Date with the Lord

At the beginning of the year, following a suggestion from an online seminar, I put a date with God in my calendar, June 20th, 2023. The goal was to listen to impressions from God regarding my activities and goals for the next few years. And so, for this date, I recently went to Lake Constance.

I started by making a list of dreams, wishes or ideas that I still want in my life. From things I’d like to try to things my heart burns for. Simple things like learning the dance style shuffle. And on the other hand, things that I wish for together with God, things I’m confident are also his wishes. For example, that in response to my prayer, someone will be healed of a serious illness or physical ailment. That would be awesome!

May he give you what you desire and make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4

With a lot of thinking and praying, I came up with a total of 35 items on my list. Dreaming with God makes you want more! Being aware of your dreams gives them the power to come true. And they can’t be stopped once you’ve had a taste of them.

I want to challenge you with that, too! Make your own list. There can be 10 things on it or 100. Write down your dreams. All of them! A Ferrari may also be on the list, but don’t stop there! Ask yourself what you are passionate about. Whether it seems possible or not! Do you have the desire to be generous and give money away, but you hardly have enough yourself? Put it on the list! Do you have the desire to travel to a certain country, but can’t imagine how to do it? Put it on the list! Do you want to stand on stage in front of 1000 people and give a sermon? Put it on the list!

With my list in hand, I asked God what was still missing or what he wanted to emphasize. In practical terms, I experienced it like this: I sat down with pen and paper and opened myself up to what God had to say. In time, images emerged, which I wrote down and asked God questions about.

After a while I had trouble concentrating, made myself a cup of tea and sat down again. After a few hours my attention was gone and I went grocery shopping. After that I sat down at my computer and got some information about the images I had. With this knowledge I then continued to listen to how it should all fit together and how I should interpret the images. And so my impressions slowly took form and became clearer.

This process may look a little different for you. But it will always begin in silence, with an open mind and listening. And it requires a certain perseverance and endurance. But the basis for this list and the planning is always to get quiet, to come to rest and to be open to God. If the noise of our life has to stay outside for a while, then God can speak to us and we will be more likely to perceive him. In silence you can hear God’s whisper. When we quiet the everyday life for a while, then the things come up that God wants to show us. It’s worth it!

Everything I heard or saw during this time of silence gets added to the list. And this list will not disappear in the drawer now, but will be reviewed over and over again. I will pray about it. And of course I can take first steps toward the dreams for example by regularly praying for the healing of people, if my desire is for a healing to happen!

When I look at my list now, joy rises up in me. I can see all the wonderful possibilities that lay ahead of me.

How about a date with God for you? I highly recommend it!

PS: In a few days my husband and I are going on a long trip. We will be visiting our daughter in New Zealand and welcoming our second grandchild into the family.

You will get the next mail from the blog on September 1st. Summer break!
I wish you a beautiful, happy summer in which you meet God again and again in surprising ways!

Love, Angie