"It is in solitude that we discover that being is more important than having and that we are worth more than the results of our efforts. In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared." Henri Nouwen
He usually comes at night. I can sense him coming closer. He peers in the windows of my soul and tries to open the doors of my emotions. He has come again to break into my life and rob me of God’s joy and peace.
Suddenly he stands defiantly before me and laughs at my weakness. He moves in closer and I recognize his frightening face. He is loneliness - an unwelcome visitor permeating my heart.
Loneliness is a feeling of separation and grief. It is a sense of loss. It leads me to what seems like an unbridgeable canyon of isolation from God and others.
Loneliness lurks about when relationships are lost. He is there when circumstances spin out of control, when we are facing change, empty nests, and difficult trials. And strangely enough, sometimes in the aftermath of significant accomplishments, and even when we are surrounded by others.
After nearly six months of being away from my home, wife, friends and job, I have found loneliness scratching at my door. I am slowly learning something quite unexpected. I am never really alone. My Good Shepherd has gone before me and now walks each step of the journey with me. In fact, when I am alone I can see God and others more clearly.
Solitude is a remembrance of the presence of God.
Solitude develops a single-minded focus on God. This awareness creates an attitude of servanthood. Servanthood blows away the mists of loneliness and allows me to see the needs of others and the sufficiency of God.
The goal of solitude is not so much to unplug from my crazy world, as it is to change frequencies so that I can hear the Father. Lance Witt
God has been using the dramatic life and ministry of Elijah to instruct my heart. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah has just experienced God using him to defeat the prophets of Baal. Chapter 19 moves from the mountaintop miracles to the desert valley of loneliness and despair. The transformation of mindset and emotions is astonishing yet very true to my own battles with loneliness. God is now ready to use a time of solitude to heal Elijah’s loneliness.
Solitude is not the same as running away. Verse 19:1-3
Elijah is not running to God. He is running away from Jezebel. Elijah tells us he is all alone. In the valley he becomes isolated. On the mountaintop he stands with God. It is a choice of fear fueled by isolation, or calm strength of letting God be his champion.
When things seem too hard and patience grows thin. When the doctor’s report is disappointing and pain continues to attack. This is the time to seek solitude with God. The incredible thing is this can be practiced in my room, in the doctor’s office, or on the hospital bed.
"The wonderful thing about contemplative prayer is that it can be found everywhere, anywhere, anytime for anyone." Quaker Richard Foster
Solitude is affected by my physical and emotional health. Verses 5-7
Twice, the angel gives Elijah food and sleep. There is no lecture here or rebuke. My Creator knows exactly what I need and when I need it. God is preparing Elijah for a time of solitude to receive God’s revelation.
Sometimes, the most Holy thing we can do is receive nourishment and take a nap. Then I will be able hear God clearly and respond to His instructions. Although this is not easy for me, I must learn to peacefully rest in Him.
Solitude allows me to think deeply. Verses 9-14
Loneliness produces conversations dominated by me. By the time I am done talking to myself, I not only do not have God’s answer, but I can not even remember the question. Confused? Me too.
In solitude I learn to listen to God. One of the great blessings in this time of waiting for a transplant has been the freedom of meeting with God. He has given me the gift of many hours daily to pray, study His word, read, and meditate on the application of His truths. Solitude permits me to think deeply, instead of the mind-numbing exercise of watching TV all day.
Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:7-8
Solitude teaches me to pray confidently and live courageously.
Elijah learns in God’s school room about his purpose in God’s plan. He discovers that he never was alone. In verses 18-21, God reveals to Elijah that He has 7,000 more faithful servants and that He has already prepared his successor, Elisha. This time with God allows Elijah to move from a depressed “has-been” waiting to die under a tree, to a warrior who is more than a conqueror.
The next time loneliness comes prowling around, I will remind him that I have never, ever been alone, that God still has a purpose for my life, and one day God just may take me home on His chariot.
Alone with God,
Dan
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A Delightful Surrender
God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.
Andrew Murray
Sometimes God’s revelation cascades over me like a flashflood in a dry desert wash. It is sudden and powerful. Usually I have missed the warning signs and my only response is immediate, obedient action. This is often a choice of self-sufficiency or God saving me from myself.
