Intimate Communion

In the Chronicles of Narnia, Lucy saw the lion Aslan and began to follow him. The others could not see him at first, but the longer they followed, the more visible Aslan became to them. Similarly, the more we seek to focus on, delight in, and seek the guidance of the Spirit within, the more His presence becomes real to us. If we have received the Holy Spirit, He is perpetually within whether we sense His presence or not. He promises to be with us always. As we cultivate an awareness of His presence, we becomes increasingly aware of Him.

Samuel Chadwick said “The only thing in the world God has ever asked a man to do is to trust Him.” I remember those words when I’m seeking to know Him in a difficult or a perplexing moment. He is saying, “Trust me to give you the mind of Christ, the right attitude, the appropriate words. Abide in Me. I am your wisdom.” Moment by moment communion involves a continual confidence that the Holy Spirit is providing all we need that moment.

Recently I heard a speaker from Kenya who began by saying, “I don’t know what I’m going to say. I’m just here to enjoy God and for us to enjoy each other.” It became apparent as he spoke that he had a wealth of material to share, but He was anticipating the joy of trusting the Spirit to give Him the exact words to say.

In a few days I was to speak to a group on what it means to abide in Christ using John 15. Could I also practice abiding and “enjoy God” as I spoke? I am accustomed to taking pages of notes to the podium. But should I speak on moment by moment abiding in Christ if I were unwilling to trust the Spirit to guide my thoughts while I was speaking? If all God was asking me to do was to trust Him, I wanted to be faithful to do that.

So I trusted Him as I wrote only an outline and a few sketchy notes. God did not disappoint me. I spoke knowing the Spirit was giving me what I should say.
Out of our intimate communion with Christ, His life will flow through us. When our focus is on loving and trusting Him, He is free to do His work. What more could we want?