desert direction

He expands our hearts as we release (Advent week 3 day 1).

Advent … a time of waiting and longing and desire. We live into this season of the church calendar in order to fully experience our deepest of desires which is for Messiah. We were created to live moment by moment in the satisfaction of relationship with Him. So, as we pay attention to that desire, it makes possible the experience of that desire. Frequently, we live at the surface of desire, toying around with things and people and activities, when infinite joy is ours. This joy is found in the depths of our being. We learn to wait so that we discover Him anew. We learn to listen so that we begin to trust Him. Now, we learn to release all other desires so that we experience inner healing.

We all have the tendency to put up protective walls around our hearts. When we experience hurt or disappointment, there is a natural instinct to say “never again” and we put up a protective wall. This hardens our hearts … it shrinks our hearts so that we’re don’t put ourselves “out there” to be hurt all over again. Consequently, there is not room to live and move and breathe freely. We live at the surface of desire because our hearts are small and crowded with all the protective artillery of an army ready to defend at a moment’s notice. At one level or another, this is the human experience. This explains why we struggle to live at peace with others. It explains why we get hurt so easily or lash out so frequently. Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us there. In Christ, we are brought into God’s family with the opportunity to experience renovated hearts.

How does this work? In Psalm 119:32, the writer declares: “I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!” An enlarged heart is one which is free to run after God with abandon. This is the work of God in our lives as we learn to release and let go of all but Him. In John 10, we learn more as Jesus speaks of being our shepherd and leading us as we listen to His voice. Where does He lead us? Jesus adds to the shepherd image as He says:

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

The picture of salvation here is bigger than simply being saved from hell (although it includes that). It is an image of being able to move in and out of the sheep pen … finding our sustenance in “abundance.” Jesus says that this abundance of life is possible. It is also possible that we listen to the voice of the thief. What is that voice? It is the voice that says: “You’re on your own. You better protect yourself because no one else will.” It is the voice that says: “You can’t really live a life with God. That is for others, not you.” It is the voice which says: “You should just do whatever you want, because this life with God can’t be trusted. God is just trying to control you.” Jesus says it is the voice of a thief because he wants to steal and kill any hope that is present. These voices of the thief of the very reason why we have protective walls in our hearts. These voices of the thief explain why our hearts are often so small.

As we begin to listen to His voice, we will hear Him say: “Come back … return … let go … release.” In Isaiah 30:15-16, God graciously calls His people to a place of renewal. Notice the words that are used.

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds.”

The word “saved” speaks of being delivered and rescued by God in this life. We experience that as we return to Him. The word “return” could also be translated as repentance. Repentance is one of those words which has been turned into a harsh word screamed by preachers. However, repent is one of the most beautiful words known to man. It makes sense that the “thief” would distort the word in our thinking, because “repent” is a word which speaks of return and renewal and rejoicing. We repent when we let go of finding our strength in anything but Him. Notice that the people of Israel were unwilling because they wanted to put their trust in horses. To our modern ears, it sounds quaint and strange but horses were the ancient symbol of power and strength and wealth. If one had a horse, they could travel or flee danger or pursue their dreams. God offered Himself but the people wanted horses. We are often in the same place. God offers Himself but we want (you can fill in the blank).

Finally, God also says that it is in “quietness and trust” that we are strengthened. God graciously calls us to let go, to release all else but Him. The problem is that we can feel very weak. In quiet, we listen and learn to trust because letting go can feel like death! That’s because letting go involves a kind of dying. The great writer and woman of God, Elisabeth Elliot said, “Many deaths must go into reaching our maturity in Christ, many letting goes.” Brother Lawrence commented that:

“The heart must be emptied of all other things, because God will possess the heart alone; and as He cannot possess it alone without emptying it of all besides, so neither can He act there, and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him.”

As we walk this mortal coil, we often feel that paradox of desiring God and yet desiring other things. The beauty of learning to release and let go is that God graciously invites us to let go. He doesn’t force us. He desires for us to come with open hands so that He can fill them. And, this is a process that goes on day by day as He invites us anew. It’s a relationship that has to be nurtured and He doesn’t overwhelm. He leads us one step at a time. The paradox will be there and it’s ok because He is never all we want until He is all we have. Jesus alone is the hope of the Gospel and it’s where He is leading us … open fields of abundance.

