Tag: Prayer

This is the Path

Published on by DanLeave a comment

It was my observation while reading the Book of Psalms that the message in Psalm 119:105 is much more useful than first meets the eye. Consider the message in this verse – ‘My word is a lamp unto your feet’. From this verse, build a visual of an angel right in front of you, holding a lamp in the evening hours, so you can see the ground in front of you. That light gives us the direction that we need to walk safely and stay close to Elohim. Of course, we know the Lamp at our feet is God’s Word. But consider an actual lamp before our feet. Scripture paints the path we are to walk just as an actual lamp paints a path for us to follow. But how do we understand what God is telling us? For example, when The Spirit of God says, ‘I am your righteousness’, what does that word ‘righteousness’ actually mean? What does this word tell us about the one true living God? When Jesus says, ‘I am the truth’, do we focus on the word ‘truth’ or the phrase ‘I am’?

Verses matter. Phrases matter. Vocabulary matters. If you are going to meditate on a verse, having a vocabulary of biblical terms is immensely helpful. Otherwise, how do you know what to think about the verse? How do you ask proper questions? When the answer comes to you, how do you know what the answer even means? That is what vocabulary’s all about.

It is one thing to memorize a verse. It is another thing to understand the meaning of that verse. And it is yet another thing to understand how the words that are used to construct that verse relate to other verses and shape the meaning of the other verses. I know this is very intense, but this is what mining the Word of God is all about.

Furthermore, this is the essence and purpose of meditation. Taking a look at a verse, identifying the words that are important to you for today, and then really drilling down into what the verse means (unpacking), how does it affect me, what does God want me to know about this subject that he has put in front of me today. You want to know what Elohim’s plan is, But how? I suggest when you drill down into the Word, you will start to discover things. Then, his plan begins to unfold in front of you. Elohim gets excited when you show interest — incredibly excited. He shows up with lots of help!

The Spirit of God works diligently to help you get the message if your heart is ready to receive. That is part of the meditation process, getting your heart in the right place to receive. None of this is easy, it is much easier for me to write about it than it is to actually do it. I struggle with this just like you struggle with it — we all struggle with it. But I can assure you that understanding scripture over time does get easier as your biblical vocabulary becomes broader.

Take your time, try to learn one or two things a day. Get a notebook, try to express the definition for the new words you may have learned. And you will be amazed at the end of the month if you are able to achieve that daily goal — you will have 20 or 30 new words added to your vocabulary. Stay with it and at the end of the year you have added 300-400 new words to your biblical vocabulary. Scripture will be considerably easier to understand at that point.

What does it all mean? It all starts with a remarkably simple task — try and figure out the message — one verse, one term at a time. You want to know God; this is the path. You want to walk with God, this is the path. You want to feel his presence when you are mired in trouble, this is the path. You want to help your children; this is the path. You want to help your wife or your husband; this is the path. You want to know what to do on the job, this is the path. I can think of no finer way to spend your life. This is the path.

I choose Jesus.

The Breath Of God

Published on by DanLeave a comment

It has been my observation, to understand God is to understand the three persons who comprise God. Getting your head wrapped around the difference between God the Father and Jesus is one thing. But many struggle to grasp who the Holy Spirit is in a way they could explain clearly to someone else. Yet, scripture tells us that knowing the Holy Spirit is the path to God’s wisdom. Understanding the Holy Spirit is vital to your walk with God.

The Bible describes the Spirit as the “breath” of God. John 20:22 says – and he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit [NIV]. When you start walking with the one true living God, the Holy Spirit transforms you to become more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11). The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). His direction is consistent with God’s plan. Paul says — Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17)

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 says –What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived — the things God has prepared for those who love Him — these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us [NIV].

Clearly, Paul is encouraging us to explore the deeper relationship with God. But not just an awareness, rather he us telling us that we are to peer deep into the connection between us and the Holy Spirit, we are to give profound attention to his nudge, for he becomes a window to the wisdom and majesty of the one true living God. Where do we learn? At the feet of the one true living God.  How do we learn? We learn through the conduit provided by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says – Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies [NIV]. Ephesians 4:30 says – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption [NIV]. John 14:16 says – And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever [NIV]. Romans 5:5 says – and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us [NIV]. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says – Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? [NIV]

The Holy Spirit hovers over believers in Christ and dwells within them at the same time. He is painfully aware of the massive cost (the death of Jesus) to establish this line of communication between us. He has access to and knows the Father’s thoughts – he is permitted to communicate many of those thoughts to us.

