Becoming Friends With God…All Over Again

Karen O’Connor, Author, 1.cbn.com

“My life is a mess,” I whispered, as I looked across the table at Joe, the pastoral counselor at our church. “I feel disconnected from my husband, anxious about my children, and spiritually…well, to tell the truth, Im dry. Im having a hard time praying. God feels so far away.”

Joe was silent for a moment. Then he caught my attention with something I didnt expect. “Start a journal, a dialogue with God,” he said. “Start today. I think youll be surprised at how quickly youll feel Gods presence again.”

“But I write for a living,” I said. “I dont think Id have energy to write in a journal, too!” But Joe didnt let me off.

“Tell God all the things youve told me,” he added. “Do it for a month. Then get back to me.”

I drove home, grabbed an empty notebook, and began writing.

“Dear God,” I started, “its me, Karen. I hardly know where to begin…”. I wrote down the things I had said aloud to Joe. When I finished I had a feeling of peace I hadnt felt in a long time.

TALKING WITH GOD

Then one Sunday, soon after I started my journal, a deacon at church shared a copy of a new book: Dialogue With God by Mark Virkler. He hadnt known anything about my struggle or my new commitment to keep a journal–or had he? I read the book in two sittings. The author cited many examples of Gods dialogues throughout the Bible–with Moses and David and Paul and others. Like them, I could keep track of the words I received.

I began this new way of journaling and have continued it off and on for over ten years. When I skip a day or two because of busyness or illness or travel, I notice the void immediately.

If you have never kept a journal before, consider starting one–today! There is no “right” way to do it. You can include sketches, drawings, photos or simply write–a few lines or several pages. Its up to you. One young mother I know keeps a journal for each of her three children. “Its impossible to get away from the Lord,” said Sheila, “when day after day I thank Him in writing for my children and jot down all the ways He has blessed our family.”

You might also choose a theme for the year. For example, during 1997 I kept a praise journal–meditating on a praise Scripture each day and then writing a short, spontaneous prayer on each daily page. My friend Jane says she likes to write love letters to the Lord. “They have helped me experience more intimacy with God,” she says.

By varying the focus of each year or month, youll never be bored and I feel certain youll notice a growing connection with the Lord in every area of your life.

But journaling is not the only way to become reacquainted with God. Here are a few others to consider.

MAKING A MINI-RETREAT

Recently my husband Charles and I returned from a retreat for Christian artists. It was the most refreshing and stimulating four days weve shared in a long time. But it required time and money for airfare, meals, lodging, and so on. We cant often take such a trip. But most of us can make a half-day or one-day mini-retreat–alone or with others.

Charles and I also have been part of several one-day retreats sponsored by our church. Weve rented a nearby facility on large grounds where people can gather as a community in the morning to pray and sing and discuss a selected topic. In the afternoon, there is time to stroll the walkways, stop and rest in a little gazebo, doze under a big tree, or sit on the grass and read or write. One place had a chapel where we could sit in silence and feel Gods presence.

I have never come away from such a time unrewarded for my effort to be there. “Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” says the Lord, “And I will heal him” (Psalm 57:19, NKJV).

You might consider organizing such an event for your church. Even a lovely hotel with a spacious setting would make a good spot for a retreat.

If you or a friend has a large home with a big yard, that too could be used.

My sister and her friends head for the beach once a year for a half-day retreat that includes time to rest, read, discuss, and eat lunch. They drive home before the children return from school.

There are many creative ways to retreat from the world–if we put our minds and hearts to it.

FINDING GOD IN HIS CREATION

Connecting with God through His creation is one of the most rewarding of all. In the summer of 1988 I had an experience that forever changed my relationship with God. One day in late August I was about to ascend Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, as part of an all-womens backpack in the wilderness. To prepare for the trip I had hiked weekly for several months with a group of friends, learned about tents and sleeping bags and stoves and dried food and how to carry 30 pounds on my back!

The morning of the hike I was both nervous and excited. I was ready! I wanted a full experience–with no regrets. So halfway up the steep rock face, I turned around and stood facing out. There was no room for a false step. I held onto the cable for support. Then I took a deep breath and looked!

In front of me and to the sides, up, down–everywhere I gazed was a visual feast of massive pines hovering over giant cliffs, powerful boulders poised among lush greenery, and majestic peaks jutting into the deep blue sky. I could scarcely take it in. It was so much more than I had expected.

This is a holy place, I thought to myself. God is here.

I had been so caught up in the planning and preparations that I hadnt thought much about the spiritual impact. But there it was. I couldnt miss it.

“Oh God,” I stammered, “thank you for this… I nearly missed what its really about.”

On the way down I thought about all the ways the Lord had provided for me. A bed of pine needles had made a comfortable carpet for my tent. There were tree stumps to sit on, limbs for hanging wet socks, and branches for shade. God was there with me–in that wild place–meeting my every need and desire.

But you dont have to climb a mountain to reconnect with God. You can go to a neighborhood park or your own backyard with lawn chair in hand, a sack lunch, your Bible, and a good book or two. Read and pray, think and ponder, and listen and watch for the Lords loving presence, so beautifully reflected in His creation.

It takes so little to become reacquainted with God. If youre feeling separated, choose today to reach out to Him in writing, through His creation, on a mini-retreat or in whatever way seems right for you. And if you feel so detached that you cant make any effort, there is still hope, for the Lord has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Simply call out “Help! I need You.” And He will answer you.

“For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard” (Psalm 22:24, NKJV).