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.
Showing posts with label day seven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label day seven. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Come
TUESDAY 2.12.08 - 2 CHRONICLES 30:8-9
Do not be stiff necked, as your parents were; submit to the LORD> Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.
It was unbelievably hard to take You with me yesterday. At the end of my devotions, I tried to ask a question that I could not remember for the life of me while I sat at my desk yesterday afternoon. I thought and thought and thought, I mean, I could have logged back on but that wouldn't have proved the point, would it? I often get my "God-time" done and then move on to the next thing. I can't take You with me very well.
Indeed, something along these same lines jumps out at me in today's Lent text. It's this:
"...submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary..."
Come. That's a typical Christian saying. "Come as you are." But as I suddenly think about it, how often I am asking You to come where I am. My prayers are filled with thoughts of "Lord, be with me/us." Even yesterday, I wanted to take You with me in my question, in trying to find an answer to my question... my faith is often all about me and my quest to figure things out.
But instead, I truly am convicted this morning that my focus needs changing. Come to the sanctuary. Come to God. Further down this morning's passage is the phrase, "return to the LORD." Coming to You, returning to You. This is a beautiful understanding. Submission is all about You. As Joel pointed out on Sunday, submission is the melding of two wills into one. And that one will is Yours. To know Your will I must come to You. Or at least, that's a faster way of knowing than trying to guess where my will matches up with Yours. In addition, when I come to You, and You show me Your face, and You smile upon me, and I know Your will, I will then also know where my will is incongruent with Yours. This makes the question of what I need to sacrifice much clearer.
Of course, the question now is how do I come to You? What does that even mean? For now, I'm satisfied in remembering that it is all about You. Remembering to lift my eyes up and not simply look around. Remember that it is You and Your will that I am seeking. Remembering that I need to come to You.
Do not be stiff necked, as your parents were; submit to the LORD> Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. If you return to the LORD, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.
It was unbelievably hard to take You with me yesterday. At the end of my devotions, I tried to ask a question that I could not remember for the life of me while I sat at my desk yesterday afternoon. I thought and thought and thought, I mean, I could have logged back on but that wouldn't have proved the point, would it? I often get my "God-time" done and then move on to the next thing. I can't take You with me very well.
Indeed, something along these same lines jumps out at me in today's Lent text. It's this:
"...submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary..."
Come. That's a typical Christian saying. "Come as you are." But as I suddenly think about it, how often I am asking You to come where I am. My prayers are filled with thoughts of "Lord, be with me/us." Even yesterday, I wanted to take You with me in my question, in trying to find an answer to my question... my faith is often all about me and my quest to figure things out.
But instead, I truly am convicted this morning that my focus needs changing. Come to the sanctuary. Come to God. Further down this morning's passage is the phrase, "return to the LORD." Coming to You, returning to You. This is a beautiful understanding. Submission is all about You. As Joel pointed out on Sunday, submission is the melding of two wills into one. And that one will is Yours. To know Your will I must come to You. Or at least, that's a faster way of knowing than trying to guess where my will matches up with Yours. In addition, when I come to You, and You show me Your face, and You smile upon me, and I know Your will, I will then also know where my will is incongruent with Yours. This makes the question of what I need to sacrifice much clearer.
Of course, the question now is how do I come to You? What does that even mean? For now, I'm satisfied in remembering that it is all about You. Remembering to lift my eyes up and not simply look around. Remember that it is You and Your will that I am seeking. Remembering that I need to come to You.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Why Prepare the Way?
Last time I posted here Lord, we talked and worked through the idea of preparing the way for you by living a life of deliverance, community, knowledge and bringing heaven to others. I found that John the Baptist was exhorted by his father to live this way in order to prepare for you. Apparantly he did, for he is noted in Scripture for "preparing the way."
But the consequences of his preparation jump out at me today as I read John 10:40-42. Jesus has just gone to Jerusalem, where many did not hear the message of John the Baptist, for John stayed mostly in the wilderness. The people of the city's reactions to Jesus is simple, they mostly try to stone him, seize him, and arrest him. Now, that's because the leaders of the people in the city are the Pharisees. They hear the message of the Pharisees, the message that is not noted for "preparing the way."
But what about those who did hear John the Baptist? What about those who believed John and were baptized into his way?
John 10:40-42
Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." And in that place many believed in Jesus.
MANY believed in Jesus. In the city, only a rare few. In the wilderness areas across the Jordan, where John prepared the way, many. It's not a coincedence at all. When the way is properly prepared, when people are reminded of and shown deliverance, when they are invited into a Godly community, where they finally know that the LORD is God, and then begin to live that themselves...these people are the ones who will believe. These people will readily find and accept the salvation that Jesus brings.
Thank you Lord for that. Help me to be one who prepares the way. Let me (yes, I forget all the time) remember the ways You've delivered me, and what You have left to deliver me from. Continue to bring the community that I find myself in more into You. Let us know and act on the fact that YOU are God alone. Allow me places to be missional and bring deliverance to others. I pray that for each Christian today, which seems like a big prayer, but how much more evident would Your salvation be if we all began to prepare the way?
But the consequences of his preparation jump out at me today as I read John 10:40-42. Jesus has just gone to Jerusalem, where many did not hear the message of John the Baptist, for John stayed mostly in the wilderness. The people of the city's reactions to Jesus is simple, they mostly try to stone him, seize him, and arrest him. Now, that's because the leaders of the people in the city are the Pharisees. They hear the message of the Pharisees, the message that is not noted for "preparing the way."
But what about those who did hear John the Baptist? What about those who believed John and were baptized into his way?
John 10:40-42
Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." And in that place many believed in Jesus.
