The Path Forward
It was my observation while browsing Psalms, that David and Asaph often spoke of the need to meditate on the truth of God, the works of God, and the nature of God. Psalms 77:10-12 tells us – I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago, I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds (NIV). This is a clear mandate for meditation. But how do we meditate from a biblical viewpoint? Let me be clear, meditation is not sitting still and emptying your mind of all thoughts. It is not a ship drifting aimlessly in a still ocean, with no anchor or no sail. Rather, meditation is focused, contemplation on a theme from scripture, which includes giving ample space for God’s word to breathe life into you, for the Spirit of the living God to teach you. Psalms 119:15 tells us – I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways (NIV).
So, what do we do? We step away from busyness and noise, internal and external. Get still, find a place that is quiet. Find a time that is quiet. Get alone with God. Just as you moved the dial on a radio to a specific channel, do the same with God – focus your mind on him. This takes time to learn, time to engage in intentional meditation. It is easy to read a few scriptures, it is not so easy to really ponder on the word, and patiently wait in quietness for the message from God to arrive. Psalms 49:3-4 implies — My mouth will speak your words of wisdom; meditation from my heart brings understanding (NIV).
Start simple, focused, with modest objectives. Work at getting 5 minutes of focus on the essence of God. If you drift, do not be too hard on yourself. Keep trying. God will respect the effort and deliver. Find a regular time. Put this time on your calendar if needed. Time is not found, it is scheduled. Make a plan. Stick to it. Select the right time and the right location. In time you can and will meditate anyplace. You will learn to shut out the outside din and inside self-talk to get focused on God. But, at first it is wise to meditate in the same place at a regular time. Psalms 1:2 implies we are to delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law — day and night.
Isaac found it helpful to meditate in his field in the evening, someplace where others did not disturb him, where he was surrounded by the splendor of God’s creation (implied in Gen. 24:63). Develop a standard plan of action. This is directed thought, not mindlessness. Build a list of topics, keep them on your phone, build a list of verses you want to ponder on, keep them on your phone (edit the list as needed). Get the topic or verse in your head – get started. This is God’s thing – give him space to work. Let him teach. Work the scripture, over and over. Let the Spirit do his job. Absorb.
If you are struggling with something, this is a good time to ponder on how to leverage God’s word to resolve the issue. This is a time for honesty and ownership of our part in the situation. This is a time to hear God’s plan and then learn from the master. Focus on the word, let God speak through his word. Find a path forward. Finding internal peace is the goal, getting quiet is the method, embracing rest is the outcome (see Psalm 77 for a template). In my view, meditating involves us having an open heart, a slow contemplation of God. We should be much more interested in what God has to say about the passage we are meditating upon than what we think about that passage. Be still and know he is God. Major on listening, minor on talking.
I know this topic is a big ‘ask.’ Give it a little thought. I do not meditate all day, but I do set down and focus my thoughts on God often each week. When I am swimming in the noise of the day, I turn to him.
I choose Jesus.
Behold
Gladness of Heart
It has been my observation while reading Ecclesiastes that Solomon often commented on the vanity of gathering and holding wealth. He suggested the best course we can take is to carefully use what we have, save some for the future, but at the same time — provide for our families, serve God with it, do good with it, and most important; deliver this support within the limits of our income; furthermore, we are to avoid fretting because of limits presented by our income (take a fresh look at my last essay).
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 says — This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. (NIV)
I think Solomon is suggesting we are to be sober and moderate in the use of our resources granted as a gift from God for the labor we accomplish each day. God gives us work and income to ease our days and to provide things for our family. It is not proper to starve because of covetousness, or, on the other hand, to aggressively spend to satisfy our ‘nice things’ pursuit. We are wise to contain our spending within our means. We are advised to feed our families and keep our families safe as we serve the one true living God. Acquisition is not the goal. Service to God and family is the goal.
