By Tammy Phillips
January 17, 2024
I know in this post I was supposed to be sharing my Word for 2024. I believe it is more important to continue to share the word the Lord has unceasingly spoken to my heart since the beginning of December until today. I did not post on Monday because quite honestly, I was listening to the Lord. I was asking Him “the what and how” of this letter to you.
Thank God for praying friends. As I was trying to write to you this morning, my lifelong best friend texted me at 5:10 AM, “How can I pray for you today?” She is so good about always asking. My response:
Back at you! How can I pray for you? Funny you should ask. I have heard a simple message. OVER AND OVER AND OVER again!!! I went back to my journal and recorded on an excel spreadsheet the number of times I have heard “COME TO ME” since the first of December.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mat 11:28 NASB20).
And, “I AM COMING SOON” (Rev 3:11, 22:7, 22:12, 22:20)
Whether it be through Bible reading, multiple authors, devotionals, texts, emails, a billboard, songs in church or on the radio or sung to me, YOU NAME IT… God has used it! Want to guess how many times I have heard the Lord inviting me to come? (The different occurrences do not include the multiple times in the invitation.) In 43 days, I have heard it 75 different times intertwined with the message of how very much God loves us and WHO HE IS.
It is the gospel message BUT…I am bumfuzzled! I know our Heavenly Dad wants me to crawl up in His lap and marinate in His presence because He has been in relentless pursuit of me. I know He wants me to live and pursue Him as passionately as He pursues me. However, it is an invitation to ALL.
It has been hard to express in words His resolute pursuit, His love, the magnitude of who He is and what He wants for us because of His great love. My prayer…the people in my sphere and really the whole world will answer Him by picking up the phone and answering His call, by an RSVP TO HIS INVITATION!
Friend, during these 43 days, I have actually wondered if I was dying or if He was coming that soon. My heart is full to bursting! I believe it is his heart for the world!
Last week, I was like I hear you LORD, I really do, but I am not getting it a 100%. I pray. I read Your word every day. I am in Your presence. I am Yours but what do you mean? What are you saying?
I was out running some errands and Ci Ci Winans song, Hunger, came on the radio. I marinated in the lyrics. I finally got my answer. I jotted this note to the Lord:
“I get it Lord. I see what you are doing.
You want me to hunger for You the way you hunger for me. You want me to surrender to You the way your surrendered for me. You want me to relentlessly pursue You like you pursue me. You want me to love You the way You love me. That is why your keep saying, “COME.” LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
Ps. I hear you also say, ‘Take sin seriously! It breaks your heart.’”
I enCOURAGE you to RSVP to the Lord’s invitation of “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mat 11:28 NASB20).
Please take sin seriously! He sent His only Son to pay for our sins and mistakes. It was so costly to Him, yet He warmly invites, “Come. Crawl up in my lap and spend eternity!”
Complete in Him 