MANY believed in Jesus. In the city, only a rare few. In the wilderness areas across the Jordan, where John prepared the way, many. It's not a coincedence at all. When the way is properly prepared, when people are reminded of and shown deliverance, when they are invited into a Godly community, where they finally know that the LORD is God, and then begin to live that themselves...these people are the ones who will believe. These people will readily find and accept the salvation that Jesus brings.
Thank you Lord for that. Help me to be one who prepares the way. Let me (yes, I forget all the time) remember the ways You've delivered me, and what You have left to deliver me from. Continue to bring the community that I find myself in more into You. Let us know and act on the fact that YOU are God alone. Allow me places to be missional and bring deliverance to others. I pray that for each Christian today, which seems like a big prayer, but how much more evident would Your salvation be if we all began to prepare the way?
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
What Our Eyes See They Believe
Texts:
- Psalms 25-28
- Matthew 14-15
- Daniel 4-6
Last night, we spent a long time in our Exodus teaching meeting talking about the topic of deliverance. Man, it was a heavy discussion, that went down many aimless paths, asked many aimless questions and ended up on aim because of Your guidance of that whole process Lord. I don't know how much sooner we could have gotten there if we (I) would have turned my eyes to You and Your word sooner.
One of my thoughts last night is that we believe what we see, only. That is why faith in God is so hard, it must be made seen. I see that as the job of pastors, theologians, and others in ministry, to make the vision of hope and deliverance and mission in Christ so tangible that it is almost seen. Hope that we can see, hope that we then believe.
That's why deliverance is so hard as well. When we, Lord, are captive to sin, situation, or relationship we so often keep our eyes on that situation. Sometimes we do this with an arrogant pride in our own ability to fix the situation or to stop the sin. Sometimes continue to look at our captivity out of frustrated desperation, longing to be set free but only knowing the confines of our chains. Looking at them and longing that we be delivered. There are so many reasons to stay focused on our captivity. But if we do that's all we see, and that's what we begin to believe.
So Psalm 25, verse 15 is really interesting in this discussion.
"My eyes are ever on the LORD,for only he will release my feet from the snare."
Our eyes must somehow be turned up to the hope that is in You. Only You can actually bring deliverance. You know, we covered this point already, that humans cannot get at deliverance on their own. But much of the time we walk around with heads down searching the earth for our escape. I want want instead to live the real life of this earth with hope and assurance that You are always working on my behalf, and on the behalf of others.
Because You are.
- Psalms 25-28
- Matthew 14-15
- Daniel 4-6
Last night, we spent a long time in our Exodus teaching meeting talking about the topic of deliverance. Man, it was a heavy discussion, that went down many aimless paths, asked many aimless questions and ended up on aim because of Your guidance of that whole process Lord. I don't know how much sooner we could have gotten there if we (I) would have turned my eyes to You and Your word sooner.
One of my thoughts last night is that we believe what we see, only. That is why faith in God is so hard, it must be made seen. I see that as the job of pastors, theologians, and others in ministry, to make the vision of hope and deliverance and mission in Christ so tangible that it is almost seen. Hope that we can see, hope that we then believe.
That's why deliverance is so hard as well. When we, Lord, are captive to sin, situation, or relationship we so often keep our eyes on that situation. Sometimes we do this with an arrogant pride in our own ability to fix the situation or to stop the sin. Sometimes continue to look at our captivity out of frustrated desperation, longing to be set free but only knowing the confines of our chains. Looking at them and longing that we be delivered. There are so many reasons to stay focused on our captivity. But if we do that's all we see, and that's what we begin to believe.
So Psalm 25, verse 15 is really interesting in this discussion.
"My eyes are ever on the LORD,for only he will release my feet from the snare."
Our eyes must somehow be turned up to the hope that is in You. Only You can actually bring deliverance. You know, we covered this point already, that humans cannot get at deliverance on their own. But much of the time we walk around with heads down searching the earth for our escape. I want want instead to live the real life of this earth with hope and assurance that You are always working on my behalf, and on the behalf of others.
Because You are.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Obedience and Correction
Zephaniah 3:1-2 - Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.
Oppression, a topic that is definitely rolling around in my head during these forty days. It's scary to look at where oppression really starts, and yet, it makes total sense. Here in a very unread and unknown book to me, Lord, You have begun to unfold the dimensions of oppression and unjustice.
What I think I see in this verse is a progression. A progression that ends with an oppressor. And where does it all start... WITH A LACK OF LISTENING AND OBEYING. The one who opposes the reign of God begins with obeying no one, listening to no one's correction.
This really becomes significant when it is applied to my relationship with You. What reveals my trust in You? My obedience. If I believe that You are truly good, then I will do what You have asked of me, because I know that it is only for the benefit of Your plan. And if I don't obey what You've told me, where does that leave me? Well, I will not be able to draw near to You.
The progression of the oppressor is simple: lack of obedience, lack of correction, lack of trust in You, lack of Your felt presence.
My question becomes very simple then...what are You calling me to obey?
Oppression, a topic that is definitely rolling around in my head during these forty days. It's scary to look at where oppression really starts, and yet, it makes total sense. Here in a very unread and unknown book to me, Lord, You have begun to unfold the dimensions of oppression and unjustice.
What I think I see in this verse is a progression. A progression that ends with an oppressor. And where does it all start... WITH A LACK OF LISTENING AND OBEYING. The one who opposes the reign of God begins with obeying no one, listening to no one's correction.
This really becomes significant when it is applied to my relationship with You. What reveals my trust in You? My obedience. If I believe that You are truly good, then I will do what You have asked of me, because I know that it is only for the benefit of Your plan. And if I don't obey what You've told me, where does that leave me? Well, I will not be able to draw near to You.
The progression of the oppressor is simple: lack of obedience, lack of correction, lack of trust in You, lack of Your felt presence.
My question becomes very simple then...what are You calling me to obey?
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