Ecclesiastes 2: 24-25 — A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. (NIV)
We are not being asked by God to work ourselves into the ground and then leave wealth for others to enjoy. We are being advised to do things in moderation, use the wealth gained to live a quiet life, and allocate the income so it sustains us for the days of our life. Job wrote — A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed (Job 14:5). We are wise to manage our income with a focus towards our family and God’s service. Let us spend our days serving our family and God’s family with as much joyfulness as we can muster. Find work we can do, learn to love the work, and be happy to share the fruit of our labor. This call to service is not one of drudgery, we are not slaves, but take pleasure in the calling and dive into the work with cheerfulness.
Hebrews 6: 9-12 says — we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (NIV)
The deeper truth – Happiness is an attitude, attitudes are a choice we make; I have said many times — as a man thinks, a man is. Move your mind towards happiness, firmly embrace the goodness of God. You will be surprised by the cool stuff that happens when you enter His gates with praise on your lips. When you use a few gifts wisely, God will bring more your way, because you have proven yourself to be a good steward of a few things (see Proverbs 3:6, Proverbs 3:9-10). Plan. Decide. Move. Assess. Adjust. Move. Do the right things for the right reasons. Take pleasure in your work as a sweet offering to God.
I choose Jesus.
Reckless Love
Heart Focus
It has been my observation, when we pray, it should not be routinely structured to get something from God. Rather, prayer is a way to connect with Him and realign our hearts with His heart, His will on all things that matter. Prayer is an especially important tool during our walk with God. Prayer should not be taken lightly. Like any relationship, if you do not spend time with that person the relationship will eventually suffer. Prayer is a way for us to spend quality time with God. It is a way to deeply connect with Him and purge our mind of earthly things. When we pray, we open our hearts to Him — He works in us and through us. Prayer also helps us to build our relationship with God – focused on Him.
James 4:8 tells us — Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (NIV). I can recall multiple times in my own life moments in prayer where I pressed in and felt His peace override all understanding. Prayer helps us see life through a heavenly lens.
Philippians 4:6-7 says — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds (NIV).
Prayer is important because it positions us to receive God’s peace during life’s hardest moments, prayer helps me stay focused on what is close to God’s heart! He is the One who can help you focus, find peace, comfort, healing, strength, purpose and so much more. God’s wisdom compels us to pray on regular basis about everything in our life (implied in James 1:5). Please understand, prayer for me is more than a formal, head bowed experience, it is daily chatter, all through the day. Talk with him like we talk with our close friends. Success, failure, opportunities, mistakes, heartache, little pleasures – these are the substance of a rich relationship.
Prayer is a gift; Paul tells us — pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18).
Waiting for a better time or better location to pray is counterproductive. We are told to Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We offer praise for the good stuff and we ask for help when needed. James asks — Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray (James 5:13).
Our happenings are all good reasons to pray. Paul says — Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12). Dig deep into the heart of Wisdom, get quiet. Get humble. Focus. Get it done.
When Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17, he prayed for those who would believe in him, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21). Prayer helps us become one with the Father and have the kind of relationship Jesus had with him. When we come into the presence of God, all our interpretation and pretense are gone—there is nothing to hide because he sees everything and knows everything about us.
We are humbled by the realization God’s power, goodness, and how much we need him. And yet, God accepts us as we are—not because he wants us to stay that way, but because he knows that the relationship comes first. As we grow to love him, we choose to become more like him. When we find forgiveness through prayer, God softens our heart and allows us to forgive others. When we experience God’s compassion and mercy, we become much more comfortable sharing the experience with others. When we understand that God’s grace is freely given, we learn to accept God’s love; it transforms our hearts and our actions.
The best thing about prayer is the two-way conversation. This conversation we call prayer has all the components of communication; we talk to God, he listens, he talks to us, we listen. Communication is not communication unless information moves both ways between the two people involved in the event. Please do not deliver a briefing to God, engage in a conversation. Communicate. James 1:5 says – If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.
I choose Jesus.
Shalom Talk 