Tag: provisions

Be Still Series: An Introduction

 “Come rest your eyes on the King…Jesus our Heavenly King.”  These lyrics are filling my church’s sanctuary right now. Lights are dimmed, but the glow of Christmas Trees fills the front of this sacred space. The Chosen’s Christmas Special, The Messengers, is livestreaming for those who are yearning to focus on the true meaning of the season, and I’m sitting back by the sound board, putting the finishing touches on this week’s post. 

Today’s post will be the first in the Be Still series, a series which will take us into the New Year.  Fitting that as I begin to wrap up the first installment of the series I should be listening to “Come rest your eyes on the King…Jesus our Heavenly King.”  Don’t you think?  I love how God works like that. 

Over recent weeks I have had different versions of the same conversation with various friends.  These conversations are what prompted me to address the topics we are covering over the next few weeks together. “I just don’t know how to say, ‘No’,” said one.  “I am completely depleted,” said another.  As recently as this morning, I was rushing to not one but two gas stations before church because the first station was just like my car: practically out of gas and waiting to get more. 

Why do we let ourselves run so ragged? It’s clearly not God’s intention for us.  He could never want this lifestyle of perpetual exhaustion and restlessness for us, His children whom He delights so much in.  In fact, we know from David that our Almighty Father desires the complete opposite for us:

Be Still and Know I am God. 

Psalm 46:10a

Be Still. This is not just a mere suggestion. It’s an imperative straight from the Lord, calling upon us to take up stillness as a part of our very being. This is more than acting still or desiring to be still, or thinking about being still.  It’s actually a state of being.  A state of being still. But how to we get there?

I don’t pretend to know all the answers, or even a fraction of the answers.  However, I do know what it is like to experience burnout and have nothing left for the people I should have the most for. I know what it’s like just going through the motions, too worn and defeated to even know I was worn and defeated.    

I know what it’s like to try and remedy this imbalance on my own.

Once I got clued in that my body was keeping the score, I knew some changes were in order.  I read the books.  I did the things (think yoga, breathwork, and other practices).  None of these are bad things! In many ways, they are quite helpful, especially when they promote self-healing. However, they won’t sustain us, and they shouldn’t be done apart from a larger framework defined and ordained by God.

I also do not pretend to live the most balanced life at all times. Nonetheless, by the grace of God, I also know what it’s like to surrender a worn-out body and mind to Him. This allowed Him, not I, to re-prioritize how I spend my time and who I spend it with. 

The Lord had a great deal of heart work to do within me (and he still does). That is not something anyone but God can do for you, and will only come from abiding in Him. That said, I also learned a lot along the path toward balanced living where the Lord is prioritized above all else. When doing so, believe it or not, I still had more than enough time and energy for anything which followed Him.

Over the next few weeks, as we turn our hearts and minds to the miraculous yet simple coming of our King incarnate, let us also seek out simplicity.  We will explore priorities, commitments and boundaries so that we may be obedient in Being Still.    In doing so we will be set free from what we were never intended to take on to begin with. Is there a bolder way to enter the new year than declaring that our time and priorities are His?  Don’t be fooled!  There’s boldness in the obedience and stillness. 

Pray:

Father God, Help me to slow down.  I am tired of doing things my own way.  Literally tired. Mentally tired.  Spiritually tired. At times, I have nothing left for my family, myself or you.  I know there must be another way. I know you desire me to be still.  Can you help me with that, please?  You are far wiser than I, and I seek to do your will! 

In Jesus’ Holy and Precious Name,

Amen.

              

8 Useful Tips for Meditating Biblically (Part 3 of 3)

Before we get started with some really simple, practical tips to encourage your biblical meditation practices, let’s recap what we have covered so far.

Part 1, available here, offered a real general overview of what we mean by the term biblical meditation: it’s not quite prayer and it’s not quite bible study: its a bridge between the two.

