Celebrate!

Have you ever bounced around on a trampoline?

I remember those long-ago days in gym class, when everyone had to take their turn. Like me, you probably tested the springy surface rather gingerly at first. How high would it bounce you? How hard would you land? What if you got too near the edge? How easy was it to stop and get off?

But after some successful pogo-like hops, you gathered courage and force, and before your turn was ended, you had actually put some heart into it, gained some height, and enjoyed it at least a little.

I think spiritual celebration is a bit like the trampoline experience. We climb onto the challenging experiences of our lives with a lot of questions in our mind. What am I doing here? Why do I have to do this? What if I fall off the edge or lose control or my turn never ends and I’m on it forever? And do I have to actually jump around and celebrate this scary place… can’t I just sit down and play it safe? Am I really supposed to have joy here?

But after some exploratory jumps, some testing of the surface beneath, we relax a little. For “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27). We grow less nervous about falling off the edge into great harm, because “as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (Ps. 125:1 NIV). We realize there’s got to be some purpose here that will make it all worth while, because in all things God works for the good of His people (Rom. 8:28). And because He is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” He won’t leave us here a nano-second longer than is best, and in the meantime we couldn’t have a more empathetic and encouraging Guardian alongside.

So no matter what the challenge we’ve been hoisted up onto, celebration is in order. Maybe not at first, and certainly not 24/7, but there’s just got to be some bounce in our walk. Some joy in our step. And the longer we’re there, the more confident we can become that He hasn’t left, He hasn’t once looked away, He’s monitoring every detail, calling out instructions, applauding, and cheering us on as we gain confidence and momentum.

So bounce a little higher this week. Grin a bit while you’re doing it. You couldn’t be safer, couldn’t be in better hands, couldn’t find another place in this world with more potential for joy, than right where the Father has put you.

Catch some air and shout “Alleluia!” and celebrate!

An Appetite for God

Life has its basic requirements: air, water, food, sunlight, shelter (and, some hold, chocolate).

Fasting is making God a basic necessity. It’s saying “I’m skipping the food. For this length of time, I put You ahead of what I need for survival. I count You more important than life itself is to me. I want You more than my daily bread. I make You my food. I make You my energy source. I make You my satisfaction. I feed on you in my heart by faith, and find spiritual nourishment for my soul.”

I may fast for devotional reasons – to get closer to God, to become re-aligned with Him. I may fast out of the anguish of my heart, bringing my personal concerns to Him. I may fast out of the need for His guidance, seeking wisdom for a decision or direction for action that must be taken. I may fast under a burden for a person or situation that needs divine intervention. I may do it simply because I want to lessen my hunger for things I can see and taste and smell and touch, and increase my appetite for God.

Whatever the reason, do you think God will ignore someone like that? Someone who wants to be with Him that much? Someone who values His instruction, who seeks His help, who is counting on His listening ear and helping hand? No, He won’t ignore anyone like that. He’s the one who promises the far-off follower, “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). He’s the one who promises the soul-starved, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” He assures those who prefer Him, “You would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (that’s comfort food from Ps. 81!).

Fasting is making God, temporarily, a basic physical necessity. And it helps me realize that He is my one spiritual necessity – and He gives Himself to me gladly and freely and abundantly. That’s cause for celebration!

…but that’s next Sunday’s sermon : )

The Prayer Closet

A blog reader emailed me after Pastor Ben’s sermon on solitude and silence – and what she had to say was perfectly sandwiched between that topic, and this past Sunday’s sermon on prayer…

She used to have a prayer closet, she said. A literal one, with blankets , books, a Walkman with praise CD’s, and a fluffy pillow. She described it as a “spiritual bubble bath” and declared that once she’d shut off the phone, put on the headphones, and entered her prayer closet to “soak,” the house could have burned down and she’d never have known!

She recalled it all a little wistfully and added, “I sure could use one of those spiritual bubble baths.”

