Читать книгу The Sanctuary for Lent 2019 (Pkg of 10) - Juan Huertas - Страница 10

As soon as they brought the boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

—Luke 5:11

There is so much left to do. The to-do list is constantly getting longer, our obligations piling up, and we can hardly hear God. As we said yesterday, God is always calling. Are we listening.

One of the common questions from people in the church is about how to discern God’s voice. I think there is a natural hunger in us for God, for the transcendent, for the divine. Often we fill that hunger with many other things. It is easier to work, easier to fill our lives with other gods, easier to give our life to that which we are used to—to the comforts of home.

No wonder so many of us would rather ignore the call! What happens if we listen? What might God tell us? If we follow, what do we have to leave behind? I hate to break it to you, but when we follow, we must leave behind everything that would keep us from being fully present. Everything!

In the summer of 2017 I had the joy of spending eight days at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. I spent that week in silence, reflecting on Scripture, and taking long walks. Often in those walks I would hear God’s voice calling my name. Even in that environment my initial response was to ignore it, to stay busy walking, reading, or napping. A few days in, I found myself exhausted from fighting God’s voice. The word that flooded my soul? Surrender. This Lenten season, hear God’s voice inviting you to follow. It means leaving everything that would get in the way, but after all, that which holds us captive might not be worth keeping around.

Breath Prayer:

Lord, help me . . . surrender.