Abiding

ABIDING

I have a Martin House that has been up in front of my house for at least 6-8 years. I love these little birds. They abound near water. Their acrobatic antics are very entertaining as they catch insects in flight, and they have a very unique chirp. They are beautiful, graceful birds, and bring joy to my heart, when I have the opportunity to watch them. They however, have refused my hospitality. There have been a few curious ones who have investigated the house but chosen not to dwell there. I wonder why. We are not physically near a source of water, although there is a creek across the highway from our house. And the Flint River is less that 1 mile from our house. The mosquitoes have been prolific in my yard this summer, so one would think there is plenty of water and food for these beautiful creatures. We also have a hawk in residence in this area. He occasionally has "breakfast" at my birdfeeders, and I am not talking about birdseed!! So that may contribute to their scarcity. Whatever the reason, they have snubbed my hospitality.

I would love for these graceful birds to dwell in the house I have provided for them, so much so that I have even prayed that God would send some to do just that. So far, no birds.

My devotions this week have dealt a lot with dwelling and abiding in God and His presence, and what benefits that provides for us. As is the case with my little birds, no matter how much He wants us to dwell, we are the only ones who can do it. We can accept or reject His invitation. We must CHOOSE our dwelling place. It can be IN CHRIST and we can enjoy the peace and security of knowing He cares for us. Or we can choose to dwell away from God and suffer the restlessness, anxiety, worry, depression and all that goes with it. God wants us to dwell with him, but He is a perfect gentleman, and He will not force something upon us that we are not willing to do. He waits, patiently, with outstretched arms, for us to come to the end of our rope and realize that He is what we need.

The first couple of years my Martin house was up, these beautiful creatures showed was NO INTEREST in dwelling there. I am sure some of us can relate this to a time in our lives when we were not interested in dwelling in God or having His Holy Spirit dwell in us.

Then recently, these beautiful, graceful birds seem to have been interested, but have not taken up residence. They have come to visit, perched on the little porches, gone in and investigated, then flown away. I was very disappointed they chose not to dwell with me. I wonder how many times we treat God this way. We have a passive interest in Him, or the benefits we can receive from Him, but we are not willing to dwell with Him. We do not recognize that He is Jehovah Shammah--My abiding presence (Ezek 48:35). From this experience, I think I understand in some measure how disappointed God feels, when we snub His invitation. However, that doesn't change His love for us. As I have sat on my porch and waited hopefully for some indication that these beautiful creatures might come and dwell with me, I thought about how our Heavenly Father does the same. The difference is that He is actively involve in drawing us through His Holy Spirit (Jn.6:44). Verse 45 further admonishes that "Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me." So if we listen and learn, we are compelled to act. The more I learn about Him the more I want to dwell in His presence.

There is comfort and reassurance from God that He blesses us when we abide (dwell) in Him (v. 40--'For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life."
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]
2 I will say [b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Just this one passage that reminds of of the peace and comfort that comes from abiding in God's presence. We are the ones who control whether or not we abide. Especially in light of the present economic and political turmoil our country and the world is facing, I am so thankful I can choose to abide. I do not know how people deal with the day-to-day "stuff" in their lives without God. I am SO THANKFUL for His patience, unconditional love, and bountiful mercy extended to my life; and that He is my refuge in time of need!