As we step into 2012, some of us are waiting… we know God has a plan, we trust His timing, but sometimes the wait seems long.
If that’s you, let Jonny Diaz’ “Waiting Room” minister to your spirit.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ-7yijfRNk&feature=fvsr]
Stillness and silence aren’t natural to most of us… I know they’re not for me, even when I’m sleeping :-p
But they’ve have been catching my attention lately in a way that points to God.
At Under the Cover of Prayer, Judith Lawrence wrote:
Silence is not a familiar place for many of us but as we seek to be with God silence becomes a sought after and familiar venue. (Adventures of the Spiritual Life — click to read the whole post, it’s worth your time)
This little gem from Oswald Chambers really got me thinking:
I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.” (Nov. 7 reading, My Utmost for His Highest, updated edition edited by James Reimann)
I don’t always “get” brother Oswald’s thoughts, since they’re often elevated above my own, but this sacred place in the conscious life… that resonates with me. A still place, a holy place, in keeping with the idea that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
I can see this sacred inner place being the basis for Frank Laubach‘s call to “keep in constant touch with God,” echoing Brother Lawrence‘s call to “practice the presence of God.” (You can read some of Frank Laubach’s writing here… just scroll through the page until you reach the excerpt from Letters by a Modern Mystic.) Or you can get hold of a copy of Practicing His Presence, edited by Gene Edwards, which contains the writings of Frank Laubach and Brother Lawrence. It’s a slim book and one I consider a keeper.
I don’t usually include a song on Fridays, but here’s Brian Doerksen‘s Everything. Let it become our prayer. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XTAj0bM-C0]
I love those quiet times with God, still-soul-times rich with nearness and uncluttered by my words and lists. I often find them on retreat, but they can be part of each day… if I will remember and be disciplined about seeking them.
They’re when I feel most alive, and yet I so rarely stop to enjoy them. The Lord has been reminding me of this through some of my friends’ posts lately:
At Under the Cover of Prayer, Jan Cox wrote:
I think about our ‘busy’ lives and know that our quiet time with God gets left out. But I believe it is the MOST important part of our day. To be wired to God. How else can we live the life He wants? Without His godly spirit flowing through us, how can we deal with our daily lives? (Connected)
At Whatever He Says, Belinda Burston wrote:
Paul and I pray together before work, and I draw strength and comfort from that cherished time. But it’s a different thing to just coming before God with no agenda but to quieten my heart and listen for his. (Confession)
Again at Under the Cover of Prayer, Janice Keats wrote:
We can learn so much by entering into His presence. Maybe just sitting in His presence is enough. He is all we need. Time well spent with God produces a thirst for more—more peace and more of Him. (Be Still and Wait Patiently for the Lord)
Belinda’s post above ended with a familiar Bible passage as phrased in The Message, and I want to close with a portion of it as well. The wording is fresh and puts a new light on it. Drink deeply:
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, MSG*)
At that time I pleaded with the LORD: “Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”
But because of you the LORD was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the LORD said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.”
Deuteronomy 3:23-26, NIV*
This is part of Moses’ final address to the Israelites, and he’s referring to the incident where he lost his temper with disastrous results.
Moses is blaming the people, who surely tried his patience, but he was the one who acted in a way that didn’t honour God.
He tells them he asked God to relent and let him into the Promised Land. But God said no.
Not just “no”. “Don’t ask Me again.” Period.
There are other times in the Bible where God gives the people what they want when they insist on it, even though it’s not in their best interests. Psalm 106:15 says in the King James Version, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”
Romans 1 talks about people continually turning away from God until He “gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts” to all manner of wicked living.
We’re called to persist in prayer. I think it comes down to trust: God is good, and He knows best. And He has the right to make choices—from His greater wisdom—that we may not like.
It’s about persisting until we get an answer—not until we get the answer we want.
Silence may be a sign to keep praying. “No” is an answer.
Mighty and holy God, You are all-wise and You love us. Help us to pray with praise that You listen and answer. And help us to hear Your answers, be they yes or no. Grant us faith to trust Your goodness, and obedience to not push for our own ways when You reveal them to be against Yours.
∞
I love this song from David Meece: “Things You Never Gave Me”
*THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Kimberley Payne is a motivational speaker and author of Fit for Faith – 7 weeks to improved spiritual and physical health. She’s here today to tell us about the book, which has been available in print for a while and is releasing in ebook format on October 11.
Janet: Welcome, Kimberley. You’re a former personal trainer, and you’ve worked in the designing and counselling fields of weight control, stress management, self esteem improvement and wellness programs. Great background for writing a healthy-living book. What prompted you to add a spiritual health component?
Kimberley: Although I’d been born and raised within the church, it wasn’t until I attended a Christian women’s retreat that I realized how much I had compartmentalized my life: family in one corner, work in another; finances here, health there; faith in its own box. I began to see that my faith shouldn’t be kept partitioned off from the rest of my life. Instead, it needed to be intertwined with all the parts of my life. If I was going to follow Him as my Lord, God wanted me to include Him in everything.
