My heart’s been burning, my soul keeps yearning
Sometimes I can’t hardly wait

Have you ever read something that so clearly articulated what you were thinking that you wondered how the writer peeked into your brain without your knowledge? I had that experience yesterday and again this morning.

But first, a little backstory: I’ve been struggling with some things at work and I’ve been crying out to God to deliver me from this situation and change my circumstances. Every day I ask God to change my circumstances. A few weeks ago it occurred to me that he just might not change my circumstances. Or if he does, when he does, it will be in his timing. So I’ve asked him to change my attitude about my situation. If he’s not going to lead me someplace new, I want to be the best sales person that I can be (my personal feelings about being a sales person notwithstanding).

Every day, week in and week out, this has been my prayer. Change my attitude, open other doors.

Earlier this week, I had another thought. It was a realization more than a thought: I have not heard a single word from God on this issue. Not “No.” Not “Wait.” Not “Okay, so here’s the plan.” And that’s not to say I haven’t heard from him on other issues. But on this particular issue, nada. I have been angry. I’ve been petulant. I have questioned my faith. What if I have it all wrong?

So last night I was reading a blog entry at Stuff Christians Like, and friends, let me tell you my. eyes. were. opened. The writer, Jon Acuff, mentions a similar period of silence from God in his own life. He then made the most brilliant analogy I’ve ever read, for real.

He said that he has single-topic friends: those friends with whom he has a single thing in common. Do you have single-topic friends? They might be parents of a child in your child’s class or someone who drives the same vehicle you do, and every time you see that person, you talk about how your cars are the same and how the auto makers are going to have to change their ways or they’ll go under or some such business. And you part ways and you don’t really think about that person until you see them again in Kroger and you have another discussion about new features on the latest models or maybe a news story that featured your car-in-common, then you merrily go about your business….

And while you really like this person and think they are a great source of info about that one thing y’all share, you would never think to ask him or her about a recipe for Cinnamon Quick Bread or the best way to paint a room. And of course, you would never want this person to stop talking to you about your common interest because that’s literally your only point of contact. If the communication about that topic ceases, your communication would, in effect, cease.

Do you see where this is going?

God had become my single-topic friend. In my desire to share my heart with him on this issue, as if he didn’t know, I’d relegated God to being my single-topic friend. And because God loves me and desires fellowship with me, he’d rather be silent on an issue I’d love to hear from him about than to answer me…’cause then I won’t have anything to talk to him about. So in his silence, he teaches me other things about himself, about his holy nature, about how he loves all of me, even the parts I try to hide from him. He courts me so that when he does reveal his plan for me, I’m so in love with him I can’t wait to find out more. He’s building a relationship with me so that I might know him more fully. When I know him, I can glorify him. As I glorify him, he is honored by my living sacrifice.

Praise you Father, for even in your silence, you show me love. Give me a heart to seek you, every day and in all things. You have promised that when we seek you, you will be found.

I had another A-ha! moment this morning, but I’m already seven hundred words in and I need to stop writing and think. Do yourself a favor and go to Jon’s site and read about this in his own words. He says it much better than I do.

FYI: I don’t know Jon Acuff. I’ve never met him and he doesn’t know me. I found his blog via a friend last year and have read every post. He’s got a fabulous way with words and many, many of his posts have taught me something new about God.

P.S. I’m scared that we might be single-topic friends. I don’t want that to be the case. At all.