Who remembers what a “Common Denominator” is?

My past includes five years in the classroom as a Math Teacher. I don’t always see the world through the lens of mathematics, but the Lord brought to mind a mathematical illustration as a parallel to our journey through the Rooted Reading Plan.

Denominators show up in the world of fractions. To avoid the math lesson, let me simply remind you that to add two fractions, you needed to have a common denominator…the same number on the bottom of each fraction. In life, we often find proverbial “Common Denominators” all around us. These show up when there is a consistent or “common” attribute in what we’re experiencing.

As we are nearing the end of the first quarter of the Rooted Reading Plan, let me ask: Has a “common denominator” or common thread risen to the top of your reading? Have you been able to glance back over your journal and recognize a theme the Lord has consistently stirred up in your heart? I tend to believe that’s not accidental. That’s the whisper of the Holy Spirit trying to direct our steps and shape our hearts. What’s He saying to you? Is he stirring you to have more faith?  To be bolder in your witness? To see the needs of those around you and respond? To remember HOW MUCH He loves you?

If this seems a bit out of touch for you or you think that’s only for the “spiritual” people, let me ask: Are you making time to listen? Are you asking the Lord to reveal words that either comfort your heart or challenges it? Please know…He wants to speak, we just need to be listening.

There’s a story in the Bible about a young boy named Samuel who discovered the secret to understanding the whisper of the Lord. It’s a secret we all need to know and practice so that we can also experience the intimate communication of the Lord. What’s the secret?

1 Samuel 3:10, “…Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”

Samuel simply positioned his heart to hear the voice of God whispering to his heart by simply asking Him to speak. We can do the same. As we begin our HEAR process each day, we should say, “Lord, please speak to my heart today…I’m listening.” The humility of that phrase pleases the Lord and invites Him into our lives. I have to think those words bless His heart beyond anything we could measure.

Try it…you might be surprised.