Filling your heart ache

Did you notice that ache in your heart?  You know, the one that comes up every time life throws you a curve.  Or maybe you notice it in the routines of your week.  (What is all this activity really about anyway?)

Are you with me?

On the other hand, maybe you didn’t notice that ache at all.  Most of us are pretty good at covering it up.  We have become experts at distracting ourselves by feeding on other things that we think will satifsy us:

Food?  TV?  Accomplishment? Internet surfing? Making money?  Partying?  Recreation? Shopping?

Do any of these ring a bell?  (For me, food, TV, and buying books come to mind)

I’ve tried them all, but after the initial thrill or temporary distraction, the ache comes back.  Once again, these things have left me unsatisfied. 

Something is missing. 

There is something missing in the pursuits of this world that fail to fill the void that my heart intuitively longs for. 

“Only if we are discontent with this world as it is will we look for another source of joy.”  –Marva Dawn, “The sense of the Call”.

As long as I am seeking to find my joy in the things of this world, the ache in my heart remains.  No wonder I get frustrated with my life and my circumstances.  I am focused on the wrong things.  I try to make this world my home.  I try to find satisfaction in the things of this world.  It will never happen, and as long as I try to live under the illusion that I can be satisfied in my worldly circumstances I will continue to be let down.   It’s a losing proposition. 

So what do I do?

I must find my joy in something other than the things of the world.  I must find contentment in the God who made me and designed me.  That’s where true satisfaction lies.

 ”Oh God you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  –Psalm 63:1

God is the only one who can fill my heart’s ache.  He is showing me this everyday.  Slowly but surely he is bringing me closer to him, and developing in me a greater desire for him than for the things of the world.  Oh I still seek distraction on TV.  I still desire Ice Cream Brownie Sundaes, and I can always find a new book that I want to buy, but none of it satisfies.  The proof of that is that I keep coming back for more.  The ache in my heart always gives me away.  The ache in my heart reminds me that I long for something greater than what the world has to offer.

What are you doing with that ache in your heart?

Dave for Wellspring C 2008

     

Pray your own Prayers

 

When a brother asked Abba Antony to pray for him, the old man replied, “Try to pray your own prayers”.Excerpt from By Way of the Desert, 365 Daily Readings.  

The wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers is often right to the point and more often stated with very few words.  The answer to the above question may seem to be an abrupt and rude response to a request for prayer.  No one I know would answer me in that way (I don’t think) and I certainly would not be inclined to say to my brother in need “go and pray your own prayers, brother!”.   But I think there is something much deeper here that warrants careful thought.  

Are we people of prayer?  Would we rather have someone else pray for us and for our well-being than to do the work of prayer ourselves?  

I think these are the real questions that Abba Antony’s response is aimed at.  I think we in the culture in which we live are in danger of losing our passion for prayer (if we ever had it).  We seem to be attracted to the big mega churches with their polished services that entertain, we plug into pre-packaged programs for ministry that guarantee success, we send our kids to other people to teach them, we are fine with 20% doing 80% of the work in the church though once in awhile we will do a little service project because it makes us feel better, we like to hear messages that are always affirming and don’t require too much of us and most of all we are all too busy to pray.  Having the pastor say a little prayer somewhere in the service is good enough and in emergencies we will ask someone else to pray for us.  

Unfortunately all of us who have fallen into this type of “Christian” life eventually discover it is powerless and ineffective.  Before long we begin to discover we really don’t have a clue who God is and how He could ever interact in our lives.  Prayer simply becomes a moment for saying to God thanks for the grub and maybe, before we turn it over to the professionals or serious Jesus people, we will say the occasional, “O God I am in big trouble here…a little help…where are You”?   

However, prayer is one of the most important formational aspects of the Christian’s walk…this journey to be conformed into the image of Christ.  Prayer is not only speaking to God, but listening.   Prayer is coming to God and waiting and listening and regularly saying “Have mercy on me a sinner”…”Search my heart, O Lord”…”Show me your ways”.  Prayer can fill our hearts full with grace when we come with the primary goal to Know God and His magnificence rather than to tell Him how good and righteous we are and that we should be rewarded accordingly.  

