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Letting Him Speak

“When God speaks to you, he is not writing a new book of Scripture; rather, he is applying to your life what he has already said in his Word.” – Henry Blackaby

Ready for a spiritual experiment? Try this:

Worship Jesus. Adore him for who he is, what he’s done, and what he promises.

Remember. Ask him to bring to help you remember a story about him from one of the Gospels. See which event comes to mind (don’t sort through several – just take the first one).

Meditate for a few minutes on that story.

For me recently it was the account of Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter. The detail I zeroed in on was that, though there were many people there, Jesus allowed only three to go in with him. My heart went immediately to “I want to be one of the three!” I want to be close to Jesus, one of his most trusted companions, one who can see everything he does and hear everything he says.

Draw a conclusion.

Jesus reminded me that, if I wanted to be like Peter, James, and John, I need to stay close to him and not lag behind. I need to ask questions and listen for answers. I need to suggest things I’d like him to do and then learn from his response – just as they did throughout the Gospels.

When we give Jesus our attention, he responds. His response encourages us and deepens our desire for more of him. If you’re ready for that connection, you might want to try a spiritual experiment like this one.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” – John 16:13

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Make it a bird.

“Resilience is really about the life of God flowing into us and remaking us, renewing us, transforming us, and transfiguring all of the broken pieces of our lives into something that is whole, something that reflects God.” – Adam Bucko

I learned something important recently when I went to a painting class with my daughters and granddaughter: If you accidentally get a black spot of paint in your blue sky, it’s no problem according to our instructor. Don’t give up. Don’t try to erase it. Don’t despair. Just make it into a bird!

So, I have to ask: Is there a smudge in your life? Something you never saw coming and now have to adjust to? Or something you regret in the recent or far distant past? Or something someone else did to you that you’re having a hard time forgiving? And all you can see is that black spot.

Don’t give up. Don’t try to erase it. Don’t despair. Let the Master Painter incorporate it into his perfect plan. Hand him the brush. He can make it into something that fits into the picture he has been painting all along.

I call that resilience. We don’t give up, but we allow God to remake us, as the quote above says, into something that reflects him. We see the smudge. He sees the bird and the beauty and life it will add to the picture. I imagined what he might be painting for me now, and saw an awesome flock of birds!

The picture improves when we take our smudges, mistakes, accidents, or pain to him and then stand back and watch in amazement at what he will do.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18a

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Being There

“God never works needless miracles. If his purposes can be accomplished by ordinary means, he will not use miraculous agency.” – Charles Spurgeon

When we’re sick, James tell us we should pray and God will respond. But, we know he doesn’t always respond with healing. Sometimes he sends help in more human ways. Why? Because he wants us to learn to help each other whatever the needs: sickness, relationship struggles, finances, depression, or loneliness. When we reach out to help, we have an opportunity to form bonds that wouldn’t happen in any other way. And isn’t that what we all want? Authentic, God-honoring relationships.

So, if we are paying attention to people around us, we are going to find someone in need. How can we help?

Listen/respond: Sometimes just letting a person express their frustration, pain, or sadness helps. Then, if we can respond with a positive word, it might be enough to get them through another day. We should never underestimate the power of wise or comforting words to help and to heal.

Help: There are times when there’s something specific we can do – make a meal, perform a household repair, provide transportation, take care of kids, pay for an expense, and, always, pray.

Be cheerful: Those who are carrying great burdens need to see a smile now and then. Cheerfulness is catching, so we can help and encourage with joy.

Acknowledge the truth: We need to agree with people in need that we see their struggle, we know it’s hard, and we care about them. God loves them, and he will never leave them. We can share whatever truths they need to hear.

Maybe we can be someone’s answer to prayer today.

 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds . . . encouraging one another . . .” – Hebrews 10:24-25

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Is it time for a change?

“How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible’s astounding words about God’s love for me . . ?” – Philip Yancey

Every now and then in our lives, we long for change – wanting something new, different, challenging, inspiring. It’s natural at those times to try to find the satisfaction we need by adjusting externals: rearranging the furniture, taking a trip, or changing jobs. Those things, though, are superficial compared to an internal change that will truly make a difference.