What is the impact? When you pray or read the Bible, you may very well sense God speaking to you through scripture; after all, that is one of key roles of the Holy Spirit in our life. God’s plan for us exists, we learn that plan from the Holy Spirit when we are meditating on Scripture. As our advocate (in addition to Jesus), he brings our hopes and dreams to the feet of God the Father. The Holy Spirit works in your life, teaching and giving opportunities for service. In that service, we learn to honor God’s notions and his way. The more you let this sink in, the easier it will be to give the Holy Spirit the proper place of authority He deserves in your life. Furthermore, his plan for your life will become noticeably clear.

Faith, Hope and Love – here are three elements we can grasp that honor God and honor the temple he has given us. Love is the cornerstone, the under girth of faith and hope. Faith and hope are fueled by the nudge and teaching about love from the Holy Spirit. The more we learn about trusting God (faith) and embracing the larger picture of everlasting life (hope), the more effective God’s love is in our life. How do we know this? These things are not tangible, you cannot touch love as a stand-alone object.  These things appear through our actions. You cannot touch them, but you can see the impact of faith, hope, and love in your life and others around you.

Why does this matter? When these things are fueled by the Holy Spirit, active in our life, growing us and nurturing us, we are able to reflect these attributes using the Gold Standard for these attributes – we model our behavior in accordance with the one true living God.  He displays these attributes; we are created in his image; we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate these attributes.  Selah!

The Holy Spirit is an equal among and a true member of the Trinity. Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit interact and exist in a binding community, co-equal, co-eternal, and one in essence with one another. Genesis 1:1-2 says — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters [NIV]. Mark 1:9-12 says – At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. A voice came from heaven: ‘You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased’ [NIV].

Acts 15:8 says — God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us [NIV]. 2 Corinthians 13:14 says — May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all [NIV]. Acts 2:33 says – God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, He (Jesus) has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out [upon us] what you now see and hear [NIV].

Can we resist the influence of the Holy Spirit that envelopes us and fills us up to the brim? Can we avoid the message that comes straight from the thoughts of God? Can we run from God’s truth? I suspect not. Read his word, pray, listen to Him, grow in faith, walk with God!

I choose Jesus.

How does it happen?  Why does it happen?  What is the outcome?

What is the trinity all about?  Why does it matter?

How do you touch the fruit of the Spirit?  Can you?   Can you see the effect of the fruit of the Spirit?

Now that you have a better idea of how the Holy Spirit operates, what changes do you need to make to work with the Spirit of God rather than skirting God’s wisdom and guidance related to you by the Holy Spirit?

This is the Path

Published on by DanLeave a comment

It was my observation while reading the Book of Psalms that the message in Psalm 119:105 is much more useful than first meets the eye. Consider the message in this verse – ‘My word is a lamp unto your feet’. From this verse, build a visual of an angel right in front of you, holding a lamp in the evening hours, so you can see the ground in front of you. That light gives us the direction that we need to walk safely and stay close to Elohim. Of course, we know the Lamp at our feet is God’s Word. But consider an actual lamp before our feet. Scripture paints the path we are to walk just as an actual lamp paints a path for us to follow. But how do we understand what God is telling us? For example, when The Spirit of God says, ‘I am your righteousness’, what does that word ‘righteousness’ actually mean? What does this word tell us about the one true living God? When Jesus says, ‘I am the truth’, do we focus on the word ‘truth’ or the phrase ‘I am’?

Verses matter. Phrases matter. Vocabulary matters. If you are going to meditate on a verse, having a vocabulary of biblical terms is immensely helpful. Otherwise, how do you know what to think about the verse? How do you ask proper questions? When the answer comes to you, how do you know what the answer even means? That is what vocabulary’s all about.

It is one thing to memorize a verse. It is another thing to understand the meaning of that verse. And it is yet another thing to understand how the words that are used to construct that verse relate to other verses and shape the meaning of the other verses. I know this is very intense, but this is what mining the Word of God is all about.