This is what I would like to encourage all desiring to know God to do, to commit to pray your own prayers, often and regularly.  Commit to get to know God in a personal and intimate way.  Breathe in scripture (God’s word to you) and breathe out your praise, petitions, intercessions, confessions, love.  Spend a few minutes each day in silence before Him and ask that He quiet your heart so that through your heart you could begin to hear that still, small voice.  Spend some time each day praying for someone besides your self.  Spend some time praying the prayer of adoration.  Find a short breath prayer that you can lift up to Him constantly.  Mine is “Jesus, I need You!”  Yours may be Lord have mercy, Lord you are good, Jesus, I just want to know you…Teach your kids how to pray, ask a mature and thoughtful believer how they pray, search the scriptures for how the people of God pray…and finally take the book of psalms and pray these often.  

Just pray your own prayers.  Its good to seek your brothers and sisters for support and their intercession, but what we really need to do is meet with God personally.  We don’t need a go between to speak to our God.  Jesus paid that price for you and me to be able to enter into His throne room.  

Just pray, your own prayers. 

For Wellspring, © Scott 2008

Did God get tired?

Do you ever wonder if God got tired when he was creating the world?  You know, that whole “on the seventh day he rested” thing.  It’s right there in scripture, you can look it up:

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.–Genesis 2:2

Now I certainly understand that creating light and making heaven and earth is quite a job, and the creativity it took to think up all the sea creatures and animals must have been pretty mind numbing work.  For any of the rest of us, the whole project would have been incredibly exhausting.  Those 6 days of work would have been a life’s worth and more for the rest of us, but God?  Certainly God could handle creating the universe with no problem and be ready for more.  There is a reason he has the title “God” afterall. 

So why did God rest?

I think it’s because he wanted to set for us, an example of how to live our lives.  God wants us to work.  In fact, I would say God created us to do His work.  Without the work God put us on this earth to perform, we have no purpose.  I am so thankful for the work God has given me to serve others in my church, to raise my children to know Jesus, and even to write things on this blog that might encourage others in their relationship with God.  My life has a purpose.  But just as my work comes from God, he also tells me, in fact, he shows me, (See above) that it is important on a regular basis to take a break once in a while.  Just as he wants me to work, he also wants me to rest.  Without rest, my work can become an end in itself.  I can easily leave God out of my work when I don’t take the time to be reminded who gave me my work in the first place and who gives me the strength to perform it.

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.–Genesis 2:3

I have been learning recently the value of this resting that God modeled for us.  He called it the Sabbath, and he wants us to keep it holy.  It is so important to him in fact, that he included it in His 10 commandments.  I have been trying to practice the discipline of the Sabbath, and make it part of my life.  (Not always an easy task)  Since my weekends tend to be pretty busy, they often don’t really constitute what I would consider rest time or sabbath.  But a couple of months ago my church started closing our building on Monday’s, so I had no choice but to take that day off.  It has been a blessing ever since.  Monday has turned into my sabbath day.  On Monday’s I rest.  Monday’s are reserved solely for time with God.  Time to pray, time to think about all the other stuff I never think about the rest of the week, time to take in God’s beauty, time to read and write just for pure devotion and fun.  I am learning to respect my need for the Sabbath, and as a result I think my work the rest of the week is benefitting as well. 

The world doesn’t revolve around me, and practicing Sabbath rest reminds me that God can still maintain things even when I take a day completely off.  (Boy, that’s a relief!)

Did God get tired?  I don’t think so.  I think he could have gone on creating for another 7 decades if he had wanted to, but he wanted to set for us an example of how we should live our lives.  I am learning every monday just how important it is to practice the sabbath and to make it a priority to rest. 

God is in control, so surely at least 1 day a week I don’t have to be.

 Dave for Wellspring C 2008