When the LORD Listened to a Man

Joshua 10

"There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man."

In Joshua 10, Joshua prays to the LORD that the sun will stand still in its place so that the Israelites can pursue their enemies before it becomes dark. And the LORD listens. The sun miraculously stands still, and the enemies are defeated.

But I'm interested in this phrase. There's never been a day like it... Well, I see that as being something true. There has probably never been another day that the sun stands still for a long period of time. Another one is not recorded in the Bible, and I don't really see it happening without Your command. So I get the first part of the statement here in Joshua.

But the second part stumps me. It is apparently not the sun standing still that has never happened before, it is that You listened to a man. Except for, in the rest of the Bible, that happens a lot. Specifically, You listened to Elijah and bring down fire on his bull when he faces off with the prophets of Baal. You listened to Daniel when he prayed on behalf of the exiled Israelites. You listened to Abraham when he bargains for the lives of those in Sodom and Gomorrah. You listened to Moses. You listened to Samuel. And so on and so on.

And even more, it is integral to the modern Christian faith (based on Biblical traditions) that You listen to us and our prayers. It is one of the things that makes Christian faith tradition unique and amazing, that the Creator of the universe will listen to our prayers. It is that relational aspect of your love that I believe (and have taught) is paramount to any other concern.

So, what's going on here in this passage? Why is this a special case? These are questions I would like to have answered. It throws a sprinkle of doubt on one of the reasons that I love You. It flies in the face of what I've experienced.

A couple explanations come to mind. First off, that listen isn't really the best choice of word here. Maybe obey would have been a better choice. Man made a specific, really miraculous, request and You obeyed. However, that is what Elijah did too. He asked for fire to come from the sky. And You sent fire. That takes out obey. But it could still be a weird translation.

More likely, I'm missing something. Some context clue here that changes the interpretation. Something others would have easily understood. Am I missing something? This is where a study would be really useful.

Another option for this? Maybe the author didn't know their history. That's really possible. Maybe the author was only talking about in their story and in their lifetime God never listened like this again. I don't mind this, but then it does call in to question, well, actually this suggestion would erase the idea of inerrancy. I'm okay with that, this isn't a central issue. But I know and understand how people get nervous about that.

So in short, confusing little phrase in the midst of a violent passage. But that's another matter all together. Thanks for the little Bible study today, the raising of questions. I'll see if I can find answers later today.

Conflict

Joshua 8

Joshua is a really weird book to read slowly Lord. I mean, I decided not to change my course through the Bible because I was afraid that if I did I would never actually end up accomplishing my goal to read through the whole Bible again. I figured that if I added a "slow" reading to my "normal" reading, I would end up just quitting. So I just went on the slow approach right where I was on my reading schedule. And that all seemed like a really good idea until Joshua got violent.

I don't like conflict. Maybe I've said this before, and I'm sure You are aware, but I tend to shy away from anything that will put me at odds with another person. Sure, there are certain truths that I believe to be absolute (Your existence, Your love, the beauty of my wife :-) but I will listen to people who oppose even my absolutist of beliefs seriously, and usually not make my points about my beliefs as eloquently. You could spin it to say that I just care about all my relationships more than about proving that I'm right, but that is only true some of the time. Most of the time, I just don't want to be disliked.

Which makes it difficult to confront wrongdoing. In Joshua 7 that I read yesterday, Achan takes stuff he's not supposed to and burries it in his tent. He's not using it, flaunting it, declaring himself rich... it's just buried. So, the whole nation of Israel suffers because he did not obey the Lord. When they search to discern who is at fault, and they come to him, he confesses. He tells them where the stuff is hidden and why he took it and seems apologetic. Then they stone him.

What? I mean, I knew this story, but reading it slowly, my emotions start to follow it a bit more, and I felt sorry for Achan. I have no sense of someone getting what they deserved and liking it. I don't like to see human pain and disappointment. So as a leader, I particularly don't like to cause the pain and disappointment by upholding punishments. I like to believe that you won't do it again, that you are sorry, that you didn't know what you were supposed to do.

In the classroom, I warn multiple times before I punish. It's so stupid. At home, I can punish right away. As a father, I have yet to be afraid of conflict. Why am I so afraid with everyone else?