What do you need to release today? Don’t worry about all that you need to release but what is it today? Quiet yourself before Him and simply ask, “Father, what shall I release today?”

Father, I admit that I am a bundle of paradoxes. I want to live in You alone. I confess this is my deepest desire and yet I have other desires. Today, give me the courage to let go. Give me the strength to repent. Give me eyes to see those places of strength to which I cling that I might release all to You. Thank you for Your patience and grace and leading in my life. Enlarge my heart. Amen.

He softens our hearts as we listen (Advent week 2 day 5).

Part of learning to listen to God is learning that we often hear and then listen to our false-self. Our false sense of self speaks within our heart and says, “You need to have (certain things) to be significant” or “You need to do (certain things) to be respected” or “You need people to treat you (a certain way) in order to feel worthy.” Our false-self operates independently of God and demands that its desires be fulfilled. When they aren’t, we feel a sense of unworthiness. We might have this nagging sense that things aren’t right – that something is wrong with us. This leads to sin, a striving to make our false-self feel better without God. Then, people in our lives become either someone who affirms or denies our false-self. People are no longer recipients of our love, but objects that we desire or despise. This self-talk is frequently happening below the surface of our conscious awareness which can be a challenge.

In the Christmas songs “O Holy Night,” we find the line: “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” This lyric beautifully illustrates what happens when we live from our false-self. The “pining” describes the desires of the false-self which always leads to sin and error (i.e., living independently of God and struggling to live in relationship with others). When we live according to voice of the false-self, there is not room for God or others in our hearts. The answer to the problem of the false-self is beautifully described in the second half of this lyric. When Jesus appeared, the soul felt its worth. Rather than listening to the voice of the false-self, Jesus speaks a new truth into our souls.

How does this work? How is it that the soul feels its worth? Consider the Apostle Paul’s words:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14

Notice all the richness of this passage: when His grace (Jesus) appears, we are brought into a relationship with God (“bringing salvation”) as we trust in Him. Then, we are (by His grace) taught to renounce “worldly passions” which are the voices (the demands) of the false-self. His grace is the beautiful message: we are loved without condition, we are strong when we are weak, and we are significant because we belong to Him. His grace teaches us that we don’t need anything that the false-self desires and demands. Also, notice also the word “wait” … we can know that even when we feel “less than” or unworthy because there is more of the story to be revealed. Finally, we belong to Him (“a people for his own possession”) which ensures that we are secure and strong and significant.

Are you listening to the demeaning voice of the false-self that says you are lacking and therefore need to strive to prove your worth? Or, are you listening to God who speaks grace over your life again and again which allows you to stop and rest?

Make no mistake! When you hear: “I don’t belong” or “I’m not good enough” or “There is something wrong with me” … these are not the voice of God. God speaks love and grace and acceptance because, in Christ, this is what is most true about us. When we keep listening to voice of the false-self, we will be led back into sin (living independently of God) over and over again.

It gets tricky when we consider that sin and weakness will be a part of our lives. However, we can learn to renounce or “say no” to the demands of the false self as a response to our sin and weakness when we listen to His grace.  One writer illustrates how our listening can change:

“Two prisoners whose cells adjoin communicate with each other by knocking on the wall. The wall is the thing which separates them but is also their means of communication. It is the same with us and God. Every separation is a link.” Simone Weil

Here’s the point: let your sin, your weakness be the connecting point with God rather than a dividing line. When you are feeling that sense of disconnected, unworthiness, or lack, let that be your cue to listen to God, to let Him in.

Today, practice listening to His voice as it relates to your sin and weakness. When you are confronted with the voice of the false-self, stop and ask God what He wants to say. If words other than grace arise, calmly “say no” to them. Wait and listen for the soft, gentle but strong voice of God who “will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love” (Zephaniah 3:17). As you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart but listen and therefore act out of that foundation of love rather than the false-self.

Take a few minutes and practice this now.

Begin with this prayer and then sit quietly before Him:

Father, help me to silence every creature, including myself. I want to listen to You as I hear your voice. Help me to learn stillness so that I might be attentive to Your good and gracious voice. As I hear, may I have the courage to follow Your heart from my heart. Thank you for desiring to do life with me.

