He expands our hearts as we release (Advent week 3 day 5).

“They shall call his name Immanuel which means, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

Jesus was born so that the truth of “God with us” could be reality in each of our lives. The very essence of life is “God with us.” We were created to be with God. Our lives are full and meaningful when we are with God … doing life with Him. It is an intensely relational reality and we are relational beings!

Sin is doing life without God. It is exactly what Adam and Eve did in the beginning. They decided to go it alone and that “stance” led to the act of doing what God had told them not to do, eating the fruit. We engage in sinful acts when we decide to go it alone. We can stay in this “stance” and act out of it. However, Christmas and the coming of Jesus into the world means that we can do life from a “God with us” stance … depending upon Him. If we have entered into a relationship with God through trusting Jesus Christ as Messiah, “God with us” is the fundamental truth of our lives. However, we may not be living in that truth … it may not be our fundamental experience. Living in that reality (which is the deepest desire of our lives) requires releasing.

When we are living independently, our hearts are small. We have those protective walls up because what is most real is our pain, our separation from God, our loneliness. So, we act in what we believe is our best interests. Note: it is acting out of what we believe and our self-interest. When we move into the reality of “God with us,” our hearts expand and we are able to act out of love for God and others. Again, it requires a releasing. We have to let go in order to experience what is most true about us in Christ.

The writer of Hebrews challenges us “if you hear his voice, don’t harden you hearts.” This speaks to listening, but he also talks about the releasing that happens after we listen to the call of God. When we are captured by the vision of the “God with us” life, we are listening and our hearts soften. Next, comes the releasing:

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (3:13)

What is the deceitfulness of sin? Think of it this way: if sin is the stance of living independently of God, then the deceitfulness of sin refers to beliefs we hold about the benefits of doing life independently of God. The reality is that we are only truly happy when we are doing life with God. So, we are encouraged to let go of the erroneous beliefs that tell us “you will be happy if _________.” True joy is not dependent upon doing something, being something, or having a specific circumstance in our lives. It is our reality that we experience when we let go of all else but this gracious gift of God with us.

What beliefs about what will make you happy do you need to release? Here’s a list of potential “deceitfulness of sin” statements:

I will be happy if I do good things.

I will be happy if I feel loved.

I will be happy if I feel admired.

I will be happy if I feel unique.

I will be happy if I can be competent.

I will be happy if I can have security.

I will be happy if I can be content.

I will be happy if I am in control.

I will be happy if I am at peace.

St. Ignatius spoke to this challenge to release when he said:

“It is necessary that we become indifferent to all created things so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what helps us praise, reverence, and serve God.”

How do we become indifferent and therefore open to the true joy of an expanded heart that can hold the love of God and others? We release. How do we know what to release? Pay attention to your emotions because they are reliable indicators of what we believe will make us happy. As you notice agitation, restlessness, unhappiness, loneliness, or anger, ask yourself what you are believing will make you happy.

Begin with the list above and prayerfully ask God for insight into your life. It may come quickly or you may have to stay with it for a while. What are your “deceitfulness of sin” statements? Next, ask the Lord to make you aware of your emotions throughout the day. When you notice something, stop, release, and pray this Psalm:

Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:23-26

Releasing begins with a fundamental belief that life is only found in a “God with us” life and an understanding that we are in need of that life. We need to release and let go of old ways of thinking.

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 expands our hearts as we release (Advent week 3 day 4).

As we continue to walk toward Christmas in this season of Advent, we are wise to consider how Mary prepared room in her heart for Messiah. Mary was challenged to make room in her body to carry the Christ child, but it started with her heart. Mary was not an unwilling participant but she asked questions and pondered what it would mean to welcome the divine into her life in such a personal way.

We are invited to make room in our hearts for Christ as well so that we might display Him for the world to see. For Mary, she was approached by angel and immediately she began to consider the nature of what was going on. The angel called her “favored one” and Luke 1:29 says that “she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.” The idea of “troubled” meant that she was not taking this lightly and understood that something significant was happening. Next, the angel shares that she will become pregnant and bear the Messiah. Rather than jump for joy at being chosen, she begins to realize the cost and ask questions. She realized that this would mean her world being thrown upside down.