Well, this has been more productive than I thought. When I sat down to read, I was afraid that my pattern of not really engaging You (set over the weekend, stupid weekends!) was going to continue. Instead, You've given me a new way to look at the war and violence of Joshua. What will it say to me regarding conflict? How are You working in me in regards to conflict?

I pray that I stay attentive to these things. In the name of Christ, I come to You Lord. Amen.

Big Things are Boring

Joshua 6

After being derailed yesterday morning by a faculty meeting at school, here I am again to worship You. To worship You by reading the Scripture. To worship You in thought and reflection. To worship You, Your faithfulness, love, and loyalty are amazing to me. These characteristics You have and act on are hard to believe in the light of our (and my) constant sin and greed. Thank You for coming again and again to meet with me, even when I've not made it an every day priority yet.

So, in beginning to write poetry again, I started a poem two days ago about a rose. Well, kind of about a rose, but more about the idea of a rose and chasing the beauty down into the roots and the thorns, and seeing how awesome it is that You are working even at that microscopic level. My thought about the poem is to end it saying how I get so caught up in the cellular level of how You work in life that I sometimes miss the big things.

I probably have to be careful of that during this "slowly and attetively" focus that I'm trying to hold onto for the next thirty some odd days (I've already lost count). In other words, I feel like I have to look for You pretty hard sometimes, and I end up being taken-aback because I see You in "Little Joys" like my last post said. The little things are so "cool" to see You working in, because they take a bit of creativity to see (which is fair, because I believe that one brilliant characteristic You ooze is creativity). So I enjoy the process of seeing You in the small, because most people don't see You there, and thus it makes me feel kind of indie rock to notice You. But sometimes the big things can just sound trite and uninspiring.

Take for example prayer requests. Yesterday, one of the my students told me that her uncle fell off a roof and was in a coma. While my immediate response was shock and concern, my secondary response was to wonder why she never made any other requests. Why could she only bring this really big thing? Everybody would pray for this really big thing, it's not special! And in my stupidity, I pushed aside my concern.

And then I read the story of the "battle" of Jericho today. And it seemed boring. The walls fall down? Yea, that's predictable. God's children win? Yep, okay, seen this story before. Again, my immediate thought is to find the hidden small message instead of the very obvious important message of the big story. The battle of Jericho is summed up with one little, very important phrase that is trite as all get out, but maybe I need to hear it and properly recognize and celebrate it.

"So the LORD was with Joshua..."

There is a huge miracle done in this story, a miracle that the Israelites desperately needed, probably to build their faith and certainly as far as practicality is concerned. They had to take the city, and God, You did it in a miraculous way that built the faith of the people. That showed them You are with them. That showed them in overarching, uncertain terms that You loved them.

Do something big today, in my life or somebody else's, and let me not be so wrapped up in the details that I can see it, and celebrate You being with us! Amen.

Little Joys

Let's start with this: where have I seen, felt, experienced, noticed You in the past 24 hours? That seems like a good thing to think about considering that these 40 days are to be about attention to You.

So, yesterday. Let's start with the evening. I really felt like writing some poetry. My heart was longing to be creative. But I couldn't find the words or the topic or anything. But then I started thinking about You. I started thinking about Your word. And I started studying. I never ended up with a poem (though I've got a great idea), but I love the process of studying. It is rewarding. The random knowledge, I wonme.der at that. Yesterday, I stumbled through Jewish Christian websites and looked at the way You are perceived from their perspective. Amazing, fascinating, and makes me want to learn Hebrew again! So I don't know how You were in that, but I felt that we were communing somehow.

But, yesterday. Yesterday was hard. Actually, yesterday was one of my worst days of class in a long time. Students were whiny and obstinate, even my favorite classes were giving me a hard time. It felt like such a long day. When I came home, I was excited to see my son. But I was also exhausted. It made it difficult to play. I don't know what would have been my summary on the day, but it wouldn't have been positive. I don't feel like I saw You anywhere during the day yesterday (although I freely admit I am missing the small things and still equating You with success, goodness and strong days when You actually may move better when I'm weak). If I would have went to bed at 7:30 when I posted my facebook status about feeling spent, I think I would have said yesterday was a poor day.

But one experience with You changed all that. And it wasn't a particularly enlightening or intimate experience. What I learned was cool, but it didn't blow my mind. I felt Your presence, but we weren't interacting in a real personal way. That's how powerful You are though. Just a little dose was needed.