He softens our hearts as we listen (Advent week 2 day 4).

On that first Christmas Eve, an angel of the Lord appeared to a group of shepherds and said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) It is fascinating that the first words were “fear not.” The angel could have simply started with “Behold.” Why “fear not?” First, the appearance of the angel was glorious, and it frightened those humble shepherds. That makes sense. Second, hearing from God can be a little fearful. It is our deep desire but what if He tells me to do something I don’t want to do. Third, as humans, we tend to be fearful. “Do not fear” is the most common command in the Bible.

As we continue to ponder the challenge “if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart” (Hebrews 3 and Psalm 95), thinking through this issue of fear is significant. Quite simply, fear is the response we have to a perceived threat. Expression of fear can be either active or passive. We might express fear through passively cowering in the corner or we can express fear through actively fighting against things, taking life by the collar and not letting go. Ultimately, the threats we perceive have to do with our well-being. We ask questions like: “Is life going to go ok for me?” “Am I going to be hurt?” “Am I going to make it?” “Will I ever get to __________?” “Will _________ever stop?”

The challenge with fear is that it often runs in the backgrounds of our minds and hearts, subtly guiding and directing our responses and decisions. In his book, Everything Belongs, Richard Rohr writes:

“Our culture teaches us that everything out there is hostile. We have to compare, dominate, control, and insure. In brief, we have to be in charge. That need to be in charge moves us deeper and deeper into a world of anxiety.”

As we are seeking to listen to God, fear is a challenge we need to address. It can keep us from hearing God and also listening (trusting) God. So, how do we address the presence of fear in our lives?

First, we need to remember that God spoke to shepherds. In the first century, shepherds were not the heroes of the story like we often see in Christmas pageants. Shepherds were very common laborers who worked bad hours and were often away from their families. It was not a prestigious profession. They were everyday people! One of the fearful questions that can plague us is: “will God speak to me? I’m nothing special.” The simple answer: “of course.” Jesus describes Himself as a shepherd (John 10:1-5). He came to us as one of us and His sheep can know His voice. It is not magic or superior knowledge that allows us to hear His voice. It is His goodness as a tender shepherd.

Second, we might be fearful that God will tell us to do something that we can’t do or don’t want to do. Here is the glorious truth: God always leads us in ways that connect with our deepest desires. We are hardwired to live in relationship with God. We may not always be aware of this truth and other desires may be more in our awareness, but it is that truth which is deeper than all other truth. In Isaiah 55:1-2, God says to His people:

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”

The point is simply this: we tend to spend our resources (time, energy, and money) on things that can’t satisfy our deepest longings and if we “listen” to God, He graciously (freely) leads us to that which is good and ultimately satisfying. We can trust that. The first words from the Angel, after “don’t be afraid,” were “behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The news that God brings is “joy.” We can trust. Our deepest joy and God’s heart are always in concert with one another.

Finally, we can approach a seemingly hostile world without fear as we learn to listen to God. His voice is one of calm and peace and rest. Fear is not from Him. Fear and anxiety are not part of His vocabulary. In Psalm 95, part of the foundation of listening to God is remembering that He is the creator: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (v 6) There are two significant ideas here. First, we can let go of fear because He is the Creator. This world is His and there is nothing beyond His knowledge or control. “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” (v 4) The ancient peoples were afraid of the ocean. The mountains were the realm of bandits and thieves. God says: no realm of life is outside My influence. Second, all of the created order contains the embedded message that we need not fear. Anything that comes into our view can be an opportunity to listen to God.

In Matthew 6, Jesus used flowers and birds to illustrate His challenge: “do not be anxious.” Today, as you walk through your day, ask God to speak to you through His creation. As you ponder the trees, the hills, the moon, the stars, the birds, or the flowers … ask God to tell you about Himself. Hear His voice and listen (take it to heart and ponder it).

Utilize this prayer throughout your day as an expression of your trust:

Father, help me to silence every creature, including myself. I want to listen to You as I hear your voice. Help me to learn stillness so that I might be attentive to Your good and gracious voice. As I hear, may I have the courage to follow Your heart from my heart. Thank you for desiring to do life with me.