Her email delighted me because I have long toyed with the idea of a prayer room or “closet” in my house… someplace set apart, without a computer or a television or a desk or any reminder of other pursuits… and here was someone who had actually done it! She inspires me to hang onto the dream as I wait for space to clear in my house. Maybe she inspires you to consider something similar as well.

It’s well worth considering. Because what goes on in that prayer closet isn’t just about intercession and praying through prayer lists and fulfilling a promise to pray for a certain amount of time each day. It’s about enjoying God (don’t you think He cherishes that?) and Who He is and how near He is. It’s about building fresh trust as we consider His faithfulness in the past and His power for the present needs. It’s about laying down the heavy loads we’ve shouldered and realizing anew that “His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”

The same blog reader emailed me again… the idea of a spiritual bubble bath is sounding more and more inviting. She’s thinking about emptying out that space, resurrecting that prayer closet, soaking leisurely in His presence in a way she hasn’t for a long time.

Maybe some of the rest of us could follow her example.

A Little S & S

While listening to Pastor Ben’s sermon yesterday on silence and solitude, one question he asked stood out to me… “What is coming up in my life that if I don’t stop now and take an extended time to prepare myself, I could make a huge mistake?”

Stop? Why stop? Why can’t I catch His voice on the fly? Well, for one thing, because God isn’t a screamer. If my life is relentlessly loud, how will I hear the still small voice of His Spirit, my Teacher and Guide? And God is a leader. If I'm forging ahead, throttle wide open, how will I obey that most basic command of discipleship: “Follow Me”?

I think we all struggle with how to stop and build a listening stillness into our lives. Let me share one way: when you spend time in prayer, however much it is – 5 minutes, fifteen, whatever – try dividing it in half.

Half the time, talk to God. Praise Him. Tell Him how you feel about Him. Tell Him what is bothering you. Tell Him what you need. Do just what Phil. 4: 6 (LB) urges us: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers” (You can read another verse or two to find out the fantastic benefit of this simple kind of prayer).

The other half, listen. Tell the Lord, “Okay, Lord, I’ve laid it all out before you. For the next – minutes I’m just going to listen. Speak to me about these things, and about anything else you want to bring to my mind. I intend, by Your Spirit, to believe You and trust You and obey You.” And stick to your commitment to listen. If your mind wanders (and it will), recall your thoughts as soon as you recognize it.

You’ll find, I think, that silence and solitude is not a lonely vacuum. God draws very near, and speaks very clearly – not always, but often. Once we make that discovery, it’s easier to return to S & S again… and again. Not just when there’s a monumental decision to be made or a crisis that needs divine intervention or the possibility of making a huge mistake if we don’t, but also when life is dull and daily and we want to hear that Voice and sense that Presence and know that we are not alone, and we are on the right track.

On Sabbath Rest

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
In quietness and trust is your strength,
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee at the threat of one;
At the threat of five you will all flee away,
Till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
Like a banner on a hill.”

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you…
- Isaiah 30:15-18 NIV

Repentance, rest, quietness, trust… How many times throughout the Scriptures does God offer them? How many different ways does He call us to them? They are our avenues to salvation and strength, He says, but so many of us refuse to go there.

As good as His offer looks on the parchment pages of our Bible, at our gut-level we still believe that the battle is to the swift and the relentless. So we imagine we’re speeding aggressively toward our goals… but I think that if we pull up and listen, in reality we’re being pursued by fears, fleeing before the cries of the enemy: Faster! Faster! There’s no telling what might happen if you stop!

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to us. To give us soul-rest and quietness of mind, to firm up our trust in Him, to reconnect us with Himself. And “Sabbath” is one way to get there from here.

Do you have a Day Set Apart, something built into your week that takes you out of the stampede? If not, I challenge you to get out pen and paper, and list – honestly – the reason(s) why not.