Last week, Part 2, available here, provided one example of what a full biblical meditation practice might look like. It was broken out into 6 easy-to-follow steps and was an adaptation of a much more complex method which has been around since the 6th century!

This week I am going to share tips I have found beneficial in my own prayer life and in studying/meditating scripture. Remember, I’m a working mama of three kiddos, ages 8-14, and a doctoral student so please know I wouldn’t suggest anything that I didn’t find viable enough to work into my own hectic schedule!

In no particular order, here’s my list!

Tip 1

Make an appointment with yourself to meditate at some set interval that seems manageable in your current season of life. This might be weekly? Maybe more? Maybe less? If you really feel too strapped & overwhelmed, try going to the Lord in prayer and asking where you might find some margin in your life to incorporate regular meditation practices. He’ll create the space for you!

Tip 2

Build meditation into what you are already doing. For example, if you read a devotion each morning or evening anyway, try blocking off a good hour on your calendar at whatever interval you chose for tip 1 (weekly, biweekly, etc.). In doing this, you are merely periodically extending the time you were already spending in His presence to begin with!

Tip 3

Whether or not you have regular time with God already part of your routine, you can certainly try pairing meditation was an activity you already enjoy. Like to walk? Enjoy audio versions of scripture while you get in that workout or enjoy nature. Love sipping on a hot cup of coffee? Incorporate your meditation into the time you spend with your favorite mug in your favorite spot of the house. You get the idea! Find an activity you enjoy and that you do often (or would like to do frequently) and do in conjunction with meditation. The only rule is that the activity should not distract from your time with the Lord!

Tip 4

Find a brother or sister in Christ who can hold you accountable. They do not need to meditate at the same time as you. They just need to know what your intent is so they can help encourage you and follow up. Best case scenario: your accountability partner will also be interested in this practice and you can hold one another accountable!

Tip 5

Choose a bible translation that you can easily understand, but be mindful that not all translations are created equally. Some versions are truer to the actual inspired Word of God than others. Personally, I alternate between the New International Version (NIV) and the English Standard Version (ESV). Both are in plain language and are widely used in bible-teaching churches. Alternatively, if some verses still stump you or you are new to reading the Bible, The Message by Eugene Peterson might be a great option for you: it reads just like a story!

Tip 6

Download a bible app such a You Version or access one such as Bible Gateway in your web browser. This will allow you to effortlessly switch between translations when needed for extra insight. No need to keep multiple translations around the house unless you want to!

Tip 7

Since it can still be helpful having a hard copy of the Bible around, consider one with room in the margins to write and/or one with footnotes. The Life Application Bible (available in different translations) has some very helpful footnotes which can help you glean more from the text. The best way to pick one out, in my opinion, is to devote some time flipping through the pages of different versions at your local bookstore. Are you comfortable with the font size? Weight? Do the extra content offerings hold any utility for you? Do you prefer having some pictures and photos? Having a Bible in a version and translation that you are comfortable reading will surely enhance your meditation practice.

Tip 8

After you meditate several times, you may find yourself particularly gravitating to a specific part of the practice. Push into that inclination and spend some time there. This will make the practice that much more enjoyable as you establish a habit since you are spending time doing an activity you naturally enjoy!

There you have it! Eight ideas which can be acted on as soon as today! I’m sure you may have some thoughts of your own how to better incorporate biblical meditation into your everyday lives.

Now, although these tips were created with biblical meditation in mind, feel free to generalize them to any activity at all which will bring you into the Lord’s presence more regularly. Desire more prayer time? Want time for listening to devotions…or a podcast…hint hint ;)? Yearn for more time in scripture? Any of the above tips can be applied to each of these scenarios as well!

I firmly believe that each person is EXACTLY where they are meant to be in their walk with the Lord. Wherever that is for you, try using these suggestions to get one step closer…with the help of the Holy Spirit of course!

