Bruce’s Ministry

Playing Solitaire With God

Posted by Bruce Norton on Aug 05 2009

Hear, O my people, and I will warn you– if you would but listen to me, O Israel!
   Psalms 81:8 (NIV)

This morning I was playing a game of Solitaire.  It is a very interesting game.  When we play it we think we are playing alone.  After all it is called Solitaire.  The root is "solo" meaning one.  But I have learned that it really is not solo.  God is with me.  He orders the cards according to His purposes.  And, yes, He speaks to me through the game.  This is one of the few times I let Him get a word in edgewise.  This is one of the few times I shut up and listen for what He wants from me instead of giving Him a long to-do list that I want Him to do for me.

This morning, the message was about listening.  I was at a point that is not that unusual in Solitaire where I knew I was about to lose the game.  I knew the cards I would be getting from the deck because I had been through them already, and they were not going to help.  There was one card I could place on a foundation stack but that wasn’t going to change anything either.  The game was lost and it was time to go on to a new game. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;   Prov 3:5 (NIV)

Just as I was about to pick up the cards to start a new game, that quiet voice told me to go ahead and continue the game.  It told me to put the card on the foundation stack and see what happens.  I listened and moved the card.  Then another move was revealed to me, then another, and another, until a plan to win the game was revealed.  The game I was about to quit because it was not winnable was the game I ultimately won.

Most of the time the message is a reminder about trusting in Him, being patient, and being persistent with what I know is right.  Today it was a reminder to listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to me.  Regardless of the message, one thing is clear.  He is with me just as He is with you, and He has so much He wants to teach us if we will only listen and learn.

Bruce..