This morning I picked up the green book, A Guide To Prayer For All Who Seek God, and turned to week 46 "Making Room for God" to see what other readings might speak to me this morning.
The first paragraph of was starred and highlighted already from a previous reading. As I read the selection and reflected upon it, I decided to share it.
The reading selection is found on pages 344 and 345 of the Guide:
"By participating in Christian disciplines, we live out our desire and intention to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. As we do so, we are encouraged, instructed, healed, challenged, loved, renewed, and beckoned to God and godly living.
While it is true that God is in every when and where and that many other things besides disciplines contribute to our deepening relationship with God, we discover that it makes a meaningful difference in everyday life when we set aside time, space, and ourselves to be more fully present with and attentive and responsive to God. Disciplines are like faithful companions on the way. The benefit we seek and desire most is deepening companionship with God. We come away from other pursuits to listen for the still, small voice that is our best friend, our beloved Savior, the Holy One, our Creator, God." --From Holy Invitations by Jeannette A. Bakke
Everything in this reading selection speaks to me. It resonates within my soul and receives an "amen". The author points out that the Christian disciplines in which we participate do the following things to us: encourage us, instruct us, heal us, challenge us, love us, renew us, beckon us to God and godly living. That has been my journey. Whether it has been the discipline of prayer, Scripture reading, blogging, or one of the others that have become part of my life, I have benefited from the disciplines (practices) in my relationship with God. The author points out in the second paragraph the importance of setting apart time and space to be present to God and the benefits of doing so. It comes down to being still and listening.
That is where my journey has settled. That is the center. Being quiet, being still and listening. It has been (and will continue to be) a long journey of exploration and practice, but one that is well worth it. It all started with that UMW (United Methodist Women's) meeting and making bookmarks that night at Grace UMC with Judy Kroulek in charge. I had no idea what to put on my bookmark...nor verse nor decoration. I believe I ended up with some butterflies and the verse God gently gave me, Psalm 46:10-- Be still and know that I am God.
I am glad that this verse is where I still am after all these years. It's a great place to "be". This week in the on line seminary campus for Asbury, Dr. Dale Hale wrote about being still in the chaos. That's just what my husband and I were discussing while hiking on Wednesday morning.
Here is what Dr. Hale shared with us:
Be Still
I don't know about you, but sometimes I need help. Sometimes, the help needed is something I can get from family or friends. Other times, it is much deeper, more difficult to satisfy. I was listening to another of those lectures of Dr. Seamands this morning in which he was describing an interview of Joni Erickson-Tada, the quadriplegic who has turned her handicap into a witness of God's grace. In this interview, Joni spoke of trying to get her head around what it meant to be a quadriplegic, the eternal "why". She concluded that one day God is going to give her the key that unlocks the answer to that question. That's not now, though. For now, she needs to be content in Him.
A few weeks ago, I was at a gathering of academic leaders. That day, one of our group led us in a devotional. Honestly, I can't remember much about the devotional. However, one thing the leader said was that he and his wife practiced scripture memorization and would find opportunities to use that scripture over and over. It helped make relevant the scripture while at the same time spoke into that point of their lives. I thought to myself, "That's what I need to do. I need to use the scriptures in that way." Yes, I've heard others say the same thing, but I got it this time.
Following that lead, I decided to do the same. I picked a verse of scripture that has not been far from me for quite some time. Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Be still. I don't know about you, but sometimes my life gets in a major uproar. I start worrying, fretting over what is or what might be or what isn't. "Be still." But, I need an answer to this terrific problem! "Shhhh. Just be still." Yes, but... "Be still." The still small voice whispers, "Be still and know that I am God." Don't worry about this. Just rest and trust in Him. I keep having to hear that but every time I do, I hear the comfort, grace, love of the Father compelling me to "cast all my cares on Him because He cares for me." (1 Peter 5:7) Hear it? "Be still."
Friends, I don't know what you face but this one thing I do know. God is fully aware and is not in the least caught by surprise by your predicament. We can have every confidence that He will work all things for our good. He will answer. He will reveal some of those answers later, when we are with Him in person. But, until then, rest in Him. "Be still and know that He is God."