He softens our hearts as we listen (Advent week 2 day 3).

There is something about the Advent and Christmas Season that gives us an expectation of hearing from God. Maybe it comes from the some of the songs we sing like “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Perhaps, it is something even deeper that is stirred this time of year.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” There are seasons to life (described in the previous verses) … all of which are beautiful, purposeful, and meaningful as we listen to God. The idea of “eternity in the heart” is we intuitively have a sense that life is much bigger than us. However, the phrase “he cannot find out” speaks to the reality that we are finite creatures and need God’s voice to speak into the circumstances of our lives.

The words from Hebrews 3 that encourage, “If you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart,” are part of a quote from Psalm 95. In the verses prior this encouragement to listen, we are find this challenge:

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 95:2)

The idea is simple. We are in His presence all the time. In fact, because God is infinite and omnipresent, we are always in His presence. However, there is the truth of His presence and there is the experience of His presence. The psalmist is declaring that we come into, or experience, His presence when we are thankful. Gratefulness gives us ears to hear God. Psalm 100:4 declares the same idea with slightly different words: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!”

A thankful heart enables us to hear what God is saying through all the events and circumstances of our lives. The verse in Ecclesiastes about everything being beautiful in its time refers to the familiar poem:

 “For everything there is a season, and time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

How are we able to be thankful in all of these things? It is rooted in the trust that He is present with us in all things. He is speaking. In his book, Everything Belongs, Richard Rohr said: “Everything belongs and everything can be received. We don’t have to deny, dismiss, defy, or ignore. What is, is okay. What is, is the great teacher. I have always seen this as the deep significance of Jesus’ refusal of the drugged wine on the cross.”

When we approach everything in life as an opportunity for God to speak to us and teach us and lead us, we are in a place to hear from Him. When we are thankful, we move into a place to listen. When we are not thankful, we might be able to conceptually understand that God is at work in all things but we will likely not be open to what He has to say. We will likely not be able to receive each circumstance as Him speaking to us.

The opposite of gratitude is not ingratitude, but entitlement. In each situation of life, we either approach it with gratitude (God is graciously in it and I want to listen) or entitlement (I either do or don’t deserve this). If I am in a tough marriage, I can live daily with a sense of entitlement and fail to perceive God’s ways or I can seek to be thankful for what He is doing in it and listen to His voice of encouragement and wisdom. If I have been given great wealth, I can live with entitlement and believe that it is all about me or I can respond with thanksgiving and surrender to God’s purposes. Entitlement hardens the heart, but gratitude softens the heart. With entitlement, God is a means to an end. With gratitude, God is the end, the goal, the prize.

Often, we are like kids on Christmas morning looking at the pair of pants our parents gave us. We might not hear the love spoken through the gift because we believe we are entitled a new pair of pants, and therefore it is not seen as being a good gift. When there is gratitude, we see life as a gift, even the hard things. When there is gratitude, we hear from God in all of life, even in the hard things. Gratitude opens our ears to hear the gentle voice of God.

Today, create a note that you can carry with you and keep in sight that says “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18-19) As you walk through your day, notice those time when entitlement rises up (e.g., “I don’t deserve this.” “Why me?” “I wish I had _______.”) and pray this verse as you ask the Father to speak to through the situation in question.

Pray this pray as a simple statement of your desire:

Father, help me to silence every creature, including myself. I want to listen to You as I hear your voice. Help me to learn stillness so that I might be attentive to Your good and gracious voice. As I hear, may I have the courage to follow Your heart from my heart. Thank you for desiring to do life with me.

He softens our hearts as we listen (Advent week 2 day 2).

We can often catch ourselves saying, “I just wish God would speak to me!” He has and He does. He is always speaking (even through His silence) and He is always at work (just not in ways that we might expect). Christmas is a grand testimony to the voice and activity of God, and yet it is easy to miss Him in the commotion of the season.

The reason that humility is foundational to our listening is because we must let go of our own perspectives and prejudices. We possess ways of thinking that cloud our ability to see God at work. Thomas Merton commented that there is a difference between looking and seeing. When we look, we have something in mind that we want to see. We’ve made up our mind about what we believe we need and only look for it. When we see, we are open to whatever it is that God brings before us. There is an openness and receptivity. Humility allows us to see rather than simply look, and consequently, we are able to see (listen to) God.