It might be wise at times of dissatisfaction to pause and ask God if there is something in our lives he wants to change. His ideas of what we really need are surely better than our own temporary fixes. I had a friend who daily prayed, “Lord, meet me at the point of my deepest necessity.” That’s the kind of change that will fulfill the longings we have. Only he knows our “deepest necessity.”

I can’t possibly say it better than Paul:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2 The Message)

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19

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Maybe there’s more to the story.

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating.  By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace to which others are just as entitled as we are.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Have you ever judged someone just by the way they look? Or how they worship? Or how they vote? Have you ever assumed motives behind what someone said and later found they meant it in an entirely different way? It’s so easy to label people or to misinterpret a comment, text, or post.

We too often assume we know more than we do about another person’s beliefs, motives, or actions. Maybe that’s why the Bible has many cautions about being quick to judge. Think of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. She desperately wanted children, but she and her husband had been unable to conceive. She was despondent and out of options. So, she went to the tabernacle to talk to God. She wept and prayed quietly – her lips were moving, but no sound came out.

Eli, the priest, saw this and was immediately filled with disgust. He assumed she had been at the festival and was drunk – in this holy place. So he confronted her, and she responded, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.” Eli quickly saw she was telling the truth and reversed his judgment, offering her a blessing instead of a rebuke.

Judging is so easy to do! Let’s be wary of it by committing to these attitudes instead:

  • Assume the best motives unless or until proven otherwise.
  • Don’t be too easily offended.
  • Sometimes just let it go.
  • Love and be loved.

Life will be better. God will be pleased.

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”- John 7:24

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The Monks’ Two-Minute Rule

“Thinking Christianly is thinking by Christians about anything and everything in a consistently Christian way – in a manner that is shaped, directed, and restrained by the truth of God’s Word and God’s Spirit.”
– Os Guinness

High up in the mountains of central Greece sits Meteora, a monastery representing retreat from the world and all its temptations. However, the monks realized, as isolated as they were from worldly allurements, they still had problems with evil thoughts – things like vengeance, lust, envy, anxiety, and pride. The thoughts just seemed to come out of nowhere and, once planted in their minds, they began to savor them, engage them, and treat them as welcomed guests.

St. Paisos the Athonite, one of the great teachers at Meteora, heard their confessions and gave this advice: Essentially he said that an evil thought is like a hand grenade tossed into your mind. When it comes you have about two minutes to toss it back. If it stays longer, it will explode and cause great damage. It comes from the evil one. Throw it back to him!

We know from Jesus’s teaching that evil thoughts are where sin begins in our lives. If we are serious about our spirituality, we simply can’t accept them. We have to cultivate good thoughts instead: Those that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable and excellent (Philippians 4:8) and those that are from above (Colossians 3:2).

It’s not sin to have evil thoughts come into our minds, but it is a sin to let them stay. And, if we do, they will lead to pain and destruction. The trajectory of our lives begins in our minds. Let’s protect ourselves by protecting our minds. Remember the monks’ two-minute rule!

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6

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He had it all – and it wasn’t easy.

“By inviting God into our difficulties, we ground life—even its sad moments—in joy and hope.” – Henri Nouwen

David was a man God loved, protected, and used. He was handsome and strong and he defended his nation. He had a friendship which has become the epitome of all friendships. He had a wife who loved him. He was acclaimed by crowds every time he returned from battle. It seemed God gave him success in whatever he did.

But that didn’t mean everything was easy. King Saul grew to hate David so much he spent years trying to kill him. And, because of that, David fled for his life with his group of outcast followers. Later, David’s wife turned against him, his dear friend Jonathan died in battle, and his rebellious son tried to usurp the throne.

David was called of God to be king of Israel. He was empowered by God to do great things. But his life was filled with pain and suffering. It doesn’t make sense to us. It didn’t make sense to David, either, and we see that in his brutally honest psalms.