How often do we fail to count the costs? We jump right in with joy at the prospect of God being at work in our lives and don’t ask the appropriate questions. Certainly, there is joy but we have to consider and ponder what it will mean to make room in our lives for Messiah. Mary asks the simple question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) More than a simple logistical question, I wonder if Mary was also considering: “What will this do to my reputation? Am I going to have to let go of my hope to get married and have a family?” Mary had to let go of her identity as a good young girl who was preparing to be married. We know from later accounts in the Gospels (cf. Mark 6:3, John 8:41) that people questioned the legitimacy of Jesus’ birth as they hinted at him being born out of wedlock.

Part of making room in our hearts for Christ is releasing our identity. We may see ourselves for what we are: teachers, doctors, builders, mothers, fathers, nurses, writers, caregivers, waiters, sons, daughters, spouses, etc. We might also see ourselves for what we are not: married (or, happily married), parents, gainfully employed, well-off, appreciated, etc. The list can fluctuate from season to season but whenever our identity is in anything but Christ first, we will struggle in making room for Him in our lives. We were not designed as human beings to hold on to any of these other identities for what gives us a sense of worth or strength or love. Christ will always get crowded out or reduced to simply helping us find our worth in these other identities. We are invited to let go, to release, these other places where we might find our identity.

Mary received that invitation and she said:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

We were created to live with a sense of identity in Him … relying upon Him to be our deepest sense of worth and strength and love. When we choose to see ourselves primarily in light of some other identity, we are running from our created design. Especially during the Christmas season, we can struggle with not feeling love or worth (perhaps even descending into the pit of loneliness) as we look at everyone else’s “perfect” Christmas cards.

Henri Nouwen, in speaking about identity, offered this:

“Your true identity is as a child of God. This is the identity you have to accept. Once you have claimed it and settled in it, you can live in a world that gives you much joy as well as pain. You can receive the praise as well as the blame that comes to you as an opportunity for strengthening your basic identity, because the identity that makes you free is anchored beyond all human praise and blame. You belong to God.”

He goes to say to say that we often allow others to become a part of our basic identity and we feel that we cannot live without them …

“But they could not fulfill that divine role, so they left you, and you felt abandoned. But it is precisely that experience of abandonment that called you back to your true identity as a child of God. Only God can fully dwell in that deepest place in you and give you a sense of safety. But the danger remains that you will let other people run away with your sacred center, thus throwing you into anguish.”

To prepare that room in our hearts, there are identities that we must release. Today, as you walk through your day, ask the Father to make you aware of those places and times when you are resting in some identity other than as a child of God. Emotions can often be our clearest clue that our identity is in something other than Jesus. It begins with trusting that you were made for something deeper than being in a certain relationship or having certain things or doing certain things. As you are aware of identifying with anything other than Christ, simply stop and proclaim, “I am a child of God, safe and secure and loved in Him.” This allows the releasing to begin, and as you release, He is able to inhabit your heart in ever deepening ways.

Begin now, take a few minutes and ask the Father to show you those “other identities” that you may be holding. And, then take a few minutes and put the following prayer into your own words:

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

The Christmas story is one of joy and peace and hope. We see those words sprinkled around in the decorations of the seasons, but they describe the end of the story instead of the beginning. To get to the end, we always have to start at the beginning. The key word that describes the beginning is incarnation which speaks of Jesus coming “in the flesh.” This is clear form John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

But, why is this significant? Because it means that Jesus came to get His hands dirty … to live in the mess of this world. By living in the midst of it, He was able to bring joy and peace and hope. And, what does this mean for us? Along with incarnation, the other words that would be more helpful would be invasion and infiltration. He came to invade our lives and go behind enemy lines. It’s hard to see such an intensity in the small hands and tiny feet of a baby, but it’s all there if you look hard enough.