Pray:

Farther God, thank you for allowing me to live in such a time when your Word is so incredibly accessible! I know I have no excuse for not spending time with you each week or, better yet, each day. Your Word is there…on bookshelves…in apps…on the internet! I can waste so much time doing things that don’t really matter of such little consequence. Stir a hunger and thirst in my heart so that I seek to replace those times of empty solace with you and you alone. You are so worthy of my praise and adoration! Thank you for not giving up on me and still pursuing me. I am humbled, grateful, and truly yearn to spend time more wisely in your presence.

In Jesus’ Holy & Precious Name,

Amen

How to Meditate Biblically in 6 Simple Steps (Part 2 of 3)

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Last week, a general overview of biblical meditation was provided. This week, we are going to go a little deeper and explore a simplified version of a specific method of meditation. Next week I’ll provide some practical tips on how you can make margin for everything you’ve learned over the last two weeks.

The method I’m sharing with you actually sounds more complex than it is, but only because the name is in Latin. It essentially means “Divine Reading”, and it has been around since the 6th century!

There are 6 basic parts to this version of the Lectio Divina: Silence, Read, Meditate, Prayer, Contemplation and Live it Out. There….not so scary, right?!

I really appreciate how the C.S. Lewis Institute‘s modified form of Lectio Divina can help us absorb the important teachings of a particular text. Here are the core components as the C.S. Lewis Institute describes them:

Step 1: Silence

Take time to be silent: prepare to communicate with God as He expresses Himself to you in the passage of Scripture you have chosen. After a period of quiet, ask God’s help as you enter this session of meditative prayer.

Step 2: Read

Read a short passage of Scripture aloud several times slowly. Allow its words and meanings to sink into your soul.

Step 3: Meditate

Meditation is like chewing. It is slow and thorough. (We learned this last week.) Write notes about what you see in this passage. Make connections between the various sections. Ask yourself, “What do these words from God say?” “What do they mean?” Place who you are and what you do next to this passage and ask God to examine you. Continue to write your findings.

Step 4: Prayer

Pray using the passage as an outline for your prayer. Read the passage phrase-by-phrase, responding to God after each phrase or verse.

Step 5: Contemplation

Wait in stillness once more. Ask that God bring to your mind any areas of your life that you need to shape more closely to His design as revealed in this passage. Contemplate God’s love and power as it is revealed here.

Step 6: Live It Out

What precisely ought you to be believing, thinking, and doing as a result of this passage? Make notes about how you hope to bring these words from Jesus into your current practice.

While it may be unrealistic to incorporate all six steps each time you sit down to read Scripture, call to mind Timothy Keller’s description of meditation from last week as being “not quite bible study and not quite prayer, but a bridge between the two. Therefore, there is a place for meditation just as much as there is a place for reading and prayer. That said, the first will greatly enrich the second and third actions when you have time to do so.

Also, since meditation methods aren’t necessarily “prescribed” in the bible, you should feel free to go wherever you feel led to while practicing this or any other method. I know you may be tempted to “get it right”, but I promise that the Lord does not want time with Him to cause undue stress. If the Spirit is leading, and you are following, you can never be wrong!

As I mentioned, next week I will offer some tips on how to incorporate this Divine Reading, or any other biblical meditation, into already full schedules. It is totally possible! The tips aren’t some set of bullets I found on the internet, but are actual real pieces of advice from my own journey and experience. In the meantime, attempt to complete these 6 steps, or as many as you can, at least once between now and when you read next week’s post. See how you do! I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Pray:

Father God, I know I can and should spend more time in your presence. Help me find one hour this week that I can dedicate only to you. I want to use this time to get deeper into your Word, more so than I usually do. This is especially important as the hustle and bustle of holidays draws nearer. I can get so easily distracted at this time of year. The last thing I want to to be too busy for you. You’re the reason we have this busy time of year to begin with! Just one hour. That’s all I ask today. Help me find it in my schedule or clear something unexpectedly from my plans so I may use that hour just for you. Thank you!

