Separation Anxiety

"God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." -- Hebrews 13:5b, NIV

Most babies experience some form of separation anxiety beginning around 8 months. But as adult Christians we too sometimes experience separation anxiety from our Heavenly Father. I have a plaque hanging in my closet that's been there for years -- I've had it since my teens. It reads: "If you don't feel close to God guess who moved?" The Bible is clear that God will never leave us or forsake us. We can also take comfort in this promise found in Romans 8:38: "... neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Since we know that God is always there, why do we become so anxious about his silence? For me personally when God is silent I run through this helpful list from Elmer Towns' book, When God is Silent.

"God is quiet when (1) He is not ready to speak, (2) He is testing me, (3) He has already talked to me, (4) He wants me to make an important decision, (5) He knows I won't listen, (6) I forget what He has said, (7) something is hindering my ability to listen to God."

It's certainly not an exhaustive list but it is a good place to start. What does a child need when they are feeling separation anxiety? They need to get into their parents arms. That's the best cure I know! Run to Him; in time, He will speak.

The LORD -- He is God!

In 1 Kings 18 we find the story of the showdown on Mount Carmel between the God of Elijah and the false gods of the prophets of Baal. The prophets of Baal cry out frantically all day and there is no response from their false gods. But then Elijah steps forward with his sacrifice and offers his prayer:

"At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!" -- 1 Kings 18:36-38

"When God's power is displayed through his people, the response from onlookers should always be "The LORD -- He is God!" All displays of God's power should point people toward God and not the vessel being used. I love how God displayed His power in such a manner that "when the fire of God fell it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench!" (1 Kings 18)
Question to ponder: When God's power is displayed through my(your) vessel, is it pointing people toward God? Are they exclaiming: The LORD -- He is God!

Assignments

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.' Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.' Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" -- Isaiah 6:1-8

In Isaiah Chapter 6, we see a beautiful depiction of Isaiah's amazing encounter in the throne room; the place of intimacy with God. Isaiah sees the Lord high and lifted up; he sees the glory filling the temple. And then something remarkable happens. Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?" And Isaiah says "send me." It is in the place of intimacy that the desire to do something for God is birthed. An assignment is there for the taking and in that glory God provides the grace and anointing to carry out the assignment. What assignments are you carrying out for God? Were they birthed in the place of intimacy or in your own ambition? The place of birth makes all the difference.

Vicinity

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose." -- Acts 16:25-26

I often tell people who are looking for more of God to hang out in the vicinity of some God Chasers. Houses of prayer, like the Oxford House of Prayer (OHOP), C-HOP, and IHOP are some of those places where you can expect to encounter a few God Chasers!

Paul and Silas got thrown in prison and being God Chasers they started praying and singing hymns to God. But don't miss what happened next ... everybody's chains came loose, not just the ones around Paul and Silas. This is one of those life-changing truths about God Chasing: When He comes, He tends to bless everyone in the vicinity! The only God Chasers in the prison that night were Paul and Silas and they began praising God through their circumstances. When they were done, God showed up and set everyone free. Lesson learned: It pays to be in the vicinity of a God Chaser!