No Animals at the Zoo? Oh, My!

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.’” Matt. 4:4

For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb. 4:12

And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Yes, your servant is listening.” I Sam. 3:10

Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

Have you ever headed off to the zoo and on the way told your kids, “Now, don’t be expecting to see animals there. Just because it’s the zoo doesn’t mean we’ll see them. We’ll just read the signs that tell about them.”

Or have you been out of food, headed off to the grocery store and then thought, “Well, really, there’s no food there … just pictures of it and prices. I’ll just wander the aisles and pretend there’s stuff I can buy and take home. Maybe that will ease my hunger.”

No animals at the zoo? No food in the store? And you go anyway? I’m so sure … can I sell you some oceanfront property in Oklahoma too?

Of course, those are absurd examples. But, it’s just what many of us do when we go into worship service at church or open the Bible, God’s Word. We really don’t expect to meet God either place. We often go to church to hear about God, sing about God and talk about God, but we don’t expect to really encounter Him there. We open the Bible and read about God, maybe learn some interesting things, gain some Bible knowledge, but don’t really think He’ll speak directly to us through His Word. It’s just a book, we think, like all the other books we have on the shelf, and that’s how we read it … a bit flippantly.

Well, these scenarios are equally as absurd as the first two. The Bible says God is Spirit, and He is everywhere. Okay, so you can’t actually see Him like you can your neighbor next door, but that doesn’t mean you can’t meet with Him. True, you don’t need to go to church to meet with Him; you can actually do that anywhere. But then, when it comes to church, why bother going to church at all, if you’re not wanting to, expecting to or planning on meeting God there when you do go? We go expecting nothing supernatural, and we leave with those expectations met – nice meeting, but we’re unchanged as a result of the time spent. We haven’t entered into His presence at all.

The Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people. It says where two or three are gathered in His Name, that He’s there in their midst. He made us for relationship with Him, so does it make any sense at all that He wouldn’t want to meet with us when we gather together in a place dedicated to honor Him and with the purpose of our gathering to make Him our focus?

Or that, when we open the Bible, God’s Word (which God describes as living, active, so sharp it can pierce between our bone and bone marrow, so discerning it can tell the motives and intents of our hearts, so vital for life that we need to feed on it each day), that He wouldn’t want to speak directly to us through it? God went to a lot of trouble to make sure we have the Bible. In 2 Timothy 3:16, we’re told that all Scripture is inspired by God … so He was intimately involved in what was recorded. Since God creates by His Word, every word of Scripture is there for a purpose, and every word is therefore God-breathed, God-ordained and useful. When you read it, shouldn’t you be expecting to meet Him there? He’s wanting to give you food for life. His invitation to you is to join Him and reason together with Him.

Try this. When you read your Bible, stop first and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, your ears and your heart and grant you understanding. Invite God to come and meet with you and speak to you directly, personally from His Word, just as you’d invite someone else to come and have a discussion with you. Tell Him you’re listening, as Samuel did in the Scripture above. Then, read, trusting that God is meeting with you and will speak to your heart. Ask Him to transform your life by renewing your mind to His way of thinking while you read. As with food, chew on what you’re reading, don’t just swallow it fast and forget about it. Let it seep into your heart and life.

Do the same when you go to church. Invite Him to meet with you there. Ask Him to quiet your heart, so you can hear Him speak directly to you, to your need, to your life. Tell Him you want to know Him better, love Him more and be more like Him as a result of having met with Him. Sing to Him when you sing the hymns or worship choruses. Talk directly to Him when you pray. Let the words of the sermon settle into your heart and mind and address your life.

When you go with expectations, God doesn’t disappoint. His heart is for you to know Him as intimately as He knows you, for you to be all He made you to be and for you to have all you need to live fully, wholly and securely in His love.

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