Furthermore, this is the essence and purpose of meditation. Taking a look at a verse, identifying the words that are important to you for today, and then really drilling down into what the verse means (unpacking), how does it affect me, what does God want me to know about this subject that he has put in front of me today. You want to know what Elohim’s plan is, But how? I suggest when you drill down into the Word, you will start to discover things. Then, his plan begins to unfold in front of you. Elohim gets excited when you show interest — incredibly excited. He shows up with lots of help!

The Spirit of God works diligently to help you get the message if your heart is ready to receive. That is part of the meditation process, getting your heart in the right place to receive. None of this is easy, it is much easier for me to write about it than it is to actually do it. I struggle with this just like you struggle with it — we all struggle with it. But I can assure you that understanding scripture over time does get easier as your biblical vocabulary becomes broader.

Take your time, try to learn one or two things a day. Get a notebook, try to express the definition for the new words you may have learned. And you will be amazed at the end of the month if you are able to achieve that daily goal — you will have 20 or 30 new words added to your vocabulary. Stay with it and at the end of the year you have added 300-400 new words to your biblical vocabulary. Scripture will be considerably easier to understand at that point.

What does it all mean? It all starts with a remarkably simple task — try and figure out the message — one verse, one term at a time. You want to know God; this is the path. You want to walk with God, this is the path. You want to feel his presence when you are mired in trouble, this is the path. You want to help your children; this is the path. You want to help your wife or your husband; this is the path. You want to know what to do on the job, this is the path. I can think of no finer way to spend your life. This is the path.

I choose Jesus.

Time To Rise Up

Published on by DanLeave a comment

It has been my observation that meditation comes in many formats, the common thread for them is –focus on a single point in scripture, focus on God, and exclude all other thoughts. My personal journey with meditation for the last year or so has been the formation of written thoughts that fit on one page.

When I am gathering my information, I look at many sources, I read many people on the subject. Then I check-in with my favorite commentators — RCH Lenski, John Walvoord, Henry Thiessen, and Mathew Henry. Once I have the basics then I start meditation and scribbling. I ask the basic questions, who, where, what, when, and why. I slip deeper into thought. I get really quiet. I search for the cadence on the subject, building sentences and ideas, finding the path through the data until I get to the essence. I want each sentence in the essay to connect with the previous. During this process I am focused on God’s Word (only a few verses), and I am discovering the things I need to understand and act upon.

Psalm 77, a psalm of Asaph, provides a grand perspective of meditation. It defines the journey of his deep thinking and provides an insightful view of pondering on the things of God. Asaph links his thinking with the creation of a written document – this guy created songs (wrote stuff down) from his meditation. Then used the songs to expand and enhance his subsequent meditation events.

Asaph said – I remembered you (my God), and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. I was not able to find the words. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked: Has God forgotten to be merciful? Where is he? Did he take the day off? Has he, in anger, withheld his compassion? Am I now an outsider? Then I thought – I will turn my focus upon the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand with mercy towards me. 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 all your mighty deeds. These memories will bring me peace (implied in Psalms 77:3-6, Psalms 77:9-12).

Take note of the line of reasoning Asaph builds. He groans from the weight. He is full of trouble, he is struggling to focus, but he keeps at it. His mind is racing, it is too troubled to even sleep. We have all been there. Then he remembers God. He remembers the old days; he recalled his previous songs and the circumstances that caused their creation. He can hear the songs and it brings him some respite. He drifts deeper into his meditation, his head cleared of the noise. He is finding the cadence of thought, his rhythm. He forms an appeal for peace – Asaph gets really focused. Now he is cruising. His heart is calm, he is resting in the hand of God. He remembers the deeds, the good stuff that God has done. He remembers the miracles of long ago. They still are true, they still testify to the glory and power of God, and they are relevant to his current situation. he ponders on the mighty deeds of God.

Now, let us pay attention to the change in Psalm 77. Asaph said — The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. our path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. (Psalm 77:16-19).

Asaph is extremely focused, he thunders out the majesty of God, this is not empty thinking, this is meditation that leads to a call to action. Asaph is a warrior. God is on the move, thunder and lightning abound. Meditation over. The warrior is ready to act. It is time to rise up. God is on the move! Selah!

I choose Jesus.