How does it look on paper? Talk to God about it. Don’t be defensive – He’s only offering to ease your burden. Don’t be suspicious– it’s impossible for Him to take anything from you and replace it with something inferior. Don’t be afraid. He’s far more powerful than the pursuers in your life.

And He knows that repentance and rest and quietness and trust will make you strong, and allow you to stand victoriously… even while others are beating a hasty retreat on swift horses.

*find excellent practical help in Discipleship Journal's archives - go to: http://www.navpress.com/magazines/archives/search.aspx (copy into browser) and type "sabbath" into the search box.

Can We Get There From Here?

“You can’t get there from here,” is the saying. What a discouraging word! I think it’s the message that Satan and his forces are lobbing at many of us, day in and day out, along with messages like:

“You can’t become a spiritual giant.”
“You’re an extreme case… far harder than the ordinary person”
“You’ll never overcome that stronghold.”
“You don’t have the strength [or perseverance or commitment or spiritual maturity] required.”
“The promises in the Bible weren’t meant for your situation.”
“You can’t expect victory yet – you haven’t suffered or struggled long enough.”
“Besides, victory won’t last – remember your other failures?”
“Is all the effort worth it? Look what it’s costing you.”

Rest assured, the enemy of our souls would love to badger us throughout FAC’s upcoming Sunday morning sermon series, Roots, with its focus on Sabbath keeping, solitude & silence, prayer, fasting, and celebration. And we’ll help Satan out if we bring an unteachable, suspicious, or defensive spirit - anything to harden the topsoil of our hearts and make it easy for him to snatch truth away before it can take root.

For he knows that these “spiritual disciplines” do make a way for us to get there from here. To become like Christ. To gain victory over habits that disgust us and harm our relationships and our testimony. To climb the mountaintop and look down on the things that once towered over us.

So why should we accept one discouraging word from the father of lies? On our way from here to there, it would be far more helpful to listen to the Author of Truth:

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
"I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly."
"Take My yoke upon you and learn of me, and you shall find rest… for My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
"All things are possible to him that believes."

In other words, we can do it! We can get there from here. We can experience victory where defeat had so often reigned, and freedom where we had been bound, and rest where we had worked so hard in our own strength. The spiritual disciplines will be like friendly guides to show us the way.

So over these next weeks, bring to morning worship a humble, teachable spirit, a willingness to change, and a commitment to obey whatever He says. Bring an expectant faith in His encouraging words… and let the adventure begin!

Holy Awe

“Everyone was filled with awe” (Acts 2:43).

Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote,
“Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes –
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”

We were challenged this past Sunday to be a team, a team devoted, like the early church in Acts, to instruction, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Devotion is a concept that gets my attention, because the life verse the Lord gave me some years ago comes from Jeremiah 30:21: “Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?”

So I’ve been trying to learn more and more about this thing called devotion – what it is and what it looks like in practice. And I’ve gotten at least this far: It’s much easier to be devoted to something that fills you with awe. That’s bigger than you, bigger than anything else on the horizon of your life.

The bigger I see God to be, the easier it is to be devoted to Him. The early church was filled with awe (or “reverential fear,” as the Amplified puts it); Am I? Are we? The best description I’ve read of that awe was written by A.W. Tozer in Worship: The Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church. He writes that real worship is made up of :

Boundless confidence. You cannot worship a Being you cannot trust.
Admiration. Appreciation of the excellency of God… to the point of wonder and delight.
Fascination. Entranced with who God is, and struck with astonished wonder at the inconceivable elevation and magnitude and splendor of Almighty God.
Adoration. To love God with all the power within us… with fear and wonder and yearning and awe.

Do you see how often he mentions wonder? But to make it an ingredient of our worship, we desperately need eyes to see God for Who He really is. We need those eyes opened by His Spirit; we need to turn them away from everything else and focus them on God. As individuals, and as a team.

When that happens, you can be sure that we’ll set our blackberry pails aside, the shoes will come off, and we will worship God together in holy awe.