More often, God’s truth is like a mountain stream flowing slowly through the banks of my life. His truth gently pours over the stones of my experiences. As it makes its way through every turn, it intersects my life and quietly calls me to drink and know it’s refreshing, life-giving power.
Psalm 37:4-7 are very familiar verses that God has continuously allowed to flow into my life. I am afraid I have not fully recognized their source and potential for quenching my thirst for God. I have settled for only sips of the eternal, instead of drinking deeply from God’s living water.
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.
The following are a few simple observations of how I might surrender my spiritually-parched life for a soul saturated by God. I must learn to do five things.
1- Delight in the Lord
Delight: great pleasure, high degree of gratification, extreme satisfaction Original biblical language: to bend or incline.
I recently had the delight of being with my daughter and grandson Swen. To watch Amy’s loving care for her baby son around the clock brought my heart great pleasure. I continuously bent towards him to see what he would do next. My ear was inclined to hear every sound. I was amazed to hear him speak his first words, “I love Grandpa best.” OK that was probably a burp. My love grew each day I spent with him. It did not matter what kind of day I was having, Swen always brought me pleasure and a joyous laughter.
I delight in the Lord by spending time with Him. I allow my heart to fill with wonderment and awe in His presence. I long to hear His words of love. I anticipate His work around me. I delight in the One who desires me to drink deeply and often of the healing and refreshing water only He can provide.
2- Commit my way to the Lord
When Debbie and I knew we loved one another, commitment was a natural response. As I learn to truly love and delight in the Lord, commitment is not an act of obligation but a white flag of surrender. This is an unconditional and complete surrender of all my ways. My thoughts, rights, plans, decisions, family, vocation and future are released into the control of my loving and gracious King. A delightful surrender often comes at the end of the battle of who will be God in my life: me or Jesus?
Oswald Sanders wrote: “…overwhelming passage in your circumstances where your program of belief is about to emerge into a personal belief? This can never be until a personal need arises out of a personal problem. To believe is to commit. In the program of mental belief I commit myself, and abandon all that is not related to that commitment. In personal belief I commit myself morally to this way of confidence and refuse to compromise with any other; and in particular belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ, and determine in that thing to be dominated by the Lord alone.”
The roots of of commitment grow deep when watered by the storms of trials.
3- Trust in God
Delight and commitment are ignited by trust. This is the personalization of God’s activity in my life. This is not simply acquiescing to doctrinal truth. My trust is based on nothing less then the very character of God. Here I must reveal what I really believe about God. Will God be just my genie in a bottle or Lord and Master?
Recently I have experienced several weeks of fun with a kidney stone. This caused an infection and took me off the transplant list. Everything medically was tried, to no avail. The doorstep of trust is located just beyond human possibilities. So I trusted God.
Then at my appointment with the surgeon, I was told the infection was gone and God rolled away the stone. But it appeared God made a mistake. The stone could not pass or be reached by another surgery. So God moved it back up into the lower kidney. This should not have happened, but now I am cleared for transplant.
The stone could, of course, return to create the same problems. Why did God leave it in my body? I believe so that I might continue to learn to trust and wait.
4- Rest in the Lord
Stop and let God do His work. This requires a connection to each of the previous points. As I delight, commit, and trust Him, I can now experience a peaceful relaxation that is only found in His arms.
5- Wait patiently for Him
Is it possible to wait impatiently? Sure, I do it all the time. Just check your stress and worry level. Too often I have waited for Him while pacing the floor of uncertainty. Too often my faith is crippled by my desire to regain control. It is never a good idea to try and wrestle from God what you have already put in His hands.
The key to waiting patiently is who we are waiting for. It is not a thing or circumstance or even a miracle. I wait for Him. God is never late or too early. He has no need to work according to my watch or check my day planner. To wait patiently for Him, I must meditate and ponder the greatness of God. In His presence, time has no hold on my emotions. Only in God does senselessness make sense. C.S. Lewis captures these thoughts when he wrote:
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
When I apply these five truths to my life, God will give me the desires of my heart…which is Himself. This is always the fruit of a heart that has experienced a delightful surrender.
