The Honeycomb

            Our pastor mentioned Proverbs 27:7 Thursday morning before we began to pray. “A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

His point: if we stay full of things that distract then we will not desire the Word of God or the things of God.  In fact, he said if we eat junk we will loathe the steak.  This proverb became a reality this week in my life.

            Prayer began at six am afterwards Ronnie and I ate breakfast at a local restaurant.   By the time we got home I enjoyed a two our nap before we drove to Camden to a gun and pawn shop.  While we were in Camden we decided to try a new place for lunch.   I only had a biscuit, bacon, and egg sandwich for breakfast but; I was still satisfied so I didn’t finish my lunch.  On our way back we decided he needed to go back into Magnolia to run a couple more errands.  I suggested before we left Magnolia that we share a small chocolate milkshake which translates: “I want a couple swallows and you can have the rest.”  While he was ordering my mind had wandered to other things when I realized he had order two milkshakes instead of one.  Of course, you know I drank the whole thing.  By six thirty that night I still wasn’t hungry even though he said we had to grill the steaks he had marinated.  The very thought of eating again was loathsome to me.  I couldn’t believe our Pastor had just talked about loathing a steak and here I was staring at one that I loathed.  We split a steak and a bake potato; but, in truth, I could have done without food until the next day.  The next morning I used the other steak and scrambled eggs and had biscuits for breakfast.  Breakfast!  My favorite meal of the day!  The steak was the best ever.  Why?   Because I was hungry.

            It is also so true in the spiritual realm. Let me make a confession.  There have been times in my life that I have loathed the Word of God, prayer, and/or church.  Anything spiritual.  There it is.  Out in the open.  Please don’t tell me I’m the only one.  I won’t believe you!  It will happen when I’ve stayed away from the things of God.  I’m not talking open rebellion.  I’m not talking when life throws a curve ball of an emergency or more than one emergency at a time.  A curve ball will send me to my knees to the only One who can help me.  I’m talking about when life distracts me.  When I’ve run and run or people have demanded my attention for a long period of time.  When I am on someone else’s timetable.  Those times when I fall into bed at night and drag myself out the next day to do it all over again.  Or the times it is my fault.  I’ve gotten up running to finish my ’to do’ list.   I’m nothing if I’m not a ’to do’ list maker.  I’m also guilty of reading, playing computer card games, watching movies, or Facebooking too much.  Do I have a witness?  Then one morning I will wake up realizing that although I pretty well know the Word, I haven’t spent anytime with the Word made flesh.   The Holy Spirit seems to be elsewhere.   I am dried up internally and hungry.  These are the times I loathe getting back into the Word, dread facing prayer because I’ve been too busy doing other things.  Even good things.  These are the times I loathe the honeycomb.  These are the times I have to get on my knees spiritually and most of the time physically, as well, admitting how much I have missed my Daddy God.  Then all is right in my world.

       I will make another confession.  It doesn’t happen as often as it used to because I have come to love the Honeycomb more than anything else.  Psalms 19 speaks how perfect, sure, right, pure, true and righteous are the commandments, statues, and judgments of the Lord.  “More to be desired are they than gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. “v. 10    I will often do small fasts which usually start out as physical cleansing but end in a spiritual fast.  Fasts are never easy in the beginning.  I have to start slow and I admit I fail at them more times than I care to confess.   Oh, but the sweet time I’ve had when I’m able to discerned the voice of God and his leading in something specific.  No guilt trip here.  I fast when I need a specific answer but if we are always distracted we miss his voice.

            11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 after the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  I Kings 19:11-12  NIV

            A gentle whisper, a still small voice, a delicate whispering voice are some translations.  How are we going to hear Him if we are listening to the entire racket in our lives?

            When we lived in the home where we raised our girls my kitchen faced the street.  Many times daughter #2 would walk in the kitchen and say, “Daddy’s home.”  I would turn to look out in time to see Ronnie’s truck rolling in front of the house.  He drove a stick shift and would put it in neutral as he approached the house rolling to a stop.   I would decide I was going to listen for him the next day but I always became distracted by preparing dinner or by the noise in the house.  I never heard him coming. Ever. She always did.  She was listening for her daddy and was not distracted by other things.  She knew when and where he would be coming home.  Oh, that our ears would be that in tuned to our Daddy God!

            One thing I noticed about the verse above is we have to STAND and wait for the noise to subside.  I describe it as internal noise.  There are times I feel as though there is a powerful wind tearing through me and shattering the very rock of my

foundation shaking me to the core.  He told Elijah to go and stand in His presence.  Ever notice how hard it is to stand in His presence when every thing around you is falling apart around you?  Elijah wasn’t exactly in the best spiritual high when God gave him this command.  He thought he was the only one left serving God.

            “I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” v.10

And yet, God tells him to go and stand on the mountain before the Lord.  We may not always be able to control our circumstances; but, we can choose were we will stand.

            If we discipline ourselves during the quiet times in our lives to listen for Him then when everything is falling apart around us, we will be able to stand and listen.

            What are you hungry for?  What are you craving?  Are you too full of the things of this world?  I will ask you what are you willing to give up to hear that small, delicate whisper?  Is it getting up a half hour or so before everyone else?  Is it giving up a favorite TV show, Facebook, video games, music or a hobby?  Only you know what replaces your time with Him.   Maybe you need to realize what is filling your thought life.  Is it negative thinking, bitterness, envy, unforgiveness, hopelessness, frustration?  Maybe it isn’t giving up things of the world maybe it is things in your emotional realm that you need to give up.  Look into the Word of God for the answers to the emotional junk food in your life.  Then submit to the Word which became flesh then stand still and hear the small, whispering, gentle voice.  Daddy God wants to talk with you; after all you are His daughter, royalty, the apple of His eye.  Why not give it a shot and see what happens?  This Daddy’s girl would love to hear how He speaks to you, my sister.

    I can’t let you go until I ask you this.  Are you a Daddy’s girl?  Are you my sister in Christ?   He loves you so much He wants you to become a daughter of His.  Will you consider bending a knee before Him so you can sit at His feet and lean your head in His lap?  So, you can hear for yourself His telling you how much He loves you?  

If you would like to talk, email me and I will get in touch with you.

mrsbarbdaniels@gmail.com

Until, next time I pray you will sit at his feet and enjoy being with your Daddy God.