Sometimes, God puts you in places ALONE
because he needs you to realize that
you do NOT need anybody but HIM!
- Anon
There are times we become too busy, even for God. Yes, that's right. There are other times that we are fixated too much on our plans for ourselves that we forget to inquire with God on his plans for us. Too many times we think we know the best path to take without conferring with him, who knows the end from the beginning. That's right, he's not called the Alpha and Omega for nothing.
And while he has given us the ability to choose, his desire is for us to seek his face towards making the best choices for our lives. Else, why would he nudge us in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 13 to seek him wholeheartedly? But just like the lost sheep, God also actively seeks us. In those moments, God takes us to a solitude place where we will be attentive and receptive to what he has to say. How do I know this? It happened to Moses (think through his encounter with the burning bush), Gideon (remember he was in the winepress, hiding from the Midianites), David (always alone with the sheep in the fields), and it happened to me in an unlikely turn of events.
Sometime in 2014, some practitioners within my industry were to travel to Madrid for a retreat. I was not supposed to attend however, my boss asked me to apply for Schengen visa. Obtaining a Schengen visa in my native country is not for the faint hearted and the validity of the visa is usually mostly only for the duration of one's visit so the chance of using it at some other time, if granted, was slim. While I loved to travel, I wasn't nominated to attend the retreat. I couldn't wrap my head around why my boss would request that I apply for the visa but I grudgingly obliged. Visa applications were submitted at the third party vendor site and amongst the five (5) of us that applied for the visa, I was the only one invited to the Consulate's office to pick up my passport. At the Consulate's office, I was asked to sign an undertaking that I would present myself upon return to my home country. I was furious, what insolence and effrontery but I kept my cool. I signed the undertaking and retrieved my passport. I wasn't even nominated to attend the retreat in the first place so, why all the fuss. But in a turn of events, the remaining four (4) applicants received their passports and not a single one of them got the visa. Their visa applications were all denied. Did I still give heed that God was trying to grab my attention? Nope.
Backtracking a little bit, it was at this time I was frantically in pursuit of a new career. I wanted so much to change trajectory but all my efforts failed. Constantly, God showed me that the path he's laid out for me wasn't orchestrated by human plans. His thoughts towards me are of peace and not for disaster, to give me a future and a hope (Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11) hence, all the people that could have assisted with my career change failed.
Fast-forward to Madrid, at the reception of the hotel we lodged at. The CEO of one of the major companies within my industry walked up to me and said: "I do not know why but the spirit of God said I should tell you not to leave the industry". That was when God caught my attention. How else could she have known, if not for God? God had to draw me away from my daily routine to a location thousands of miles away in order to deliver a single message to me simply because I was too busy to slow down to hear him deliver the message that would keep me on the path he has set for me.
Do not wait to be drawn out before you make out deliberate time to listen to God. So long as your heart is stayed on him, he will stop at nothing to get your attention. It may, however, not be as pleasant as my experience. Create a solitude time to talk to the only one who has your best interest at heart, the one who created you for signs, wonders and great exploits.