dwell, gaze, seek

Opening Prayer: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

Scripture: Psalm 27:4

Journal: What is the “one thing” you are asking of the Lord these days?  Where does dwelling, gazing, and seeking fall on your list?  If you took time and made space to do those three things, how would your life be different?  How different would your level of intimacy with God be?

Reflection: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

I don’t know about you, but I don’t typically ask to dwell, gaze, and seek.  I’m far too busy asking for my circumstances to change.  But circumstances are fleeting; they are only the tip of the iceberg.  A lot more substantial things lie underneath the surface.  Maybe it’s those things I need to address.  Maybe those are the “things” I need to “ask” for.  Maybe I need to ask God to do a work in me that’s far bigger than my ever-changing circumstances.  Wouldn’t that be a much better thing to ask for?   

We all long for spiritual intimacy with God but are often resistant to doing the very things that can bring it about.  We want the result, but don’t want to have to invest in the process.  Thus, the problem spiritual practice is that it only works if we do it.  The spiritual practices work on us, not on God.  They make time and space for spiritual intimacy to be more of a possibility.

If we set aside time and make space to dwell in his presence, to gaze upon his beauty, and to seek him in his temple, our level of spiritual intimacy is bound to increase.  For it is in the dwelling that deep knowing takes place, it is in the gazing that our hearts are captured by his beauty and his love, and in the seeking that we find him—and are found by him—in new and deeper ways.

I suppose that’s why it’s the “one thing” King David “asked of the Lord.”  And we might want to do the same. 

O Lord, we just ask for one thing: help us to learn how to dwell in you, give us eyes to gaze upon your beauty, and give us a heart that is continually seeking after you.  If you give us that, we will know you deeper and better than our hearts ever imagined.

Pray

Closing Prayer: “I’m only asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long.  I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet.  That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world.  The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.” (Psalm 27:4, MSG)

all things new

Opening Prayer: “I am not making all new things; I am making all things new.  That includes you!  How do you long to be made new these days?  Will you give me the space and the time to make that happen, or will you continue to try and do it yourself?” ~Jesus

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-7

Journal: What “things” is God making new in you these days?  What old things need to be let go of in order to make room to fully receive the new?  How are you longing for the day when he will make all things new?

Reflection: The “new” that God will bring about, both within us and among us, cannot be commandeered, manipulated, or controlled.  It can’t be contrived or forced.  It can only be received.  It is a gift, coming down out of heaven.  Thus, our only job is to watch and wait and keep our hands empty and open, which is much harder than it sounds.

But in order to be truly received, the new must be fully taken hold of once it arrives.  It can’t just be seen and acknowledged; it must be lived.  Which means that our old ways of being and seeing must be surrendered and abandoned in order to give this new life room to grow and take shape and take root within us.  

Pray

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the now and the not yet.  Thank you that you are making some things new and that one day you will make all things new.  Give us the patience and the strength and the perseverance to wait for that day.

the valley of the shadow

Opening Prayer: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Scripture: Psalm 23:4

Journal: Have you ever walked through the valley of the shadow?  How and when?  What did that journey do in you?  How did it change you?  How might you be walking through the valley of the shadow right now?  Do you sense God with you?  How are his rod and his staff comforting you?

Reflection: People who have journeyed “through the valley of the shadow of death” come out differently.  They are more grateful, more humble, more gentle, more compassionate, and more Christlike.  Every day is a gift, and they treat it as such.  Every breath they take is an act of divine mercy. 

They are no longer consumed with what they have lost but captured and compelled by what they have gained.  There is no more entitlement or demandingness, but only peace and grace and gratitude.  Love has become primary, and self has become peripheral.  They are no longer motivated by need but are free to love.

Pray

Closing Prayer: “Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.  Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.” (Psalm 23:4, MSG)

yoke

Opening Prayer: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Journal: Whose yoke are you wearing these days?  Where did it come from?  What kind of behavior does it cause?  What would it look like to take on the yoke of Jesus instead?

Reflection: If I am tired and weary, could it be because I am not listening to the voice of the One who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”?  Could it be because I am not wearing His yoke, which is easy, and carrying His burden, which is light?  And if I’m not wearing the yoke of Jesus, and carrying his burden, then whose yoke am I wearing and what burdens am I carrying?  Could it be that I and weary and burdened because I am wearing the yoke and carrying the burdens of someone other than Him?