Delighting in God,
Dan
Andrew Murray
Sometimes God’s revelation cascades over me like a flashflood in a dry desert wash. It is sudden and powerful. Usually I have missed the warning signs and my only response is immediate, obedient action. This is often a choice of self-sufficiency or God saving me from myself.
More often, God’s truth is like a mountain stream flowing slowly through the banks of my life. His truth gently pours over the stones of my experiences. As it makes its way through every turn, it intersects my life and quietly calls me to drink and know it’s refreshing, life-giving power.
Psalm 37:4-7 are very familiar verses that God has continuously allowed to flow into my life. I am afraid I have not fully recognized their source and potential for quenching my thirst for God. I have settled for only sips of the eternal, instead of drinking deeply from God’s living water.
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.
The following are a few simple observations of how I might surrender my spiritually-parched life for a soul saturated by God. I must learn to do five things.
1- Delight in the Lord
Delight: great pleasure, high degree of gratification, extreme satisfaction Original biblical language: to bend or incline.
I recently had the delight of being with my daughter and grandson Swen. To watch Amy’s loving care for her baby son around the clock brought my heart great pleasure. I continuously bent towards him to see what he would do next. My ear was inclined to hear every sound. I was amazed to hear him speak his first words, “I love Grandpa best.” OK that was probably a burp. My love grew each day I spent with him. It did not matter what kind of day I was having, Swen always brought me pleasure and a joyous laughter.
I delight in the Lord by spending time with Him. I allow my heart to fill with wonderment and awe in His presence. I long to hear His words of love. I anticipate His work around me. I delight in the One who desires me to drink deeply and often of the healing and refreshing water only He can provide.
2- Commit my way to the Lord
When Debbie and I knew we loved one another, commitment was a natural response. As I learn to truly love and delight in the Lord, commitment is not an act of obligation but a white flag of surrender. This is an unconditional and complete surrender of all my ways. My thoughts, rights, plans, decisions, family, vocation and future are released into the control of my loving and gracious King. A delightful surrender often comes at the end of the battle of who will be God in my life: me or Jesus?
Oswald Sanders wrote: “…overwhelming passage in your circumstances where your program of belief is about to emerge into a personal belief? This can never be until a personal need arises out of a personal problem. To believe is to commit. In the program of mental belief I commit myself, and abandon all that is not related to that commitment. In personal belief I commit myself morally to this way of confidence and refuse to compromise with any other; and in particular belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ, and determine in that thing to be dominated by the Lord alone.”
The roots of of commitment grow deep when watered by the storms of trials.
3- Trust in God
Delight and commitment are ignited by trust. This is the personalization of God’s activity in my life. This is not simply acquiescing to doctrinal truth. My trust is based on nothing less then the very character of God. Here I must reveal what I really believe about God. Will God be just my genie in a bottle or Lord and Master?
Recently I have experienced several weeks of fun with a kidney stone. This caused an infection and took me off the transplant list. Everything medically was tried, to no avail. The doorstep of trust is located just beyond human possibilities. So I trusted God.
Then at my appointment with the surgeon, I was told the infection was gone and God rolled away the stone. But it appeared God made a mistake. The stone could not pass or be reached by another surgery. So God moved it back up into the lower kidney. This should not have happened, but now I am cleared for transplant.
The stone could, of course, return to create the same problems. Why did God leave it in my body? I believe so that I might continue to learn to trust and wait.
4- Rest in the Lord
Stop and let God do His work. This requires a connection to each of the previous points. As I delight, commit, and trust Him, I can now experience a peaceful relaxation that is only found in His arms.
5- Wait patiently for Him
Is it possible to wait impatiently? Sure, I do it all the time. Just check your stress and worry level. Too often I have waited for Him while pacing the floor of uncertainty. Too often my faith is crippled by my desire to regain control. It is never a good idea to try and wrestle from God what you have already put in His hands.