In Hebrews 3, God says, “If you hear my voice, don’t harden your heart” and the following verses describe a dynamic where God was speaking but the people didn’t hear:

“do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’” (Hebrews 3:8-10)

The writer of Hebrews is describing the people’s inability to listen to what God had been saying for all these years. What were the works they saw for forty years? It began with being delivered from slavery in Egypt and being delivered through the parting of the Red Sea. He miraculously provided water and daily bread. Even as they complained, He provided quail to eat. The list could go on, but it can definitely be said that God was at work! They could perceive (hear) but they didn’t get it (listen). It was an issue of the heart (“they always go astray in their heart”) that led to not knowing His ways.

In Isaiah 55:8, God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” This seems obvious enough but is there a reliable way forward? In the previous verses, God shares the foundation of this difference:

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live (Isaiah 55:1-3)

The water and the bread in these verses are God Himself. Relationship with Him is a gift (“without money and without price”) and is the only thing which will satisfy us. These words provoke questions: do I thirst and hunger for God? Or, am I hungry for that which does not satisfy? Our desires shape our hearts and consequently our ability to listen. I see what I desire. I hear what I want. The way that we hear God is by desiring Him. If I am seeking God but “listening” in a different language (desiring things other than Him), I will miss it when He is speaking. It would be like listening to the radio in a language not our own. We hear things but they don’t translate.

Set aside some time for quiet prayer and ask God to show you what you most desire. Likely, there is a mixture of things (some pure and some impure). Get a blank piece of paper and a pen. Ask Him to help you see those places in your heart where you desire to find satisfaction in things other than Him.  As the Father brings things to your mind, write them down. Finally, mentally walk through each thing and cross it out as you simply pray, “Father, I desire you more than this.”

End your time with this prayer of listening:

Father, help me to silence every creature, including myself. I want to listen to You as I hear your voice. Help me to learn stillness so that I might be attentive to Your good and gracious voice. As I hear, may I have the courage to follow Your heart from my heart. Thank you for desiring to do life with me.

He softens our hearts as we listen (Advent week 2 day 1).

There is a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is when we are able to physically register that there is a sound in our environment. And, hearing may even extend to translating those sounds into some sort of meaning. Listening, however, occurs when we take those words to heart.

In Hebrews 3:7-8, there is a phrase that is repeated several times in the chapter. “Today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts.” In these words, we see the difference between and the important of hearing and listening. Hearing speaks of the content (“if you hear His voice”) and listening has to do with the heart (“don’t harden your hearts”). As we choose to listen, God softens our hearts. When we don’t listen, our hearts are hard or resistant to what God is saying.

Note of caution: we generally would not consider ourselves to be hard of heart. However, hardness of heart, or not listening to God, is seen as a real challenge in the Scriptures. Over and over, God implores with us to look at our hearts. Those who are committed and serious about God will tend to have all the right actions but not from heart (cf. Matthew 23:25-26, the outside of the cup is clean but the inside is full of greed and self-indulgence). Others may initially receive what is said but fail to listen amid the clamor and noise of life (cf. Mark 4:16-17, the troubles of life are a distraction). Finally, there are some who are distracted because other desires seem to be stronger (cf. Mark 4:18-19, the promise of riches and others things to make life easy).

There is something deeper than the pride of right actions and the hurts of harsh realities and the desires for a pain-free existence. That something deeper is what is promised at Christmas: a life with God … a life where we are experiencing love, joy, peace, patience, goodness because we are experiencing Him and listening to Him.

To receive the gifts of Christmas, we have to be able to listen. We don’t change and grow through magic or wishing it so but through a relationship of listening (heartfelt response to what is heard; often called “obedience”). We begin relationship with God through receiving the gift of forgiveness because of what Jesus did on the cross. We grow in the relationship as we do what He asks. His “asks” are for our hearts … all the commands of Scripture are for our hearts … that we would live from the heart according to our created design.

We need to be able to hear … and listen.

We spent the first week of Advent learning to wait … letting go of our perspectives, interpretations, and expectations. In doing this, He humbles us so that we are now in a place of being able to listen.