The question we have to ask ourselves is: will I let Him in … past my lines of defense? As we learn to listen to Him, we begin to trust as our hearts are softened. Then, the next step of trust is to release. Will I release myself to Him? Will I let Him have His way?

It can get tricky because He is not a demanding, severe God and we can mistake His gentleness for nonchalance as we say “It’s not that big of a deal if I hold on to this one part of my life.” Is He gracious and patient? Yes! But, it is a big deal. As we release and let go, we find life … His life unfolding inside of us. Do you have a vision for what this life might be like? The great C. S. Lewis suggested the following:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

Is there a part of your life to which you are clinging? Is there something that you are not releasing? Are you holding up the remodeling project? Often, we are resistant to God’s plans but we aren’t even fully aware. How do we know if there are parts of our lives in which we are resisting? There are three primary ways we resist:

1. We can act like everything in our lives is okay. (denial)
2. We can compare ourselves to others and proclaim that we’re not that bad.
3. We can talk about theological truth but keep it abstract.

The gracious remodeling project is ongoing in this life. Jesus desires to keep expanding and growing the capacity of hearts so that we might experience more and more of Him. The Apostle Paul talks about us being “filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19) That is the hope! That is the vision.

What do you need to release? What wall do you need to let Him knock down? Start with resistance. Pray and ask God to show you places where you are resistant. As you see it, release specific control as you pray: “My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I am not my own because I was bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Today, as you walk through your day, pray this prayer as the Spirit brings it to your mind:

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 expands our hearts as we release (Advent week 3 day 2).

Expectations have a way of shaping our perception of reality. And, most of the time we are unaware of our expectations. We wear expectations like a pair of glasses that filter out what we don’t want and lock in on what we do.

Most people missed the entrance of Jesus into the world because He came in a very unexpected way. He was born in a feeding trough for animals in a cave behind an inn for travelers. It was very uneventful. In the same way, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem as an adult was equally unexpected.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5)

Most would have expected the King to come on a horse (a symbol of victory and power). Additionally, the birth of a King, one would think, would be in a royal family with pomp and circumstance. There were actually rumors throughout Jesus’ life that he was born illegitimately.

Today, we can miss the work and presence of God in our lives because we expect. We expect that God would work in this way or that way. It might be that we don’t expect suffering. In fact, we expect “blessing” that looks like ease and pleasure and good times. Then, when suffering is present, we have no way of seeing God at work. Or, it could be that we expect people to treat us a certain way and when they don’t, we can’t imagine that God could be in it. The list could go on, but expectations have a way of blurring our vision. Further, they can shift our hearts to a dark place. Gerald May made the observation that “Expectations are premeditated resentments.” Our hearts don’t see what they want to see and consequently move into a place of bitterness.

Do you find yourself bitter or resentful about anything in your life? Notice the counsel of 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” How do we humble ourselves? By trusting God with our anxieties. The issue is not the bitterness (the need to humble oneself) per se but the anxiety underneath it. Anxiety is the internal struggle created when expectations don’t match experience.

Releasing expectations is essential if we are going to move into all that God desires for us. Anxiety has a way of shrinking our hearts so that there is not room for God. Physically, we may even feel muscle tension or shortness of breath. As we release expectations, our hearts expand and are able to hold whatever is and however God is involved. Meister Eckhart observed: “God is not attained by a process of addition to anything in the soul, but by a process of subtraction.” As we subtract expectations, we suddenly have room for God. We don’t do this by trying to control our anxiety and expectations but by “releasing” them (“casting all your anxieties”). We can do this because He cares about us. We can let go because He has plans and ways that are loving and gracious and wise and perfect.

Expectations are best discerned by looking at our anxieties. Spend a few minutes prayerfully asking: “what am I anxious about?” Then, consider: what are the expectations underneath that anxiety? Once you’ve identified the expectation, release it as you simply pray: Father, I know you care so I let go of my grip on this version of reality. Meditate on 1 Peter 5:6-7 and repeat this exercise as you are able throughout the day.

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 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.