Communion with God

Published on by DanLeave a comment

It was my observation in the Old Testament, two Hebrew words are translated “meditate.” One of the words hints about a quiet muttering sound; the other suggests an idea to be taken up or absorbed. Taken together, we get the idea of someone pondering a biblical text, quietly vocalizing the meaning.

David writes — I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways (Psalms 119:15)

JI Packer said — Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God… It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.

If our focus of meditation is on God, his word, his holiness, his ways, his creation, then we are moving in the right direction. We are putting the makers mark on our heart. We are infusing scripture into the very place where it can do the most good to shape our inner life and outer actions…

CS Lewis says — meditation is a devotional practice that we engage in with God’s help to know Him better, love Him more, experience closer communion with Him, and live for His glory.

Read this slowly — But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night (Psalms 1:1-2); I meditate on You in the night watches (Psalms 63:6); My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long (Psalms 71:24); Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight (Psalms 19:14); My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding (Psalms 49:3); I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways (Psalms 119:15); My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes (Psalms 119:48); Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation (Psalms 119:97, 99). Are you feeling it?? If not read it again.

When God asked Joshua to lead the Hebrew nation into the promised land, He said — This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8). To accomplish this task, the thing that God called him to accomplish, Joshua needed to infuse himself with God’s message, breathe it into the other people around him, and move the nation forward.

When you start to crawl into the life of Paul you get the feeling that he was far beyond just carrying a box of scripture around, with file tabs and handy little bookmarks to make it easy to find stuff. They were so closely tied (meditation) to the message he simply allowed streaming thought to prevail. Paul walked and talked about this stuff all the time.

Yet, Paul was the first to say – I struggle with this thing. I know what is right, but fail, I want to do right and I fail, I could just sit in the road and pout. But thanks be to the Jesus I serve — He knows my weaknesses and lifts me up. Not by me, but by the grace of Jesus I live (paraphrased from Romans 7). This infusion of the Word on his heart was amazing. He moves back and forth between the old covenant and the new, using the old to explain the new — never missing a beat, he hears from God, he understands, and he moves forward. No fear.

This solid grasp of God’s intent, empowered by the Spirit of God infusing us with the Word, is what we need. All of us. How else can we successfully navigate the daily drama of a fallen world? This is how God whoops Lucifer. Jesus scores. Lucifer is down.

I choose Jesus.

Be Still and Listen Carefully!

Published on by DanLeave a comment

It has been my observation when pondering on the nature and range of events that occur during prayer, I have not used this tool as effectively as I could have over the years. Listening is not my strong suit, being a passive-aggressive alpha leads to the compulsive need to fill ‘dead air’ with something. The sound of my voice? Oopps…

I learned from Miles Davis, a jazz player, the melody is as much about what you do not play (silence) as it is about what you do play (sound). An improvised melody must have time for the listener to breathe, it is important to rest the listener’s mind, and gently lead the listener to the next line, the next paragraph.

This might be a bit too much ‘music speak’, but it strongly illustrates the notion of — be still and know I am God, be still and know, be still, just be… Know who you are waiting on (God), accept he will be reaching out to you (Know), get very calm (Still), open your ears (guard your heart, confirm all messaging with scripture).

When I postulate on prayer, listening is not the first thing I usually think about. But if we want to hear Him speak, we will need to stop talking long enough for God to get your attention. He wants to talk. He tells us stuff in scripture but has more. Listening patiently, trusting there will be communion, a message, a thought… Is not easy.

I learned a while back that we will do what we will do. Message or not, we will do it. Failure to get clear guidance will not impar many of us when it comes to the decision point. We will press on, try to get it right, and ask for forgiveness later.

The still small voice is not easy to hear, and perhaps, just perhaps we are not really asking for direction, we are consulting, asking for confirmation OUR plan is the right plan. Asking for confirmation is much different that asking for directions. If we have made up our mind, I think we may not hear the still small voice. Consulting for confirmation is different from dropping anchor and waiting on God before you move any direction.

Some people call this type of listening contemplative or reflective prayer. Sounds a little too much like a ‘new age’ thing to me so I just think of it as ‘getting still’ and letting God be God. Get still. Gettings still will shut out the noise, the ‘knowing I am God’ part is our clue to not empty our mind, but to focus our mind. Focus on the majesty and grandeur of God. This does require effort and practice. I find it a bit easier to do on my Walkabouts. Might not be the same for you, but that helps to keep me focused.

