Staying In Tune with the Spirit

Our world is full of so much noise, it’s often impossible to listen. A busy work schedule, social media distraction, 24/7 news from around the world, all vie for our attention. How are we to stay in tune with the Spirit if a constant barrage of static interferes with our connection? It’s like trying to move the dial on an old-time radio when the signal is going out of range. Garbled voices are all we can hear with no intelligible sentences. Can you relate?

This constant busyness was my life until almost four months ago when I fractured my ankle. Everything came to a sudden halt the moment my surgeon told me I couldn’t bear weight on my right leg for ten weeks and likely wouldn’t drive for another few weeks after that. I had to rethink how I did all the little activities I’d taken for granted in the past. Nothing was easy and the injury forced me to ask for help. A lot.

Sometimes the silence during my recovery was more than I could handle.

But the lack of noise had an unexpected side benefit. Now I had the time to think, not just act in the same old ways I was accustomed to. I had an opportunity to re-imagine myself. But to do this properly, I needed to remain focused and stay in tune with the Spirit for inspiration. I longed for an answer to a crucial question weighing on my mind.

God, if You’re trying to speak to me during this break in my activity, what do you want me to hear?

I didn’t expect God to give me a clear directive, but I also didn’t expect the constant static the pain would cause. It has the potential to drag a person into a deep hole and stifle all creativity. Thank goodness, the pain has decreased incrementally so I can better discern the direction I am to move and be more productive in my endeavor.

Even so, I find it odd that the Spirit is most active when my mind is totally relaxed—at night. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have woken with an idea or insight out of nowhere. My resolve to pursue medical licenses in Tennessee and North Carolina jelled during recent nighttime hours. And the preface to my book, The Dream Chaser, came to me almost word for word during my sleep. It’s now my habit to quickly write down these thoughts before I forget them. I’ve known other writers who do the same.

Now that you’re totally convinced I’m crazy, let me show you examples of Biblical precedent for this sort of nocturnal communication. Dreams, visions, and even callings often occurred when the mind of the receiver was clear of daytime interference. The story of Samuel as a young boy asleep in the house of the Lord is one of my favorite illustrations.

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So, Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'” So, Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

1 Samuel 3:7-10 NIV

Just as a radio station broadcasts more clearly through the night sky, so God sometimes speaks to us in the wee hours of the morning. His messages have guided my writing for some time. Now, they’ve convinced me that when I’m healthy I need to use my medical training to help my Appalachian neighbors. I’m not sure yet what this means. But I’ll be ready for further directions when the time is right.

If we stay in tune with the Spirit, God can lead us down paths we’ve never imagined. The adventure starts when we have ears to hear and the openness to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Photos courtesy of Canva

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