As we embark on sharpening our listening skills, there is one thing we need to keep in mind. He is always speaking. Several hundred years ago, Francois Fenelon wrote:

“We must silence every creature, including self, that in the deep stillness of soul we may perceive the ineffable voice of the Bridegroom. We must lend an attentive ear, for his voice is soft and still, and is only heard of those who hear nothing else! Ah, how rare it is to find a soul still enough to hear God speak! The slightest murmur of our vain desires, or of a love fixed upon self, confounds all the words of the Spirit of God. We hear well enough that he is speaking, and that he is asking for something, but we cannot distinguish what is said … let us recognize, then, the fact that God is incessantly speaking in us.”

As we begin this week of listening, practice the discipline of hearing today. Take 5-10 minutes of solitude and ask: “Father, what do You do desire to say to me today?”

• Begin with a Scripture reading (Hebrews 3:7-8), and then sit quietly and listen.
• Are there are voices, noises, or thoughts distracting you? Don’t try to control the distractions, just let them go (this is part of learning to hear/listen).
• Return to listening with a simple, “Father, Your servant is listening.”

*Don’t worry if you don’t hear anything, you are simply learning to put yourself in a place to hear/listen, and often, the Father just enjoys sitting quietly with us.

At the end of this time, simply pray:

Father, help me to silence every creature, including myself. I want to listen to You as I hear your voice. Help me to learn stillness so that I might be attentive to Your good and gracious voice. As I hear, may I have the courage to follow Your heart from my heart. Thank you for desiring to do life with me.

He humbles our hearts as we wait (Advent week 1 day 6).

The great German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that “the celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” This may sound strange to our modern ears but it actually contains the echoes of the eternal, timeless message of Jesus when He said in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God.” It is the humble who know they need a Savior moment by moment in life. And, it is the humble who experience blessing because they are living under His gracious rule in their lives (“kingdom of God”).

The harsh reality is that living with a sense that we are poor and imperfect doesn’t come naturally or easily. We are much more likely to adopt another, much more self-protective, response to life in a broken, mixed up world. There are generally two paths:

First, we might be complainers. We might not think of ourselves as complainers but do you ever believe that if only situations and people changed, you could be happy? Do you ever consider the difficulties in your life to simply be the fault of others?

Here’s the problem: when we complain, we are holding hard things at a distance rather than embracing the reality that we are being affected. Instead of looking inward at how we are responding to life, we are pushing everything away from us. Complaining keeps us distanced from reality and therefore from God. God lives in the reality of what is, not in our conceptions of the way we wish things were.

Second, we might be in denial. This is the polar opposite of being a complainer but with the same effect. Those in denial act like everything is “just fine” even when it isn’t. There are times and situations that are just plain hard. Like complaining, when we live in denial, we are also not embracing reality.

There is, however, a third way and it is in the middle of these two extremes. It is the way of James 1:19 where we are challenged to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”

1. Being “quick to listen” means that we stop and ask God about what is going on. Rather than complaining (assuming we know how to assess things) or living in denial (acting like everything is really ok), we humble ourselves by asking God. “God, what do you want to say about what’s going on?”
2. Being “slow to speak” means that we stay in a place of dependence upon God. What will be has not been revealed. What His plans are for this situation have not completely played out. We wait rather than spew our incomplete perspective.
3. Being “slow to anger” means that we consider the deeper emotions of how we are responding. Anger is a secondary emotion. There is always something deeper than anger. Perhaps, it is hurt or embarrassment or disappointment or shame or fear. There may be times where we need to get angry but it is only healthy when it is not simply a covering for a deeper emotion. When that is the case, the anger can be unwieldy and damaging to us and others.

When we stop, stay, and consider, the result is that we are waiting with God and not rushing away from pain. We are able to confront our own poverty and imperfection. Then, we are living with a contentment that God is with us and He is at work. G. K. Chesterton wrote that contentment is “the power of getting out of a situation all that there is in it.”

Andreas Ebert suggested much the same:

“If we are unwilling to live askew for a while, to be set off balance, to wait on the ever spacious threshold, we remain in the same old room all our lives. If we will not balance knowing with a kind of open ended not knowing – nothing seems to happen. Thus it is called ‘faith’ and demands living with a certain degree of anxiety and holding a very real amount of tension.”