In Him,
Dale
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How does what I've inserted about "being still" fit with the reflection of Christian disciplines? For me, the disciplines (practices) take place when I create the space, take the time apart. I don't always need to "be still" physically because walking can be a time of discipline and used for prayer, etc. But, there are many times that I do need to be still physically for my time with God. Whether I am being still physically or mentally, I know that the time apart with God in whatever discipline (practice) I am participating in for the moment will result in a deeper relationship with God. And that's how it fits.
There are classic Christian disciplines (practices) such as prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, Sabbath, journaling, worship, etc. and then there are disciplines (practices) that I have come to see as such on my personal journey such as blogging, walking/hiking, praying the Native American flute, etc.
What are the Christian disciplines that draw you into participation?
Blessings on your journey,
Debra
Additional links:
Jeannette Bakke
An interview with Jeannette Bakke in Christianity Today (Making Space For God, April 2001)
Holy Invitations: Exploring Spiritual Direction by Jeannette Bakke (information on her book at Amazon.com)
Christian Disciplines
Spiritual Disciplines List (Bill Gaultiere, July 2012 at Soul Shepherding For You and Your Ministry)
For further reading, check out these authors:
Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Marjorie Thompson, Ruth Haley Barton
(These are just a few.... there are others that have written on spiritual disciplines. And, likely I've written posts on them too in the past. ☺)
A few weeks ago, I was at a gathering of academic leaders. That day, one of our group led us in a devotional. Honestly, I can't remember much about the devotional. However, one thing the leader said was that he and his wife practiced scripture memorization and would find opportunities to use that scripture over and over. It helped make relevant the scripture while at the same time spoke into that point of their lives. I thought to myself, "That's what I need to do. I need to use the scriptures in that way." Yes, I've heard others say the same thing, but I got it this time.
Following that lead, I decided to do the same. I picked a verse of scripture that has not been far from me for quite some time. Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Be still. I don't know about you, but sometimes my life gets in a major uproar. I start worrying, fretting over what is or what might be or what isn't. "Be still." But, I need an answer to this terrific problem! "Shhhh. Just be still." Yes, but... "Be still." The still small voice whispers, "Be still and know that I am God." Don't worry about this. Just rest and trust in Him. I keep having to hear that but every time I do, I hear the comfort, grace, love of the Father compelling me to "cast all my cares on Him because He cares for me." (1 Peter 5:7) Hear it? "Be still."
Friends, I don't know what you face but this one thing I do know. God is fully aware and is not in the least caught by surprise by your predicament. We can have every confidence that He will work all things for our good. He will answer. He will reveal some of those answers later, when we are with Him in person. But, until then, rest in Him. "Be still and know that He is God."
In Him,
Dale
----------------
How does what I've inserted about "being still" fit with the reflection of Christian disciplines? For me, the disciplines (practices) take place when I create the space, take the time apart. I don't always need to "be still" physically because walking can be a time of discipline and used for prayer, etc. But, there are many times that I do need to be still physically for my time with God. Whether I am being still physically or mentally, I know that the time apart with God in whatever discipline (practice) I am participating in for the moment will result in a deeper relationship with God. And that's how it fits.
There are classic Christian disciplines (practices) such as prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, Sabbath, journaling, worship, etc. and then there are disciplines (practices) that I have come to see as such on my personal journey such as blogging, walking/hiking, praying the Native American flute, etc.
What are the Christian disciplines that draw you into participation?
Blessings on your journey,
Debra
Additional links:
Jeannette Bakke
An interview with Jeannette Bakke in Christianity Today (Making Space For God, April 2001)
Holy Invitations: Exploring Spiritual Direction by Jeannette Bakke (information on her book at Amazon.com)
Christian Disciplines
Spiritual Disciplines List (Bill Gaultiere, July 2012 at Soul Shepherding For You and Your Ministry)
For further reading, check out these authors:
Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Marjorie Thompson, Ruth Haley Barton
(These are just a few.... there are others that have written on spiritual disciplines. And, likely I've written posts on them too in the past. ☺)
