“Stan,” I began, “I had a real frustration last night with one of my neighbors.”
“What happened?” Stan asked.
“This one neighbor who is also a friend,” I replied, “called and asked me to come over and help him with a project he was working on. He was trying to finish a letter he was going to send out and was having some trouble putting in some family pictures that were on his computer.”
“Were you able to help him?” Stan asked.
“Yes and no,” I replied.
“What do you mean by that?” Stan asked.
“Well,” I said, “I think I could have helped him because I have done that sort of thing many times. I know how to do it, but it turned out my neighbor wouldn’t listen to anything I tried to tell him.”
“Why did he ask for your help if he wasn’t going to listen?” Stan asked.
“Great question!” I replied. “I’m not sure, but after a while I decided to let him do what he was going to do. I went home.”
“Sounds a lot like what I do too often,” Stan replied, “in dealing with the Holy Spirit. I ask for His help and then don’t listen. I ask Him to lead and then I don’t follow.”
“Why do you do that?” I asked.
“Same reason as you neighbor, I suppose,” Stan said. “I think I know what to do without really wanting or needing any help. Bad and foolish choice on my part. If I do that often enough, pretty soon the Holy Spirit will quit talking and trying to help. He will, in essence, decide it is time to go home after He concludes I really don’t want His help.”
“I pray,” Stan concluded, “not to be so foolish.”
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Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your gift of the Holy Spirit to live in me and guide, help, and counsel in every area of my life. I confess that too often I fail to listen to His voice by choosing to go it on my own. Please forgive me. And please, Lord, lead me and help me to follow in listening to everything He has to say to me. Help me to not quench the Spirit by not listening to His voice. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Waiting for the Train 