February 18, 2020
Sick and No Doctor’s Appointment – Just Drop In
Transformational Thought
Presently, I am blessed to be the Medical Director of a unique ministry and treatment facility called Honey Lake Clinic. My day is filled with administrative duties, overseeing our psychiatric team, writing, media interviews, but less direct patient care. My days are much more flexible. When I had a private outpatient practice, due to God’s blessing and my specialty, my appointment schedule was packed full and there was an 8 to 10 week wait for an evaluation.
Periodically though, a stranger would wander into the office and want a “drop-in” new patient evaluation for themselves or a loved one. Unfortunately, there was no time in the schedule for a 90-minute drop in evaluation. People usually understood, but some were amazed and said, “If I went to my family doc, he would see me today!” You would have thought I committed some federal offense by not immediately seeing them. If I dropped everything and saw that person for a 90-minute evaluation, my scheduled patients would be so stressed and inconvenienced as they would be pushed back 90 minutes. Sadly, for my sanity, and the benefit of my active patients, the policy is – no appointment … no meeting at this time.
Here’s some Good News: amazingly, you can “drop in” on Someone far more important and much busier than a psychiatrist during the high-stress holiday and winter season. And you can be 100% confident that He will focus completely on you. His undivided attention, love, and power will be yours. Just imagine the Creator of heaven and earth yearning to have a personal appointment and relationship with you. He has been expectantly and excitedly awaiting your drop-in arrival.
You see, when I was a kid, I believed God loved me. But by the time I had experienced more of the world, I believed God was very busy with the Middle East, extreme diseases like cancer and HIV, and devastating abuses around the globe. I still knew He loved me, but somewhere deep inside, I thought my life was too trivial or not extreme enough for Him to allow me to drop into His office whenever I needed to. Learning I had 24/7 access was incredibly empowering, affirming, and freeing for me. To know that God actually set aside time and awaited my drop-in visit floored me.
Not only are you able to “drop in,” He is actually knocking on the door of your heart all the time. His Holy Spirit is talking to you in your spirit. To catch your attention and direct your steps back to Him even more, God the Father is talking to you as He orchestrates and works on you through your daily circumstances. Because of His love for you, He wants to guide and protect you from life’s garbage and heartache. Unfortunately, we often don’t listen to the doctor’s orders. Then we wonder why the disease we have still impacts and hurts us.
Today, drop in to visit the Ultimate Healer. Pray 3 extra times today. Start a conversation, don’t just say the standard prayer you say out of habit. Actually talk to Him. Then, brace yourself, LISTEN. It takes practice, so give it some time. He rejoices every time you “drop in” for a visit. As you drop in regularly, you will begin to hear Him knock on the door of your heart. But it’s up to you. If you don’t listen to the Great Doctor’s treatment plan, the disease will destroy you. Remember, no matter what, THE DOCTOR always has a special appointment time ready for you. Whether you drop in on God and take that appointment, or you never contact Him assuming He’s busy, not interested, or doesn’t allow drop-ins is your decision, so choose well.
Prayer
Dear Father God, I thank You that I can talk with You. I thank You for listening to my words, thoughts, and fears. I thank You, Father, for receiving even the longings of my heart, even though I cannot always put them into words. Help me to develop ears that hear and eyes that see the treatment plan You have prescribed for me. Give me the courage to follow Your treatment plan, which brings peace and fulfillment, and to turn away from my treatment plan, which leads to destruction. I pray in the name of the One who will always see me without an appointment, Jesus Christ; and all God’s children say – AMEN!
The Truth
Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. Psalm 55:17
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” John 4:7-15