In Jesus’ Holy & Precious Name,

Amen.

12 Verses to Give Thanks & How to Meditate on Them Biblically (Part 1 of 3)

In light of tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I thought I would share some Bible verses you can meditate on that highlight giving thanks to our God. However, before I do, I want to explain what it means to meditate biblically. 

Instead of reinventing the wheel here, I’m going to draw on what some of my favorite pastors and theologians have to say on the subject of biblical meditation. The latter is a bit different than what is traditionally considered to be Eastern meditation, or what you might do during a yoga practice.

I personally love turning to Timothy Keller on matters of Christian beliefs and practices.  He is a pastor in New York and has authored several of the books most dear to my heart.  Keller defines Christian meditation as:

‘Not quite Bible Study and not quite prayer, but a bridge between the two’…If prayer is to be a true conversation with God, it must be regularly preceded by listening to God’s voice through meditation on the Scripture…Meditation then, is a kind of super listening in, a close reading (after the first one) that sits with the text long enough to have not just penetrating insights but a shift in our inner being, in our hearts.  

When meditating biblically, it is asking yourself, ‘How would I be different if I took this theological truth seriously? How would it change my attitudes and actions if I really believed this from the bottom of my heart?’

Timothy Keller

While prescribed meditation techniques exist, if you are incorporating the above aspects into your reading of Scripture, you are very much meditating.  

Before wrapping up this general overview of biblical meditation, here is a beautiful illustration from a seventeenth-century church leader, Thomas Brooks:

Remember that it is not hasty reading but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the mere touching of the flower by the bee that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most but he that meditates most that will prove to be the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian.

Thomas Brooks

Now, keeping the above in mind, find a quiet place and set aside enough time to meditate on at least 2 or 3 verses that really speak to you from the 12 verses below.  Since any time spent in God’s word is worthwhile, you’re invited to meditate on any other verses you feel led to as well. 

1

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

2

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

3

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Colossians 4:2

4

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

5

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

6

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1

7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 28:7

8

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

9

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 95:1-3

10

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psalm 100:4

11

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1 & 1 Chronicles 16:34

12

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 150:6

To be sure, Scriptures are filled to the brim with verses on giving thanks and adoring our God.  The Psalms are especially good for reading up on praising the Lord.  If you have a long weekend for Thanksgiving, try spending some time in them as well, as you meditate.  If you open up to anywhere even remotely near the middle of your Bible you will open up to Psalms every time!

Next week we will do a deeper dive into biblical meditation. I will be sharing a simplified version of a millennium’s-old method you may wish to incorporate into your prayer life.

As always, thank you for choosing to spend your time here!  From my family to yours, have a very Happy Thanksgiving and happy meditating! 

7 Truths for Enduring Unrelenting Trials

Have you ever felt so hopeless in a situation that you wondered when or if relief would ever come?

I’d like to share about a time when I fell to my knees in despair and wept out for the redeeming power of God’s hand.  God gave me the very words to cry out to Him with, tenderly received my anguished plea, and responded with more grace than I could have ever fathomed. 

My prayer was prompted by a biblical narrative found in Daniel: 3.  The general gist of the story goes like this:  Three men refused to bow down and worship a king.  The king was none too happy about this public display of defiance.  As such, the three men were to be thrown into a fiery furnace as punishment.  They declared that their God was powerful enough to save them from the fire, but even if He didn’t, they still would not worship the king since their God alone was good and worthy of their praise. 

Several years ago, within a very short timeframe, I kept on hearing this story again and again. Sometimes it popped up in my morning devotions.  Other times it was mentioned in a podcast or sermon.  There was even a graphic tee with the words “Even If” printed across the front that kept on popping up in my facebook newsfeed.

Concurrently, during this same season, I was feeling utterly defeated. I was playing a hand I had never asked to be dealt, and I just wanted to fold. I felt even less than hopeless. Days were like dark nights, and both felt too long.  Nonetheless, I clung to my Bible like never before. 