Many of us can relate. We’re trying to serve God, but there are struggles with relationships, finances, sickness, and loss. How do we deal with these things and continue trusting God? David asked similar questions in his prayers. We have the same outlet as we cry out to God for help, as we look for his will in every decision, and as we always find something for which we can thank him.

He has promised never to leave us, and he seems to accomplish something in our suffering that we will never understand completely. We just have to stay faithful, trusting his love. Somehow.

“Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” – Psalm 30:10

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Learning to Learn

“I am still learning.” — Michelangelo (at age 87)

Someone once told me, “Some people live and learn. Others just live.” I’m hoping we all want to be the first kind!

So, what do we need to learn? Sometimes it’s professional, like a new skill we need to develop in order to do our jobs better. Sometimes it’s personal like how to adapt to health challenges, financial pressures, growing-up children, aging parents, or relationship struggles. And, always, it’s spiritual. Every challenge we face and every mistake we make has a spiritual component – something we can learn.

How can we learn at whatever stage of life we are in? The first recourse, for those who are Christians, is the Bible. We need to keep reading it, following its wisdom and its Author.

Next, we need good counselors or mentors. There are always those who have already traveled the road we are on and can offer sage advice from their own experience. And sometimes books can be those mentors to us if we find quality authors sharing their wisdom.

Finally, we just need to pay attention. Friends and family communicate in words, deeds, and sometimes just body language. Our own bodies tell us what they need. Watch, listen, learn. We can never stop learning. We need guidance in every step of this journey through life.

As we learn, we live better: Serving where we are placed. Taking care of our bodies. Loving those nearest to us. Getting to know those who are farther away. Mourning meaningfully. Enjoying celebrations. Sleeping well.

Let’s learn something every day of our lives!

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long. – Psalm 25:4-5

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It’ll be OK.

“God did not say: You will not be assailed, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted, but he said: You will not be overcome. God loves us and delights in us, and so he wishes us to love him and delight in him and trust greatly in him, and all will be well.”  
—Julian of Norwich 

Sometimes we feel like we pray and nothing happens. We’re not sure God is listening and we wish we could somehow get his attention. Maybe the key to connecting with God’s attention is giving him ours. How do we do that:

Focus: Set a time to give full attention to God. During this time, there is no multi-tasking. There is only one goal: To think about God, what he’s like, who he is, and what a privilege it is to worship him, to be allowed to talk to him.

Listen: Being very conscious of his presence, we turn to his word to read. We focus on taking it in, thinking about how it may apply to us, sensing something he really wants us to see this day. Then write it down. We may remember it, but we’re more likely to remember accurately if we write it down

Do: If he tells us something to do, we do it as soon as reasonably possible. A delay shows lack of priority. The urgency will get lost the longer we wait.

When we shut out everything but God, give him our full attention, and obey what he says, he will listen when we call, and we will know, without doubt, that whatever happens in our circumstance, he is working in the middle of it – no matter the outcome. All will be well.

“But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him”. – Psalm 4:3

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Going Global

“Your piety is worthless unless it leads you to wish that the same mercy which has been extended to you may bless the whole world.” – Charles Spurgeon

About 15 years ago, I felt God was asking me to pray for the whole world. I tried that for a day or two and realized my prayers needed more focus than “the whole world”. I went online and found an organization that would send me a daily email with background and detail about a country to pray for. I learned a little about one country and prayed for it that day, then another country, and another.

After a few months of this, I took a position at Our Daily Bread Ministries and found myself in the middle of an organization with a passion for reaching the whole world with the Gospel. And, through my work there, my husband and I became involved in a ministry in Pakistan that has captured our hearts and our focus to this day. If anyone had told me a year earlier I would be deeply involved in Pakistan, I wouldn’t have believed them.

Do you see what happened? God began to convict me of the need to broaden my horizon. Then he led me to the next step and the next until it completely changed my focus. Maybe God is asking all of us to think more globally. Once we realize that he is at work in amazing ways all over the world, he may open doors for us to join him in his work.

Your story will be different from mine, but it will be an adventure. Following God is never less than that!

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations,his marvelous works among all the peoples!” – 1 Chronicles 16:23-24

NOTE: A shout out to my Pakistani friends who read this blog!