The key to waiting patiently is who we are waiting for. It is not a thing or circumstance or even a miracle. I wait for Him. God is never late or too early. He has no need to work according to my watch or check my day planner. To wait patiently for Him, I must meditate and ponder the greatness of God. In His presence, time has no hold on my emotions. Only in God does senselessness make sense. C.S. Lewis captures these thoughts when he wrote:
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
When I apply these five truths to my life, God will give me the desires of my heart…which is Himself. This is always the fruit of a heart that has experienced a delightful surrender.
Delighting in God,
Dan
Monday, November 12, 2007
Interdependence: Growing Up Together
Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15-16
One day the doors slid open and I stepped into eternity. As I walked down the corridor, I heard her laughter, a sweet music of joy. This was present in a place that usually mutes these peaceful sounds with the dissonance of despair.
Before I walked through the door of her hospital room, I could feel the warmth of her spirit. As soon as she saw me, she spoke my name and my heart felt the embrace of God. In spite of pain and a long battle with cancer, she only wanted to hear about how others were doing. In her, I did not see a small fragile body, but a giant soul.
Elsie was one of the kindest persons I have ever met. God’s grace seemed to flow effortlessly from her life. Each time I visited her in the hospital, time seemed suspended because Elsie was now living on God’s doorstep.
God used Elsie to reveal to me that regardless of my circumstances, God is composing in my life a melody of His love. This is a song I am to share and harmonize with others. Then the beauty of Christ can be heard and seen in my life. I have no doubt that one day I will step into eternity and hear Elsie’s laugh, and heaven will be brighter because of her smile.
I am blessed beyond measure by the people God has brought into my life. Each person is a unique gift from God. Through each person, God teaches me about Himself and molds me more into His likeness. I have found that God uses each person’s life to illuminate His path to intimacy with Him.
While on a tour of California's giant sequoias, the guide pointed out that the sequoia tree has roots just barely below the surface. "That's impossible!" I exclaimed. "I'm a country boy, and I know that if the roots don't grow deep into the earth, strong winds will blow the trees over." "Not sequoia trees," said the guide.
I offer God thanks for the extraordinary gifts of ordinary people who have been used by Him to build my life of faith. Hundreds come to mind, here is a sample of just a few.
Missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote; “Wherever you are, be all there.”
Paul is a veteran of three wars. This sacrifice alone brings my deepest thanks and respect. Even more importantly, Paul is still actively serving in God’s army. Paul has a true servant’s heart and stands ready for any mission God has for him. Paul is now in his late 80’s and always reminds me of Caleb’s courage and zest for following God (Joshua 14:6-14). My prayer is that God might find me faithful and passionate in all the days He chooses to give me.
It is not great talents God blesses as much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God. Robert Murray McCheyne
It is not difficult to understand why so many loved Pastor Dub. God’s love seemed to radiate from his heart. Jesus described Himself as “gentle and humble of heart.” After spending a lifetime with Jesus, these words also describe Dub’s character and ministry.
Jesus also told us that in Him we might know His rest. Whenever you talked with Dub, God’s calming Spirit flowed through him and you would experience some of God’s rest. My hope is that as I spend time with The Good Shepherd, I might be used to care and minister to others as I try to follow Dub’s example.
No one person has had a greater impact on my life than my best friend Rick. Rick was responsible for getting me involved in church and leading me to accept Christ. God used him to introduce me to my wife Debbie. Rick helped me to believe God could use me in full-time Christian service.
When Debbie and I left home almost 30 years ago to join a church staff in Washington, I asked Rick to keep an eye on my younger sisters. He took my request seriously because a few years later, he married my sister Debbie.
Rick was the friend of my youth. Together we learned to follow Jesus. Our hearts were in one accord about the essentials in ministry such as servanthood, discipleship and missions. Rick was one of the most genuine sold out Christians I have known. He was willing to serve in places many others would not even consider.
When God took Rick home at age 45, he left this world a wealthy man. Not by the standards of this world, but rich in the lives his life had touched.
One day the doors slid open and I stepped into eternity. As I walked down the corridor, I heard her laughter, a sweet music of joy. This was present in a place that usually mutes these peaceful sounds with the dissonance of despair.
