I Want to Want What You Want

What's on Your mind?

I can tell You the myriad of things that I pause to think about on a morning like this in January: the Packers-Cardinals game I missed last night, the computer game I was playing yesterday, resisting the temptation to blow off this conversation for sports news, the warmth of my bed on this cold morning, the papers I have yet to grade for school, the short weekend that also seemed very long, the heaviness of my eyes, the plan for the rest of the day...

I listened to a sermon yesterday on the way home from my brother's. It was on the verse, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." The pure in heart part reminded me of mewithoutYou and Kierkegaard, who have said that purity of heart is to will one thing. To desire one thing. To again quote mewithoutYou, "I have a thousand half loves."

I want to be simple. To want the good that God intends for every situation. But I want so much more out of every situation. To be honest, I am usually purely interested in the result that I intend for every situation. How can I become more pure? How can I want less?

So that's what is on my mind. Trying to find my way into what You intend. So...

What's on Your mind?

EXC Daily Office: Far Be It From You

Genesis 18

LORD, this week we've begun to seek You and Your face for the sake of others.  So our readings are following that pattern.  Of course, we had to start with Abraham arguing You down about the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.  

It's a brilliant story, with Abraham being both ballsy and compassionate, two things that don't go together very often to make up a modern man.  In the flesh, he approaches You with a disagreement and an appeal to save a people that he really doesn't know well.  I mean, his nephew Lot is down near the people, but other than that, what is his investment in these people.

Which leads me to one observation: Abraham's prayer is compassionate first of all.  Despite the evil of the city, Abraham is looking for the people's good.  Several weeks ago, LORD, I wrote about the book of James, and how Godly wisdom begins with being pure.  Purity then, I remembered, is wanting the good of eveyone in every situation.  Abraham is a man of wisdom, his purity shown through his concern for the people of the evil city.

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I've been trying to finish this thought all day.  From the last paragraph to this one, 16 hours have passed.  Something or someone doesn't want me to finish this post.  There is something powerful that I am about to uncover, or something.  I'm not sure what is going on.

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Okay, so the next thing I was going onto in my thoughts, was that Abraham's prayer is not only for the good of the people, but it is based on Your very character.  I can safely say that I never blatantly pray based on Your character.  I usually just hope that You want to do what I want You to do.  But Abraham challenges You.  "Far be it from you..." to act differently than Your character.

How does Your character play into my prayer situations?  This might be a really good question to pose.  So, looking at the Exodus prayer list:

1. God of relationship and presence, far be it from You to withhold Your Spirit from our community as we seek You in discipline together.

2. LORD, You of Your trinitarian community, continually loving and giving, caring and providing; far be it from You to leave Kim lonely at camp, or to not provide for her in the transition from college to home.

And on and on... sorry, I don't want to reveal all of the problems and such of our community.

But as I continue praying, I have learned something else.  Sometimes, I feel cannot appeal to an aspect of Your character because the problem is obviously with me. But there is no such request really, even if I am at fault.  When I have a request that I should do something about, I should do something about it but I am also falling on Your mercy.

Your mercy is something that I just, I haven't contemplated enough.  I mean really, we come to You with some ridiculous requests at times.  And yet, you listen to us and often You provide.  Like a good parent, You take our requests seriously, even if there things that we can (and should) do ourselves.  I don't think that takes away our responsibility, but it You are working in areas that You don't need to be.  Problems we've gotten ourselves into.  Stresses that we take more seriously than we should.  Worries over things that we put in front of You.  And yet, in Your mercy, you listen.  And often provide.

Lord of mercy, far be it from You to put off our requests.  As we come to You this week, hear and act.  In the name of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, amen.

You are Pure

Texts:
- Psalms 17-20
- Matthew 10-11
- Joel 1-3

Really, really interesting and awesome word from the 19th Psalm. These are going to work in my head for awhile I think.

Psalm 19:6-11

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear-of-the-LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinance of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great
reward.

I am super intrigued by the middle part of this poem, the line, "The fear-of-the-LORD is pure..." What does that mean? In Exodus Community, I have felt repeatedly that fear-of-the-LORD needs to be a grounding concept for us, even though I'm not exactly sure how to define it. I know that it is not be scared of God. I know that it is more an idea of having proper reverence and respect for God. But, in what ways is that pure?

Okay, so You are the source of most of this. Why don't You come work in me today to give me a better understanding? What am I meant to see here? What do You mean? Obviously we have some parallel passages here. Fear-of-the-LORD seems to be parallel, equated with several other things here: law, statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances. These are Your words, Your spoken directives to us.

And then there is the sense of what Your word does for us: revives, makes wise, gives joy, gives light. Just an interesting and inspiring side note at how alive the Word is. We use verbs to describe it, reviving, making, giving, and inanimate or dead things aren't doing alot of doing. But the form of the poem changes a bit at fear-of-the-LORD. Instead of telling us what Your words do, the psalm shifts to what this fear-of-the-LORD is. Same thing with ordinances, the fear is pure, the ordinances are sure and righteous. They aren't said to make one pure, sure, and righteous (although that may be true). No, they are.

This may take more investigation of the word pure. I may have to come back and update this post after a day of contemplation as well. For now, just questions, for You my Lord, You are all. So why is it is this reverence and respect pure? Why use that word? Let alone the question of enduring forever? I am savoring the taste of these questions now, for I anticipate the sure and righteous knowledge that Your word brings.

Now, may the Lord answer me today, and may Your name be my protection. May You send me out renewed from Your sanctuary, may You grant me support in my journeys. May You remember this time, and accept my humble thoughts. The desire of my heart is to love You, and recongnize and utilize opportunities to outwardly give that love to others. May You grant the desire of my heart. Blessed are You, LORD God the pure and righteous, lending Your ear to hear our questions, answering from Your holy heaven, and giving us the name we can trust in. Amen.