Going Through a Tuning Phase

Thirsty. Need. Water. Now.

Ever felt that way before?--but not physically speaking. I'm talking about being thirsty for something more than what you're currently experiencing...something more in life...something more in your relationship with God.

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." Romans 8:26-28, the Message

You make all things work together for my good. Now that's a statement. This sentence so often sung isn't really ever processed in my mind for all it's worth. I mean, just think about those words: You make all things work together for my good. Wow. Talk about a promise we can cling to in the hard times and rejoice with in the sunshine.

I'm an organizer (and a list-maker, as you already know). I like to know details and think through every aspect of things before I make a decision or plan an event. But pushing this tendency into my relationship with God isn't necessarily a good thing. I have to ask myself if I get so caught up in the technical aspects of life that I miss actually enjoying it. When I get caught up in all of the little technicalities, my mind tends to skip over some important things that God tries to show me...like how He is trying to tune my life and what He is convicting me of. Getting caught up in life and missing out on enjoying it really hinders growth. Focusing on the technicalities causes me to miss some of the most important moments because I'm so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I miss hearing the voice of God.

So, what are some questions I'm trying to keep handy as a personal check-up for my life?

1. How is God tuning my life right now? (What are the things I know I need to change in order to re-align my life according to His Word)
2. What is He convicting me of? (What attitudes, behaviors, habits, and relationships need to be fixed?)
3. What am I discovering in His Word?

It's this feeling of thirst, I believe, that best describes this "tuning process." Your eyes won't move away from focusing on the technical aspects of life until you see that you're missing something so much more. And I don't think we can truly grasp the statement from Romans 8:28 until we are thirsty for what it really means. If we're really gut-level honest, maybe we aren't thirsty for this tuning process because that would mean we would actually have to trust God and open up our hearts for some tough questions and things that maybe just aren't that pretty about ourselves on the inside. But, let me tell you, it's worth it. And once you allow yourself to start to crave God's fine tuning process, you won't want to ever go back to focusing on the technicalities 24/7. You'll want God to continue showing you areas in your life to grow in so that you can be all that you can be.

And in knowing that God is good and He can be trusted and really letting that sink into my heart, I can let Romans 8:26-28 permeate my entire being. He makes ALL THINGS work together for {Emily's} good. Personalize that statement and let it change the way you think. Whatever happens in your life is meant for your good. And if we TRUST in God and believe with everything we've got that He IS good, then we can believe that statement is true. And in that, we'll be craving the tuning hand of God upon our lives in a way we've never experienced before.