This ‘being still’ is active listening, it is shutting out all the things around us (I walk the same trail every day, I can walk that trail in my mind any time, any place). The trail helps me to shut out the distractions. This is key – I expect God to speak. Do not engage him — nothing is likely to happen. Engage and expect a response. We see a strong recurring theme in Psalms from David — My soul waits in silence for God only (Psalm 62:1); My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalms 42:2). I know he is God; I will be still and wait (implied Psalms 46:10)

No agenda? No prayer request to ruminate? God could say anything, God could ask me anything. Oh my. Dat is scarry. When we quietly wait on the Spirit, He may communicate extremely penetrating stuff—words of conviction, words of love, or no words at all – Just an overwhelming awareness of his presence.

David writes — You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11) Selah. I suspect I often do not stay in his presence long enough to hear his words of love; I blurt out my fears and a few thanks, then I move on — oblivious to this wonderful God, the One true living God who has slowed down and rested his hand on my head; only for me to move on. I wonder what I have missed. This is not easy. It takes a lifetime. Be patient with yourself. He is a deep pool of water.

I choose Jesus.

The Makers Mark

Published on by DanLeave a comment

It was my observation while reading Psalms — we quickly learn it is wise to talk to God about the cool stuff he has accomplished, our needs, and our struggles – then we seek insight from Him and His word. This is an intense encounter – This is meditation. Charles Spurgeon (a pastor from about 120 years ago) often said the Holy Spirit loves to illuminate the Son. For Spurgeon, this visual illumination came in the form of a prayer journal. As I recall, he would say our pencil is like a scalpel for our mind. If we take the time to write stuff down as we ruminate on something, God can and does become part of the formula. Write your internal conversation, ponder on the message, compare your thinking to the scripture you are thinking about. When we document things, we slow down our thoughts, we process more carefully, we hear more from the Holy Spirit. Try it — I suspect you will be pleased with the outcome.

Psalms 119:9-16 (paraphrased) says — How can a person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. As I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have taken the time to hide your word in my heart that I might not sin against you through ignorance. … Lord; teach me your decrees, your truth. Then, with focus, I am able to recount all the truth that comes from your heart. I rejoice in following your statutes and wisdom. … I meditate on your truth and consider your ways. I delight in your wisdom; I will not neglect the truth within your word when making decisions (NIV).

The last sentence in this quote says, ‘I meditate on your truth’. This is the notion I have been talking about. This is a commitment, a focused affirmation that we will start and stick to it. It is a response to the word of God, to the one true living God – we are saying YES. I know this takes effort; I am talking to myself as much as anyone who is reading this essay. But this level of thought should not be only for pastors, theologians, monks, but us, ordinary Christians who are slugging it out in a sea of evil, looking for the right path to follow. I suspect, without this kind of focus, it is difficult to experience a vibrant relationship with the one true living God. Push into this. You will be rewarded.

So, have a seat, read a few passages, think about the message, and press on with your day. Ask yourself, what exactly did I notice, how did it affect me, how will it affect my relationships at work and at home? Joshua wrote — Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8).

Do not make this complicated, do not be too hard on yourself. God gives you grace; you should be comfortable doing the same. The outcome of this effort is simple – you will grow, become at peace with yourself, your family, and your Job. Goodness, I know scripture is not easy to read. I do not wish to make you feel uncomfortable. I am not saying you need to become a Rhodes Scholar. But I do want to encourage you to dig a little deeper. When God speaks, we should listen. Good stuff will happen.

This notion of meditation, focused prayer, and scripture mining can help you become more stable. I am suggesting you think about stuff you are reading in scripture, ponder on it, poke around the verses, focus on the ideas, the individual words, and parallel passages. Actively ponder on the meaning and how you can employ this new-found data in your life. Seek his wisdom. You will soon see the impact on you.

You will know that you are getting someplace when you are able to say – I have learned something from scripture and I need to make some life changes. The hardest part of failure is getting back up. Successful people know this small but particularly important difference between success and failure. Get back up. Find the right path. Move forward. Give Elohim permission to put his ‘Makers Mark’ on your heart. I choose Jesus.