My dear friend, Terri and I play Wordle every morning and we share our results with one another. Whoever gets the word in the least tries is the queen for the day.
She has been playing this online game far longer than I have, but I have years of Scrabble and Words with Friends on my side.
Recently we discussed the fact that sometimes a word pops into our head other than the one we usually use to start the series. Sometimes we play it, other times we ignore that first thought. Often when we go with it, correct letters will come up, giving us a better start than we would have had otherwise.
One day Terri made the comment, “that was the Holy Spirit prompting.”
I chuckled a bit to myself because I know how wonderfully my friend can and does see God in everything – probably why I love her so much!
Another day, I experienced a first thought clue and went with it. “Definitely a Holy Spirit day. Who knew He liked puzzle games?” I texted.
She responded, “He created them and the biggest puzzles of all!” Her reply gave me pause to think.
Have you ever thought of something and ignored it, only to regret not going with that first impulse? Maybe it was as simple a thought as, “take an umb
rella” or “wear different shoes” - only to later get caught in the rain or end up with blisters on your feet.
Is that a prompting from the Holy Spirit? It seems so silly that God would talk to us in such matters, but His word says otherwise. Jesus said,
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you,” John 14:25-26.
All things? Really?
Think of it this way: When a student is starting out learning any subject, the teacher doesn’t expect the student to listen and master it immediately. That would be the mark of a very bad teacher. What is it a good teacher encourages? Practice! Practice! Practice!
So maybe, just maybe the Holy Spirit fully understands that if He were to tell us that we should go on a mission trip, we would run like Jonah in the other direction. Even simple thoughts like, “hold your tongue,” “stop and pray,” or even “help that person” make us so anxious, we often ignore that whisper of a voice in our head. We instead, abruptly speak our mind, wave good-bye while promising to pray, or immediately break eye contact and pretend we don’t see that person in need.
Now, I am not saying that you should never speak your mind (better yet, heart), because sometimes the truth in love is exactly what a person needs. And you may not be able to pray right then and there with every person you talk to (although please do pray if you say you will). Finally, far be it for me to tell you to stop for every person who appears needy in this world we live in today, that could be dangerous.
I am talking about ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit and then convincing ourselves that we weren’t sure it was actually His voice and not our own, or worse yet, the enemy’s. Let me give you a hint as to how we can tell the difference.
“… Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” Philippians 4:8.
Even silly thoughts like Wordle clues or “take a sweater”? They aren’t exactly noble and praiseworthy. No, but they are not negative, condemning, ugly lies that leave us self-loathing and regretful either. They are just words, first thoughts; instincts, if you will, that allow us to practice listening in life.
If we start practicing, we soon find ourselves pausing to listen to the Holy Spirit. We learn to tell the difference between the enemy’s condemning thoughts and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ones. We experience God’s faithfulness as He guides us away from, or even into bigger things; things that do have consequences more serious than simply getting chilled.
Experiencing God’s faithfulness then grows our faith. It helps us become stronger in our ability to not only avoid pain, but to share our joy in Christ with others. And yes, just maybe, we will be able to step out of our comfort zone and rely on God to help us achieve greater and greater things for His glory.
Does the Holy Spirit play Wordle? I don’t know. But if it allows me to practice listening and responding to the direction of the Holy Spirit, I’m all for that! Besides, I like being a queen.
Opmerkingen