For the past several months, I've taken some time out of my day to sit and read my Bible each night in effort to be the "good Christian" my parents raised me to be. I've been a Christian most of my life but only recently have I made a concerted effort to actually talk to God on a somewhat regular basis --to the One who gives me breath.
So, how does one go about doing this "Talking to God" thing? It seems so ethereal, lofty, at times superficial, escapist, and/or even pretentious. How can God be listening to me, little ol' me? It seems hard sometimes to get people who love me to listen to me.
Well, I'm a seasoned Christian, so those questions don't actually intimidate me any longer. But, what has stomped me is how to STAY engaged with God. It's easy to say a prayer one night or two nights, maybe even three nights in a row, but what about the fourth night? What about on Thursday night when I'm ready to go out and meet up with a friend and then I get home too late and too tired to pray? . . . And then again on Friday night; and then on Saturday when I'm too tired from the work week and just wanna binge-watch movies on Netflix? (Sunday is easy since most of my friends are at church as well). By the time Monday roles around, I have to make another "new week's" resolution and try again. DAG!
Knowing now that I can talk to God about any and everything (I mean, He's the Creator of everything. Nothing shocks Him, not even sex.), I decided to talk to Him about this issue of staying engaged:
"God, how can we (Christians) build a routine of spending time with You? How can I get into the habit of talking to you regularly? Why is this so hard? You are God! You are Love! This should be easy! I know the scriptures. I've learned of your miraculous works. I've even seen you do great things in my own life. I should be running to spend time with you to express my gratitude to You and share my concerns with you so that you can rescue me again. Why is this hard?" I want to be a 'good Christian,' but I find myself falling asleep when I close my eyes to pray, or I replay the events of my day in my head. What kind of Christian am I?!"
As I pondered these things, I considered how devout followers of other religions tend to be more disciplined in their practices than some Christians. Some rise early to pray everyday. Some visit temples at a select time of day or month or year to pray. And, no matter the geographic location, all the followers of that particular religion will do the same thing. It's fascinating. It's admirable. It's easy to be envious of such devotion and discipline. They seem to have a regular rhythm in practicing their faith.
"How can I do this? How do I get into the routine of spending time with You regularly, God? How do I get into the rhythm of talking to You regularly. God, what is your rhythm?"
One Saturday afternoon, The Holy Spirit shared this response:
"The rhythm of God is trust." - God
0_0 (eyes wide open) -Me
The rhythm of God is trust. The rhythm of God is trust. Wow! The rhythm of God is trust. This is what the Lord told me.The rhythm of God is trust.
It was an eye-opening moment! A revelation! I suddenly envisioned us Christians as musicians sitting in an orchestra pit with the sheet music (God's Word) in front of us, but our eyes ever-following Jesus, the Great Conductor--trusting Him to help us keep the rhythm--telling us when to move and not to move, when to slow down or when to speed up. We have to trust Him. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
I also recalled the stories and exploits of King David (as one example) and how he would pray before going into EACH battle. Though he was an indomitable, fearsome warrior and excellent leader, David wisely sought the Lord for guidance before each battle. If David was just a religious man, he could have easily performed the same exact rituals before each battle in order win over his enemy. But no, God set up their relationship in such a way that David had to ask God for guidance. God wanted David to come talk to Him. God could have easily given him a set of basic rituals and rites to perform before going into battle, but He didn't. He left the door wide open for his son, David, to come talk to Him.
There is a verse, Isaiah 1:18, that says, "Come, let us reason together . . ." (the full verse is great).
God actually wants a conversation with us. God wants to commune with us because He loves us and loves relationship. So, rather than simply enforcing a set a rituals for us to perform daily, God gives us direction one--step--at--a--time, forcing us to come back to Him when we are eager (or desperate) to know more, establishing a rhythm of going to Him based on our trusting in Him. And, He gets a joy out of us, His children, coming to Him for help, advice, guidance, and/or to simply thank Him. He loves His kids and loves having a relationship with us. (Ephesians 1:5)
Keeping this in mind, I find it easier and easier to come back and talk to Him--ironically, creating that "habit" or "routiine" of talking to Him that I wanted before. It's not fellowship in a ritualistic manner but an expression of my affection and devotion to Him. I am conscious of the fact that there is a sense of freewill and independence of mind in my going to speak to Him, which adds the layer of love to our relationship. Were there no freewill in choosing to spend time with God, then it would not be an expression of love but rather servitude. I'd be a servant, not a child of God. But now, I choose to spend time with God. And when I do choose quality time with God, that makes Him smile...and me too.
TIPS:
Here are just a few tools and tips I use to engage in regular communication with God.
- Beginner? Start off by praying familiar scripture passages like the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Psalm 23; Psalm 103) or reflect on the sermon you heard at church, especially if you took notes. You can also read a verse and then rewrite it in your own words to try and make it personal and help you better understand it.
- Devotionals can be helpful. It's important to open your own Bible as well when reading devotionals because God's Word is how we best connect to God. He is His Word (John 1:1)
- Distracted? Talk aloud to God about your day. He's a loving Father/Guardian. He's interested in hearing from you. It can be therapeutic as well to process your feelings with Him listening. You may cry, laugh out loud, get angry, feel embarrassed or feel proud, but know that God is listening and wants to help you grow from the experiences and help you mature into your best self. *Another cool trick is to place a light scarf like a veil over your face while you pray to minimize visual distractions.
- Difficult or confusing subject matter? Pray in tongues (Romans 8:26-27)
- Consider using a journal/diary to record your thoughts and then record what you believe God is saying in response to your thoughts. Sometimes an activity during prayer time helps keeps your mind from wandering.
- Remember: Prayer and prophecy are tied together. You have to pray/say what you want to see. God established the world to run on words. He created the world with words (see Genesis 1), so that's what we have to use to get anything done around here--kinda like money is used to get business done. If that seems too spiritual, just read the biography of any great leader. They will tell you that words are important. Or, just notice how media advertise anything and everything a politician or celebrity says. Our words matter!
No comments:
Post a Comment