Make Time for God

Written as sermon for Kennydale United Methodist Church, Newcastle, Washington

My home church's mission statement starts with "to bring ourselves to know Christ in a personal way." (Mission Statement, Redmond UMC, Redmond, Washington).

How many times each day do you talk to another person? If you're like me, that's a couple hundred times. A hundred at least-in person and by telephone.

Now, how many times a day do you pray? If you're like me, it's always been about four times. Once during my morning devotional; once driving to work praying all the lights will be green; once at supper with the family; and finally, at bedtime asking that tomorrow might be a better day.

Just four times during an average day. But God speaks to me—often through the interventions of Jesus Christ—at least a hundred times every day, maybe many times more. Most of the time, I'm not listening.

And that's funny, because I always listen to my supervisors. I listen to my co-workers and my children. Sometimes, I even listen to my wife.

But God, the Supreme Controller, who holds everything I do in God's divine hand, the most influential part of my life—God gets ignored. God calls constantly but I'm only taking messages.

When I miss God's call—I wake up later knowing that things could have been better. And knowing that I blew it myself. That's why our mission statement has become important to me " to bring ourselves to know Christ in a personal way."

Our pastor always said that we know God only through Christ. In fact, Christ said exactly that in Chapter 6 of John: "No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know the Father also." (John 6:44).

By knowing Christ in a personal way, God's message becomes more obvious. Christ helps me turn off the answering machine and really listen.

For example, I've been frustrated in my employment—and more often than I like, I've gotten depressed. When I get depressed, I get scared. And fear immobilizes me. I tend to hyperanalyze situations—and the more I think about how hopeless things are, the worse they seem. Everything turns black. God disappears.

Or so it seems …

I believe I am a Christian. But I'm human—and I regularly … well, ummm … fail my divinity test.

That's why it's very important for me to know Christ. So that I can overcome my desperation. So I can get centered on God again. So I can hear—clearly hear—God's voice as The Lord speaks, when The Lord speaks, not later when I get my messages.

Now, I count myself extremely lucky. I have four very good friends and a wife who've been patiently praying for me. They care about me. They worry about me. They offer advice and comfort. Most of all, they offer me Christ. In those black moods, when I'm not thinking squarely, they take time to show me where Christ is. They take me by the hand and pray with me. And they tell me when I'm off course.

It's amazing, when I reflect back, how wrong my outlook gets. What I think I hear turns out to be static in my head caused by the depression. So it helps when Frank and John and Jerry, Dave and Terri, and all my Christian community, point out the real Word of God and help guide me back.

I gave a talk at a three-day retreat several years ago. The day of my talk, I had the chills and didn't feel very good—felt rotten and wanted to back out. One of my brothers took me aside and counciled me: "The Lord has something in mind for you in there. Someone is waiting to hear what you've prepared. Satan doesn't want your wisdom to be heard, so he's making you sick. Now get up your strength and do your talk as a service to Christ." And we prayed together.

Well, I gave the talk. Almost immediately, the chills disappeared and I felt much better, enjoyed the rest of the retreat. And four people told me how meaningful the talk was and how I'd spoken directly to their needs.

" to bring ourselves to know Christ in a personal way …" Christ is counting on me to be His servant, His hands in the world. When I do the little things, like keeping up my daily devotional, like giving a talk, like mopping the church kitchen after a potluck, I gain new insights and find myself spiritually closer to God. The specific ministry doesn't matter, and it makes no difference if it's a mission or not. What counts is making the effort to know Christ—to listen to The Lord's voice.

Over the past couple of years, I've learned to pray, to see God through Christ. To call for God's assistance. Call on God's strength. Paul wrote: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," (Philippians 4:13).

That's become my affirmation. I repeat it aloud three times every morning. I remind myself of it when the road gets bumpy. And I repeat it three times as I prepare for bed.

The Lord spoke to me, using the voice of my friend in Christ. And fortunately I heard God's voice through my brother—and listened. Fortunately, I relied on Christ for strength that day at the retreat.

Redmond UMC's mission statement " to bring ourselves to know Christ in a personal way …" guides me—and my spiritual advisors—to know Christ and to follow him on the walk to God's promised kingdom.

I'm praying more, not just four times a day anymore, but at least once an hour. I seldom pray for myself, either. Others are doing that. A friend recently asked if I was working. "I want to get you off my prayer list," he said.

When I hear of the needs of others, I pray for them. I don't focus on the bad things in my own life, but on the healing power of God's love and mercy for them, promised by Christ and through Christ. "For God so loved the world that He sent His only son."

God already knows what I need—but, as the Hebrews learned in Egypt, God works miracles when many people pray for the same thing. In doing that, I've come to know myself as a child of God. I've discovered the miracle of Christ's love. I've discovered the intimacy of God's cradling hands. And I've discovered my own inner confidence.

Just as the song says,
Spring up a well within my soul.
Spring up a well and make me whole.