Janet: That’s one of those realizations we each need to come to, and it makes a huge difference. I confess I haven’t really thought through the implications of how God might want to direct my physical fitness. What can readers expect from the workbook? Will there be differences in the electronic format?
Kimberley: Fit for Faith is a well-rounded balanced program that follows the stages of change. It’s also an awareness program. The reader is accountable to record their activities, and this helps them to recognize where their strengths are and what areas they need to improve.
The only difference in e-book format is that the reader will record this information in a separate journal.
Janet: What kind of feedback have you had from readers to date?
Kimberley: One reader wrote: “If there are books you must have at all times, this is sure to be one of them, not as a casual read but as a guide to achieving spiritual and physical well being and a ready reckoner for maintenance at the end of the seven week programme.”
Janet: What a great endorsement! I hear you weren’t born a fitness enthusiast. Care to tell us how you got into it?
Kimberley: It wasn’t until I discovered that I was three weeks pregnant with my first child at age 27 that I began to think about changing my anti-athletic ways. I wanted to set an example for my baby.
Janet: What got you started writing?
Kimberley: I won poetry awards in grade-school and always wrote in a journal. But I started seriously writing in 2003, after attending Write! Canada (then called God Uses Ink) and joining The Word Guild.
Janet: I enjoyed your story in A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, and I know you’ve written other things besides. Do you have a mission statement or an overall purpose for your writing?
Kimberley: I write to bring others closer to God.
Janet: And you write mostly for women?
Kimberley: Yes. Many times I write with a good friend in mind.
Janet: Tell us a bit about your other writing projects.
Kimberley: I’ve written a novel based on a true story, called Tooth for Tooth. It was my first stab at fiction writing, and although I enjoyed the process, I really am more of a non-fiction writer.
I also write devotionals and have collected them into books, Where Fitness meets Faith and Where Family meets Faith.
Janet: You’ve posted an introduction to Fit for Faith on YouTube. I think that’s a great way to let readers hear and come to trust the writer behind the words. After all, if we’re going to invest time in our personal health, we want a sense of who this coach really is.
Kimberley: I agree. Although it’d be wonderful to travel all over the country to give book readings and meet with readers, it’s not feasible. I thought this would be the next best thing.
Janet: I think it’s a great idea. You seem comfortable using YouTube as a way to connect with your readers (Fit4Faith Channel). The demonstrations of stretching techniques are much easier to follow than printed instructions and diagrams, and you’ve posted a trailer for Tooth for Tooth as well as videos of your readings. YouTube, ebooks, public speaking… clearly the traditionally-printed word is just part of the package for communicating your message. Do you see it as something that will gain importance as more options come along?
Kimberley: I love all the “non-traditional” ways to get a message out. I have plans to post further exercise videos to accompany my book Fit for Faith, offer fitness consultations through Skype, and am open to other options as they come up.
Janet: What do you like to do to get away from it all?
Kimberley: I love to hike in the woods, have a fun game of tennis, or enjoy a bike ride with a good friend.
Janet: What’s the most fun thing you’ve ever done?
Kimberley: I’ve travelled to Holland four times. My parents are from the Netherlands and we have many relatives there. We’re all very close. I’d love nothing more than to bike across Holland with my mom and my daughter. Maybe next summer.
Janet: Lastly, is there a particular song or Scripture verse that’s made a big difference for you?
Kimberley: My life verse is: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6).
I’ve come to realize that worry is useless. God hears and answers prayer. I rely on this every single day.
Janet: That’s one of those truths all Christians know, but most of us need regular reminders. Thanks so much for taking time to let us get to know you a bit, Kimberley. May the Lord continue to bless you and make you a blessing to others—in every area of your life.
Kimberley: Thanks Janet! I enjoyed giving thought to these questions. It’s been a lot of fun!!
===
Fit for Faith will release in ebook format on October 11. See Kimberley’s launch gift page for special offers valid for release day only.
The workbook is available for Kindle and in most other ebook formats. For those without e-readers, the print version of Fit for Faith is available through Lulu.com.
To learn more about Kimberley Payne, visit her website or her blogs, Fit for Faith and Return Home and Tell.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV*
Tuesday morning, yesterday now, I curled up with my Bible and journal, tea at hand, reminding the Lord that I still didn’t have anything for today’s post.
Since He nudged me into blogging in 2008, He’s given me a devotional thought to share each week. Sometimes it comes early, sometimes it’s pretty close to the finish line, but He provides every time.
I don’t fret about it anymore, although I do like a few days’ breathing space in case something else in my schedule goes boink. So no stress on that account, but something else was bothering me this time.
When I tried to read the day’s psalm, my spirit felt tight, shrink-wrapped. Instead of pushing on, I stopped to pray. “Lord, there’s some kind of blockage. I feel… well… like You’re holding out on me.”
Everything seemed to hush.
Okay.
I knew that lie! It’s so old, it goes back to the Garden of Eden.