I am thankful that You meet with me, surround me, even in little ways. They make it possible for me to have joy. Because last night when I went to bed, instead of mourning my whole day, I was filled with joy.

When Nothing Bites...

Joshua 5

Moving right along. Lord, this is the first time this has happened. I tried to read Joshua 5 slowly, and umm, nothing. Well, there is some obvious stuff. But I'm not even sure that I want to explore that any deeper. There is a whole discussion there about circumsion, the the other nations trembling before the Israelites because of Your help, and an angel that meets with Joshua, but tells him he is not for one side or for the other. That has all sorts of interesting implications. But the truth is, I just don't feel like pursuing any of them right now. Instead, let me move to prayer.

Speak to me, speak through me. Let me notice Your actions in my day. Give me the strength to make it through my day! Amen.

Why Don't We Remember

Joshua 4

Reading through Joshua, I realized that You again led the people through the water. Crossing the Jordan, You held the waters up miraculously so that all of Israel could cross through on dry land. And after the people got through, they picked up twelve stones to make a monument, an altar, to remember what You had done for them.

Except, we don't really remember this miracle. Despite their actions, the parting of the Reed Sea is way more remembered than this parting of the Jordan. This is one of those miracles where I wouldn't even remember it unless someone was like, "Didn't God part the Jordan when the people were going into the land." Oh, right, yea. I think He did...

Well, the stones really weren't for me to remember anyway, but they serve a good point. Why do we have such a hard time remembering the things You've done for us? Set aside the arduous task of even recognizing what You've done (I'm finding that to be difficult in and of itself!) Sometimes, You act obviously. Oftentimes, we even forget that!

It would be an interesting study to think about the things that I should remember. What have You done that You are really proud of in my life? With the Israelites, it's obvious to see that You are really proud of helping them out of Egypt and into the promised land. "I am the God who brought You out of Egypt" is a real common theme and phrase throughout the Bible. That seems to be the defining moment of who You are for the nation of Israel. So what is my defining moment, the one I need to constantly look back on?

And I don't want to force this, maybe not everyone has a "defining moment" of God working. But I think I do. Back in college, that I always quote all the time in all sorts of sermons and school teachings. Why do I love You? Because You made me give it up, and then gave it back to me. You wanted me to be prepared to give it all to You, and then You gave it back to me. You are the God who does that. You are the God who wants to be first, above all, but if You are You allow us to enjoy the blessings of this world You created. Love, family, security... they are all given back to us when we would give them up for You.

Perhaps that is what I need to remember. It certainly would help my slowly and attentively if I could remember that You are the #1 priority in my life. You the God who gives back with blessing, help me remember You.

Even When I Don't

So, an update. Weekends make this whole "slowly and attentively" theme very difficult. First of all, it is difficult to find the consecrated time to be with You, because it is much easier to sleep in with my wife and son than get up and do this. It's like, sleep with my arms around my family or sit in the living room alone with my laptop? Easy decision. It's going to be my family (and I don't feel to bad about it... except...)

I never get to this time then. Being slow and attentive to Your presence is hard, and so taking two full days where I wasn't really even thinking about it made it a whole lot harder.

But there were times when You still hit me like a ton of bricks. We're driving over to Angola, to help clean out Courtney's room before her parents move in December. I'm listening to music while Gideon and Courtney are sleeping. On my iPod I select "Timothy Hay" by mewithoutYou and am just singing along, smiling at my beautiful family. And that is exactly what I'm thinking, "What a beautiful family, I love them so much! I couldn't be more grateful." And then on the music comes this line at the climax of the song...

"What a beautiful God, what a beautiful God, what a beautiful God You must be!"

Exactly. My thoughts exactly. And it fit so perfect, and Your presence was so close, that I could only cry beautiful tears. My wife woke up as I was wiping the tears from my eyes and Gideon did too. We sang together the rest of the way and had a beautiful time.

What a beautiful God You are. Thank You for showing up even when I don't. I love You.

Beyond This Consecrated Time

"Quiet, still, alone in my room...
Stop and realize, I'm in the presence of a King."
--- Still by Roadside Monument

"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."
--- Joshua 3:5

During this cycle of forty days, I'm trying to pay attention to the amazing things that the LORD does in my days, among my family, among Exodus Community, among my students and tennis players, and even in the broader world. I'm just looking with wondering eyes.