Before I walked through the door of her hospital room, I could feel the warmth of her spirit. As soon as she saw me, she spoke my name and my heart felt the embrace of God. In spite of pain and a long battle with cancer, she only wanted to hear about how others were doing. In her, I did not see a small fragile body, but a giant soul.
Elsie was one of the kindest persons I have ever met. God’s grace seemed to flow effortlessly from her life. Each time I visited her in the hospital, time seemed suspended because Elsie was now living on God’s doorstep.
God used Elsie to reveal to me that regardless of my circumstances, God is composing in my life a melody of His love. This is a song I am to share and harmonize with others. Then the beauty of Christ can be heard and seen in my life. I have no doubt that one day I will step into eternity and hear Elsie’s laugh, and heaven will be brighter because of her smile.
I am blessed beyond measure by the people God has brought into my life. Each person is a unique gift from God. Through each person, God teaches me about Himself and molds me more into His likeness. I have found that God uses each person’s life to illuminate His path to intimacy with Him.
While on a tour of California's giant sequoias, the guide pointed out that the sequoia tree has roots just barely below the surface. "That's impossible!" I exclaimed. "I'm a country boy, and I know that if the roots don't grow deep into the earth, strong winds will blow the trees over." "Not sequoia trees," said the guide.
I offer God thanks for the extraordinary gifts of ordinary people who have been used by Him to build my life of faith. Hundreds come to mind, here is a sample of just a few.
Missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote; “Wherever you are, be all there.”
Paul is a veteran of three wars. This sacrifice alone brings my deepest thanks and respect. Even more importantly, Paul is still actively serving in God’s army. Paul has a true servant’s heart and stands ready for any mission God has for him. Paul is now in his late 80’s and always reminds me of Caleb’s courage and zest for following God (Joshua 14:6-14). My prayer is that God might find me faithful and passionate in all the days He chooses to give me.
It is not great talents God blesses as much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God. Robert Murray McCheyne
It is not difficult to understand why so many loved Pastor Dub. God’s love seemed to radiate from his heart. Jesus described Himself as “gentle and humble of heart.” After spending a lifetime with Jesus, these words also describe Dub’s character and ministry.
Jesus also told us that in Him we might know His rest. Whenever you talked with Dub, God’s calming Spirit flowed through him and you would experience some of God’s rest. My hope is that as I spend time with The Good Shepherd, I might be used to care and minister to others as I try to follow Dub’s example.
No one person has had a greater impact on my life than my best friend Rick. Rick was responsible for getting me involved in church and leading me to accept Christ. God used him to introduce me to my wife Debbie. Rick helped me to believe God could use me in full-time Christian service.
When Debbie and I left home almost 30 years ago to join a church staff in Washington, I asked Rick to keep an eye on my younger sisters. He took my request seriously because a few years later, he married my sister Debbie.
Rick was the friend of my youth. Together we learned to follow Jesus. Our hearts were in one accord about the essentials in ministry such as servanthood, discipleship and missions. Rick was one of the most genuine sold out Christians I have known. He was willing to serve in places many others would not even consider.
When God took Rick home at age 45, he left this world a wealthy man. Not by the standards of this world, but rich in the lives his life had touched.
In 1522 at Zwickau, Martin Luther pronounced a simple but expressive eulogy upon a pastor named Nicholas Haussmann: "What we preach, he lived."
This is certainly true of Rick, and I ask God to make it so in my life.
"Not sequoia trees," said the guide. "They grow only in groves and their roots intertwine under the surface of the earth. So, when the strong winds come, they hold each other up." There's a lesson here. In a sense, people are like the giant sequoias. Family, friends, neighbors, the church body and other groups should be havens so that when the strong winds of life blow, these people can serve as reinforcement and can strive together to hold each other up. Unknown source
I could fill notebooks with the names of those that have blessed my life. These are not perfect people, but people that have walked with God. If you want to see God at work, remember this Thanksgiving the people He has used to build your faith. Treat each person as a gift from God. Find God’s example in each life and follow them all way to your eternal home.
Thanking God for You,
Dan
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