. This restlessness drives us to find someone who will love us for who we are, understand our fears and anxieties, affirm our worth, and call our lives into account. To admit our need for and dependence upon God requires humility and vulnerability, which paves the way not only for knowing God, but also for becoming intimate with Him. Deepening intimacy with God is the outcome of deep desire.
May this prayer of David's become our own:
Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in they tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of thy wings.
-Psalm 61:1-4

Other suggested readings: Psalm 62, 63, and 73 as well as Isaiah 26:9 and Philippians 3:7-11

Sorry that this is just direct quotes from a book, but I couldn't think of a
better way to rephrase it. Hope it helps in some way!
~