One of the things that I do to make this a reality is early morning devotional time. I take my Bible, laptop, and blanket and sit in the dark. Alone with God. As I read through Joshua this morning, I really resonate with Joshua 3:5. Consecrating or sanctifying means setting yourself apart. Every morning, I feel like I am setting myself apart. Sitting here alone is my way of thinking and preparing and being apart from the world I am about to enter. A world of students, excuses, scatter-brained forgetfulness, evaluation, comparison, parenting, husbanding, pastoring, mentoring, and on and on. I mean, just to write all of those words is kind of stressful.

"For tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

I just stop at that line. Because what I have been doing is looking for You to do amazing things during my quiet time. And I recognize Your presence here with me. But I am only seeing the amazing things You do during my time of setting myself apart. With the Israelites in Joshua, You asked them to set themselves apart because You were going to go to work in their days. In their lives, in their travels, in their quest... You were going to affect the stuff of everyday life.

So, what does that mean for me. I cannot just stop my "slowly and attentively" with the Bible and the quiet time. This time must prepare me to see You do amazing things among those who I see on a regular basis. Stillness must prepare me to see You in my boisterous students, in my crying son, in my tired wife, in my heavy church.

But perhaps it will be that seeing You in these people will help lift the heavy burden that I can let them become on me. I want to see You in my students, and see them mature into people that love others and don't just seek attention. I want to see You in my son (some of my most precious times with him are when You've shown up). I want to see You through my wife. I want to see You in my church (and I know You are moving and causing growth).

I want to have these times in Your presence, but help me see how Your presence goes out then before me, parting the torrents of the Jordan. Help me to recognize the wonder of Your presence both in the stillness and in the action.

Today, that is my prayer. In the name of Christ my savior, through the Holy Spirit, I pray to You, Lord God, Amen.

God of Heaven Above and Earth Below

In school, we've been learning about balance. About how Jesus answer to many seeming paradoxes is, "Yes, and yes." As I read today, I notice another little tidbit of the balance that You have as God.

Rahab says to the Israelite spies that everyone in Jericho is melting with fear because of what You had done (specifically in parting the Reed Sea). It made her realize that certainly "the LORD your God is God of heaven above and earth below."

What it made me realize is that many people throughout time, and including right now, have wanted their gods to be in one of those two places. Some people focus on the gods of the heavens, who create and then have their little heavenly dramas and are little concerned about us here on the earth. Other nations have had gods who were in charge of certain things about the earth, the sun, the rivers, the crops, etc. But rarely have people worshiped a god who is god of heavens (in power and sovereignty) and also the earth (dealing with people, creation and interacting with them on a regular basis). You somehow balance sovereignty and being personally involved. It is unique, and amazing. For now, I just wonder at that.

Living It

Yesterday night, I began to read the Scriptures slowly, the discipline that Eugene Peterson says is so important to him. I read Joshua 1. What did I notice as I slowed down? Well, both You and the people of Israel said the same thing to Joshua as he took over the leadership. You promised that You would be with him, just as You were with Moses. It is amazing how many times in the Bible You comfort people and inspire them just by telling them that You will be with them. The people of Israel then respond that they will obey him, just as they had Moses.

Then both You and the people remind Joshua to be strong and courageous. As a leader, the qualities that are needed are the qualities of strength and courage. I thought about the areas of my life where I am a leader, and I realized that I don't have a focus to be strong and courageous behind. For example, Joshua had the law and the commands that You spoke to him. Well, I have Your law, Your ways, and Your Scripture, but the ways in which I interpret it to apply to my different leadership situations have not been well defined. So I broke it down to this.

Exodus
- It's about quality and not necessarily quantity. I must be about excellence.
- It's about living it.

School
- I want to be strong in teaching the habits of mind.
- It's about living it.

Tennis
- It's not all about tennis.
- It's about living it.

Biggest thing I want to be strong behind: Living our faith with You in all circumstances. Now, let me be strong and courageous.

Slowly and Attentively

The last post began a re-introduction to us on this site Lord. The reason I'm back is that I want to focus more, be more attentive. So how about a new Forty Days. Not a fast, but a 40 days of focus. And the focus, to slow down and be more attentive. We'll start by doing that in our Scripture reading, but I want it to flow over into life as well. Stop my rushing, give me attention. Work it into the fabric of my life. Amen.