The counsel to slow down and wait places us in a perfect position to listen to God, and this sets us up for the next movement in our journey of “preparing Him room in our hearts.”

Today, as you encounter the hard things of life (whether things close to home or things you’re seeing in the news), ask yourself: do I tend to complain or live in denial? Notice your tendencies, but move away from them. Ask God what He has to say, waiting for His wisdom before you speak, and consider what is going on in your heart, deeper than the anger. Finally, stay in a place of waiting dependence, and once again, pray this prayer:

Gracious Father, humble my heart as I wait on you. Give me the strength to stop and wait so that you can be the One who saves me. Give me eyes to see my nakedness today but then to trust that You alone can clothe me. Use your Word, the world around me, and the words of others that I might see You alone as my savior all the day long. Amen.

He humbles our hearts as we wait (Advent week 1 day 5).

Waiting can be wearying if we are simply waiting as an exercise of our will power. However, the Biblical concept of waiting is not a “grit your teeth and bear it” kind of thing. It’s a joyful resting in the goodness and grace of God. We might not see His goodness and grace in our present circumstances, but this restful waiting unlocks the deep truth that He is at always work and He is always present in our lives.

Author Paula Gooder encourages the spiritual discipline of waiting as she writes:

“Waiting draws us into a different way of being that does not rush to easy answers – that often have complex consequences – but takes account of not just our own welfare but that of all those around us. Waiting involves seeing differently and recognizing that quick answers are not always the best ones.”

The answers that we can rush into often work at a subconscious level. When we can’t see God at work, our deep heart may assume that He isn’t at work. Consequently, we feel this urge to take charge. Our world is rife with “wisdom” that we have to take charge and seize the opportunity. That narrative seeps into our souls. The result is that we put ourselves in the driver’s seat and reduce God to a kindly repairman who will keep our car running.

Thankfully, God is patient with us and He has bigger plans for us. He desires for us to live in a trustful rhythm where He is in the driver’s seat and we are His servants, His friends. Waiting humbles us and reminds us of our created design which is also our greatest joy.

In the New Testament Epistle of James, we read the challenging counsel:

”Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7-8

The challenge? Be patient … wait. The context of this challenge is looking at the “rich” who use their wealth for themselves. We may not, by definition, be rich but there is an attitude of self … self-preservation, self-promotion, self-protection … that can be a part of our lives. The lie is that we can or even should be the master of our world. To that attitude, the counsel is: be patient. Why? Because when life seems out of control (i.e., “where is God? Does He even care? Is He involved here?”), our temptation is seize the wheel. The counsel? Be patient. Wait. Why? Two reasons:

1. The coming of the Lord is at hand (or, near). The idea is that He is involved. He is present. He does have a plan. So, be patient …
2. He is at work. The “early and late rains” reference is often lost on a modern audience. The early and late rains are a symbol of God’s provision and a farmer’s dependence upon something outside himself to take care of things. The people of Israel were geographically and meteorologically dependent as they raised crops. The contrast was the farming of the people of Egypt (and the people of Israel experience this when slaves Egypt) in which they built irrigation canals. They used water from the Nile and other rivers anytime they desired. They were in control. God’s counsel here is that we can patient because He is in charge and we can trust. He will provide.

Why depend upon God if we have our own resources? Because living this way is indeed our created design and only waiting will usher us into a place of dependence. The “established heart” in James 5 is a strong heart which is humble because it is shaped by hope in God – not hope in self. The illusion of having our own resources and trusting in them is that it makes us strong. The deep truth is that it makes us weak because it stresses us and converts us into something we were never designed to be …

Spend a few minutes with the Lord, asking Him: in what ways am I like a “rich” farmer? When am I tempted to build my own irrigation ditches rather than trust that God is present and that He is at work?

Finally, express your trust and dependence as you pray:

Gracious Father, humble my heart as I wait on you. Give me the strength to stop and wait so that you can be the One who saves me. Give me eyes to see my nakedness today but then to trust that You alone can clothe me. Use your Word, the world around me, and the words of others that I might see You alone as my savior all the day long. Amen.

Note: we look at “waiting” for another day and then move into the next part of “preparing room” which is the amazing truth that He softens our hearts as we listen.