What was God trying to tell me? Clearly, the Holy Spirit was trying to get my attention by emphasizing the same message so repeatedly.  There was a link between my struggle and these few verses, but what was it? 

In sheer despondency, long after the kids went to bed one night, I collapsed to my knees next to our fireplace. The fire set the dark living room aglow with its dancing flames. Yet again, I was reminded of the fiery furnace. I implored God to reveal whatever was in this story that I needed to understand.

Immediately, the clarity I sought after came. The words I needed to pray also came all at once, and I fervently meant every one of them.  I professed three intermingling ideas that miraculous night:

  • I trusted Him with my situation and how it would unfold, even though it was likely going to get even worse before it got better, and I had no idea what any of that meant for my family.
  • If it was God’s will to change my circumstances, I would need His strength to endure the trial that would be my testimony.
  • God alone had the power to change the circumstances AND He would still be worthy of my praise, even if the redeeming work I was so anxious for didn’t actually happen on this side of heaven.

Even if.  Three syllables.  Two words written two thousand years ago, and just as relevant today as they were back then. 

I now know that on that very night he was already putting events into motion which would ultimately lead to that prayer being  answered less than a month later. It did get worse before it got better, and I did receive the strength I prayed for to get through it.   

Although that was one of my last prayers in that season of life, it was not my by any means first. I prayed to be delivered from the turmoil I was in HUNDREDS of times and over several years leading up to that point.     

Here are 7 Lessons from during this time of suffering, waiting and redemption:

1

The prayers up until my “Even If” prayer were not wasted.  Each whispered request cultivated an ongoing relationship with God, turning to Him every single time the thorn in my side was too much to withstand.

2

I would have been unable to grasp the severity of His awesome power and my ultimate dependence on Him if the first feeble attempts at praying my reality away were immediately answered.

3

He alone has the sovereign power to save. Even if He does not do so, we must recognize that our understanding of any given situation is affected by a bounded rationality of what we perceive to be possible.

4

He is working all things together in ways we can’t even begin to grasp. His character is consistently good through all of it. He alone is worthy of praise, even if petitions may seem to go unanswered.  

5

We never know when the offered prayer will be the last one needed of its kind.  Until then, we are being refined and investing in a relationship with our God. Such time is never wasted!

6

Any trial is only temporary.  The battle has already been won on the cross.  God doesn’t have to win again.  The evils of this world have been defeated.  We can know that whether on this side of heaven or not, one day we will have neither pain nor suffering. 

7

We are not alone.  Not on nights we pray on our knees and not the hundreds of times we prayed before that.  There is another in the fire, right there with us the entire time.

Pray:

Father God, There is nowhere else I’d rather be than in your protective care, in the middle of your will.  Thank you for knowing what’s on my heart when I’m too exhausted to even speak the words. Even if you do not remove the burdens of the day, I still love you and praise you because of who you are.  Let me have patience as I wait for deliverance in your perfect timing.

In Jesus’ Holy and Precious Name,

Amen.

Praying the Lesser Known Names of God

What if I told you I hold a title of “Lady” based on owning a small plot of land on the other side of the pond? It’s true! My husband purchased a very tiny land parcel in Dunfermline, Scotland as my birthday gift this year, compete with a printed proclamation of “elevated” social status and all. A title tells you something about the person bearing it’s name. Here are some more examples.

Although my name is Helen, that’s not what everyone calls me.  My kids call me, “Mama.”  My only sister’s daughter, my niece, calls me “Aunt Ellie”. My mom used to call me “Helen Jean” when she really wanted to get my attention. My email signature for work has some initials after my name, indicating my level of education and area of expertise.  Each of these names, or additions to my name, tell you something about me. Some attribute. What are some of the names or titles people call you? What do those words tell others about you?

