Getting in the Way

"God is full of grace and mercy and works in our lives in spite of ourselves.  But if we are truly seeking God's face about an issue and feel we are not getting an answer, it behooves us to ask God if there is something else getting in the way of our hearing where God is calling us next."
--Valerie Hess, "Spiritual Disciplines Devotional"

Do you ever have that feeling that God is not listening?  That there is static on the line... or your call has been dropped?

I do.  Sometimes I search so long for an answer to a seemingly big issue in my life...  And nothing seems to be happening...  No "signs," no promptings, no coincidences leading me a certain way...  Just a big 'ol nothing.

Maybe it's time to ask myself what's causing the static?  What's blocking the signal?  Is it my pride?  Am I trying to force God's nudge into the agenda I've already set for myself?  Is it my arrogance that I already know the answer?  Is it my laziness that I don't want to keep asking, I don't want to spend time in prayer and reading Scripture?  Is it my unwillingness to allow God into all the intimate details of my life - content to go on with life as usual...  Not looking and noticing all the ways God is present everyday...

For me, it could be any one of these things on any given day...  But when I take the time to notice what the block is - I can then also take the time to work towards a more open communication with God.  I can work on the relationship that allows me to hear God when I ask for guidance...  Afterall, any relationship goes two ways, right?

What do you need to be doing TODAY to unblock the airwave so you can be present to God's grace and mercy and guidance?