Pray

Closing Prayer: “Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG)

good

Opening Prayer: Lord God, thank you that you are always good, regardless of what life may throw at us.  Help us to never succumb to the temptation of interpreting your goodness in light of our circumstances, but to always interpret our circumstances in light of your goodness.

Scripture: Psalm 27:13-14

Journal: Where have you seen God’s goodness lately?  What has caused you to doubt his goodness?  How have you experienced his goodness even when your circumstances were challenging or chaotic?

Reflection:

          good

if God is good

he’s good all the time

as long as everything

goes according to plan

we have no problem

trusting and thanking him

but the minute things go awry

trust disappears and faith fails

our belief in his goodness

turns into anger, frustration

and demandingness

if God is good

he’s good all the time

not just when things go our way

his goodness and his love are

big enough and durable enough

to sustain us whatever the circumstance

Pray

Closing Prayer: O Lord, give me eyes to see your goodness today, regardless of my circumstances.

 

the thorn

Opening Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that your grace is sufficient for me.  If it were not, I could never endure the thorn.  Use that thorn to accomplish your good purpose in my life and in your world.  For your glory.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Journal: What is the thorn in your life right now?  How is the sufficiency of God’s grace helping you deal with it?  What is the thorn doing in your life and heart these days?  How is it helping make you into the servant and lover God desires you to be?

Reflection:

the thorn

if not for the struggle

i would never know the joy

if not for the weakness

i would never know your strength

if not for the stretching

i would never know the growth

if not for the groaning

i would never know the hope

if not for my insufficiency

i would never know your sufficiency

if not for the thorn

i would never know your grace

thank you for the thorn

Pray

Closing Prayer: Forgive me, Lord Jesus, when I run from my weakness, or try to hide it, when you tell me to embrace my weaknesses and live out of them.  For only when I embrace the thorn can I experience your strength and grace.

sprout

Opening Prayer:  O God, thank you that you are ever and always the God who comes.  And it’s not just that you came, but it’s also how you came that captures and compels us.  Help us, Lord Jesus, to be like you.  Help us to show up the way you showed up: in humility and meekness and hiddenness and vulnerability and love.  Only then will the world know that we belong to you.

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Journal: What amazes you about how God showed up in his creation?  How does this encourage you to do the same?  What will that look like?

Reflection: “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line.” (Jeremiah 33:15)

Sometimes how you show up can be nearly as important as if you show up.  That’s definitely the case with the Nativity.  The fact that God chose to come into the world he created is mind-blowing enough, but when you couple that with how he chose to come into that world, it’s even more amazing.  He came into his world as a sprout.

It was not a big, splashy, showy entrance, but one that was meek and humble and subtle and hidden.  A sprout is kind of that way.  It is small and intimate and hardly noticeable.  You probably would not even see it if you weren’t looking carefully for it, particularly at the beginning.  A sprout is also weak and vulnerable and dependent.  It is connected to and rooted in something deep and life-sustaining.  A sprout is not something that happens fast, but something that takes time and space to grow into all it is to become.  Thus, sprouting into a Branch is a long, slow process. 

That is how the Almighty God chose to enter his creation: through the womb of a poor teenage girl, in an out-of-the-way stable, in the tiny town of Bethlehem, with the only onlookers being a few shepherds and some weary travelers.  On top of that, he spent the next thirty years in virtual anonymity before he ever stepped into the limelight.  He took time to deeply know the place and the people he was coming to.  Knowing and being known must have been very important to him.  Therefore, it should be important to us as well.

If that’s how God chose to come into our world, maybe we should do the same.  Maybe we should be more like him.  Maybe we too should show up in humility and meekness and hiddenness.  Maybe we too should show up in weakness and dependence and vulnerability.  Maybe we should plant our feet in a place and walk around for a while.  Maybe we should get to know people deeply and well.  Maybe we should walk and work side-by-side with them and get our hands dirty.  Maybe we should be so intimately connected with our God that we would begin to care about the things he cares about and love the things he loves.  Maybe we should be just a sprout, like him.

Pray

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to be a sprout, just like you.  Help me to come like you came, to live like you lived, and to love like you loved.