Did you know God has different names to reflect His attributes as well?  Usually when I pray, I start out with “Father God…” or “Lord God…”, but He has so many more names, especially when you look at the original language they were written in! These names provide so much more dimension than the name “God” or “Lord” alone. We can call on these names when we want to humbly worship or petition Him in ways that correspond to various aspects of His character. 

Abba is an endearing term that means “Father” similar to what a young child might say to their own father when they want him to know how special he is.  Here’s a few more:

Adonai = “Lord” (Exodus 4:10-12)

El Shaddai = “God Almighty” or “God the All-Sufficient One” (Genesis 17:2-3)

Yahweh-jireh = “Yahweh will provide” (Genesis 22:11-14).

Yahweh-raah = “Yahweh My Shepherd” (Psalms 23:1)

Yahweh–nissi = “Yahweh My Banner” (Exodus 17:16)

Yahweh-rapha = “Yahweh who heals” (Exodus 15:26)

Isn’t that amazing!?  Which attribute do you need to call out to today?  Which one do you need to speak over a loved one?  Which one do you feel led to praise Him for?  The names for God go on and on in the Bible.  We would be hard pressed to find a need that would not coincide with one of His very many Names.  He is quite literally all-encompassing. Our every need can be met in and through Him, and He wants to meet those needs.  We simply have to call out to Him by name and ask.

Pray:

Yahweh-Jireh, you alone are my provider! Nothing of this world can fill voids in my life that only you can fulfill. If there is any place in my life where I am lacking then what I yearn for in those areas is not really a need at all. I trust you to meet my every need as I need it! Thank you for that! I am so grateful that I can call on you by name and that you know me by mine. You have an entire universe hanging in the balance, and yet you care about me and our relationship with one another. That truly leaves me speechless! Today, I do not even want to ask you for anything at all. I just want to praise you for being you and for your ultimate provision found in the resurrection and ascension of your son.

In Jesus’ Holy and Precious Name,

Amen

To add to the conversation about calling on the names of God, here is a song our home church loves to sing during worship on Sundays. Now that we know that Jireh means “provider” see how much more meaning the words can hold and enjoy!!

Bonus Weekend Post! Coincidence? I Think Not!

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Welcome, back!  I’ve already told you how my youngest came up with the blog’s title.  Today, my other daughter had the insightful idea to add in an audio component to each post.  She was spot on with her constructive feedback, and I immediately backtracked to record my first two posts!

I love listening to my favorite devotions when I’m short on time while I get ready in the morning. How about you? Maybe you listen to a best seller on audible or a sermon on Spotify? However, as practical as her tip was, especially for the ever-multi-tasking human, I knew she suggested the feature out of necessity as opposed to preference or convenience. 

My daughter has at least two reading disabilities, including dyslexia.  If there is too much content on a page, she must scrape together every ounce of energy to process what she is seeing, then remember which rules to apply to which letters and then sound it all out in a way that she can still comprehend what she is reading.  It’s exhausting, but she’s a trooper! 

While attending cyber school last year, she was introduced to a variety of apps and electronic modifications which optimized her ability to do talk-to-text, as well as, you guessed it, have text read aloud to her.  It was a game changer!  No wonder she was the child who suggested to add in audio, and I love her for it!

If I’m her mother and I so willing provided a perfectly tailored tool she needed to be more independent, how much more willing is our Father in heaven when it comes to meeting our specific need? Here are two of the most reassuring verses I’ve ever come across which make this very point:

 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:25-26

What’s one need you have that was met yesterday or today?  Can you think back to a time when everything aligned perfectly so that the quintessential coincidence unfolded before your very eyes?  That was God meeting your needs! Before you go to bed tonight, try thanking Him for these times and ask that He reveal another provision to you tomorrow.

The more we upwardly shift our focus, what we think we “need” begins to better align with what He also wills for us. By pressing into Him and His Word, we not only experience an alignment of wills, but we also deepen our relationship with Him, and He continues to fill a void in us that could only ever be satisfied by Him to begin with.