UPDATE:
On the way to work, I put my iPod on my worship playlist, and these are the songs that came up. It seems like even my music was supporting the new devotional theme:

"Do Not Move" by David Crowder Band
"Every Season" by Nicole Noordeman
"Still" by Roadside Monument

So that is two songs about stillness and one song about paying attention to how God speaks in every season. Think that supports being focused, slow and attentive? Yea... it is neat to see God at work when I do pay attention.

Seeing You at Work Again

And we're back. Well, I haven't really gone away Lord. The time of privacy did me good. But the ability to rapidly look back through my days is lost in privacy. And here, I do a much better job of contemplating You and the Scripture than I did in privacy. In privacy, I pray well. Here, I search well. Hopefully this knowledge will help me do both well.

It was certainly interesting to read my last two posts from July. I must have fallen off the wagon after those posts, because this fall I did not feel like You were everywhere. Only recently have I really regained my appreciation for You. You are working right now in so many places in my life. Last night, it was good to sit down and read. Read Image Journal, read poetry, and then just think. The interview with Eugene Peterson was amazing. He certainly has a way of saying the things that my soul is thirsty for. And he talked yesterday about "reading Scripture slowly" as one of his spiritual disciplines.

Reading Scripture slowly has become very difficult for me, except for when I'm posting here on this site. I don't know why that is Father, maybe because I don't feel like I can be quite as personal here because the info flows on out into the wide open spaces of the world wide web. Therefore, I tend to focus more on how You are speaking to me through the Scriptures, instead of personal prayer and confession. I'm hoping I can balance those things better, because I realize now that a healthy spiritual life needs a balance of all those things.

Another thing that I realize I must balance is community and being alone. The solo, 5:00 in the morning thing has it's advantages, but I know I need someone to join me in this journey of legitimately seeking for You. It doesn't necessarily have to be as early in the morning, but I know that I need to share and be shared with.

I have also learned the value of being filled up by others as I peruse back through the blog from July and before. I notice that I was quoting mewithoutYou, My Epic, "This is My Father's World," and more. Others, outside of my home community often speak to me, and they keep my eyes open and attentive. Bring those sources of life before me, and let me partake deeply of them.

I love my prayer from two posts ago, "Again." Right now, I pray it again.

You know what I notice! You already have done those things through the time I met with You in the privacy.

Again I will sit with you in the dark of mornings.
--> Yes, we have sat through many mornings together, because I've gotten my act together and started to commit to mornings once again. And that has been a brilliant thing. Again, I feel like I need our morning conversation, or at least I need to pour out to You, to get my day started on the right foot.

Again You will be with me through my fears at night.
--> Yes, yes! I remember during tennis season, or maybe it was right after the season that I was stressed about a billion things all at the same time and was sitting up through the night. Parent-teacher conferences, my sister's wedding, the end of tennis season, my license issue, my 7th grades classes, and so much more and me stressed beyond belief. And there You were, helping me catch my breath, helping to calm me down, listening. And so many of those things have been dealt with in miraculous ways! Like my license coming through, no problem just this week!

Again You will speak and I will hear my name.
--> Saying that I've heard my name again might be a stretch, but just this past week You really reaffirmed who I am. In teaching, a real solid researched teaching, and a "creative" service to go with it. It's amazing that in being a pastor of a house church, perhaps my best gift is service planning. Maybe it is because that is the only seminary class that I have taken, who knows! Still, it allowed me to feel my call again, to creatively lead Exodus as You creatively lead Your people.

Again I will choose weariness to sit with You.
--> Exhibit A: This morning.

Again my knowledge will increase my wonder of You.
--> Yep. The more I learn the more You blow my mind. This whole idea of paradox and balance that I've been learning and teaching to the 7th grade. Awesome. Also, the whole idea of fasting, feasting and the gentle stillness from Shane Hipps, very cool! The gentle stillness is a place I still long to find You. Help me. And increase my wonder from it.

Again You will bless me with joyful miracles.
--> Yes again! This past Monday was awesome to watch the miracle that is taking place. I praise You for it!

Again You will sit with me through pain.
--> Oh man, when Bryan and Kim lost their child to miscarriage, I was so pissed at You. And despite my anger... You sat there with us. You came back and pulled us closer. You let us know that You were not rejoicing either, and we came to see You in new and glorious ways. The pain was intense, especially for Kim and Bryan, but so has been our renewed spirit.

You have loved me with an everlasting love.

Amen.