Truth defeats the lie, so I asked God to give me a verse to counter it. I knew He wasn’t holding out on me, because He’s not like that. He gives good gifts. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17, NIV*) That was my answer, although I didn’t remember the reference.
And if we ask Him for bread, He won’t give us a stone.
“Recognize the lie—defeat it with truth.” I’m hearing that a lot lately. It’s one of the things God is working on in me, but it’s also something to share today. I’m not the only one learning this particular lesson.
God who is holy, faithful and true, You know we’ve accepted lies and they’ve diminished us. Some of them are so rooted-in that we think they’re true. Shine the light of Your Word into our darkest places, reveal the deceit, and help us to replace it with Your truth. Teach us how to believe and rely on Your Word.
∞
Jonny Diaz’ song, “More Beautiful You,” counters one type of lies we face. The line “Don’t buy the lies” applies to them all…
*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
In August we talked about how using the names of God in prayer can affirm and strengthen our faith. Different aspects of God’s character seem especially appropriate to different prayer needs we face.
Choosing one of God’s descriptive names helps in praise too. I like to pick just one and spend time thinking what it says about His nature, His glory, His honour. They comfort me, encourage me, and inspire me to praise Him.
Some of my favourites:
Ancient of Days (Daniel 7)
Father to the Fatherless (Psalm 68:5)
My Rock and My Redeemer (Psalm19:14)
My Shepherd (Psalm 23)
The Author and Finisher of our Faith (Hebrews 12:22, KJV)
What are some of yours?
The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarrelled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”
Exodus 17:2, NIV*
God had already given them a daily supply of manna in the desert. Now He patiently—and miraculously—provided water from a rock.
And he called the place Massah [testing] and Meribah [quarrelling] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?
Exodus 17:7, NIV*
The Israelites knew, better than we often do, that if God is present He can help. And they weren’t subject to our common fear that we’ve already asked too much and used up His gifts for us.
I think they feared abandonment. “If trouble hits, does that mean He left us?”
They knew they had nothing in themselves to convince Him to stay. They didn’t think about His character that keeps Him faithful to His commitments. Of His covenant that they would be His people and He would be their God.
We often need to be reminded of the same thing. As we persist in prayer, the proper attitude is not to nag for answers but to pray continually in thanksgiving and confidence, and keep alert to recognize the answers… especially if they come in small stages.
Father God, help me remember that You’re leading me. Help me trust Your character and Your promises and rely on You. Whatever my needs, I have Jesus. All I have to do is ask for help and be alert to recognize the answer. I understand it may well not come in the form I’d like, but I pray with confidence in Your perfect wisdom and timing.
∞
Here’s Robin Mark singing Brian Doerksen’s “Faithful One.”
*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Wednesday’s post came from one of my favourite Old Testament accounts: King Jehoshaphat and the invading hordes. (See “Confident that God is at Work”)
Another of my favourites is the story of Joshua leading the nation of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. You can read about it in Joshua 3.
Here’s the pep talk Joshua gives the people before they set out:
Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
Joshua 3:9-13, NIV* Emphasis mine.
In that short passage, look at how Joshua refers to God: “the LORD your God… the living God… the Lord of all the earth (twice)”.
Knowing and reminding ourselves of the names of God can affirm and strengthen our faith.
Joshua chose traits the people needed to remember for the journey ahead. He knew they needed to keep their faith strong in a land of giants.
I always love it when public prayer goes beyond “Dear God” and the leader picks one or two relevant character attributes to address the need: “God of comfort and grace, All-wise and knowing God, God who formed us and knows our weakness…”
It’s a good way to encourage our faith.
Do you have a favourite name for God in prayer?
*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.”As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
2 Chronicles 20:21b-22, NIV*
The attacking armies were overwhelming. King Jehoshapat cried out to God for help and received one of God’s more dramatic answers:
Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. … You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give…. (2 Chronicles 20:15b, 17a, NIV*)
I love this story. Jehoshaphat led the army out with praise, trusting God to keep His promise.
We don’t often know when a crisis is approaching, and even then God rarely tells us what He’s going to do and how it’ll turn out. But we can know He’s always with us, at work and in control.
What if we went into each day, each situation, with praise going ahead of us? Expecting to see God working, even when we don’t know how or where?
As Violet Nesdoly said recently at Other Food: Daily Devos, “let’s position ourselves under the spout of God’s blessing … no matter what our situation looks like on the outside.” (see the full post: “God’s Blessings, Man’s Defraudings”)
God promised to never leave nor forsake us. We can go forward in confident praise and trust that He’s working—whether we see it or not doesn’t change the fact of His active presence.
I suspect that, in the looking, we might be more likely to see Him at work and to respond with gratitude.
God who saves and shepherds us, help me rely on Your grace and power. Whether I see trouble approaching or think I’m safe, help me remember that You are with me. Help me trust Your plan. Train my spirit to step out in praise and to recognize and give thanks for Your touch.
∞
Here’s Don Francisco’s song about Jehoshaphat. You can take the catchy praise chorus into your day and be blessed.
*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.