The Fellowship of Solitude
Small Group/Devotional Guide
Finding balance amid the hustle and bustle of life
and its many calls to interactive community
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go
on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by
himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone….”
—Matthew 14:22-23 ©2012 Bruce Heydt
“Through the call of Jesus men become individuals….
Every man is called separately and must follow alone.
But men are frightened of solitude, and they try to protect
themselves from it by merging themselves into the society
of their fellow-men and in their material environment.”
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Seek a suitable time for thy meditation, and think
frequently of the mercies of God to thee. Leave curious
questions. Study such matters as bring thee sorrow for sin
rather than amusement. If thou withdraw thyself
from trifling conversation and idle goings about,
as well as from novelties and gossip, thou shalt find
thy time sufficient and apt for good meditation. ”
—Thomas à Kempis
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©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Introduction
Did you ever get an itch in the middle of your back that you couldn’t reach? What
do you do when that happens? If you are like me you try to ignore it. But more often than not it refuses to be ignored. On the contrary, it forces itself into the center
of your attention until you can think of nothing else. More than once I’ve gotten
just such an itch while working in my office and, desperate for relief, I’ve backed
up against the door frame and rocked from side to side, using it as a back scratcher
while hoping that no one would come walking down the hallway and see me behaving in such an undignified manner.
That’s kind of the feeling that this latest study sprang from. For years I’ve
had an itch I’ve tried to ignore. I’m speaking metaphorically, of course. My “itch”
is the sense that many Christian writers and preachers are presenting an unbalanced
social message and thereby unintentionally misleading their brothers and sisters.
The misleading—maybe “incomplete” is a better word—message is that we’re
“better together.”
My itch began years ago during an all-church program. The theme—that we
are created to live in community—was a good one as far as it went, and very true.
But I emerged from the campaign feeling like something extremely important had
been left unsaid. Namely, that while we are all part of a community, we are also individually crafted, gifted, and called. We are all responsible not only for living in
relationship with neighbors, but with having a vibrant personal relationship with
God that often can be best nurtured by spending time apart from neighbors and
family. It’s not for nothing that Jesus said, “Anyone who loves his father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than
me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is
not worthy of me.”
This call to withdraw from community comes easily to me because I’m an
introvert by nature. Some people recharge their batteries by spending time among
people, and gradually run down if they’re isolated for too long. I’m not one of
those. For me and my fellow introverts, time among people is draining. Forced to
do it for more than a very short while, we need some time alone to rejuvenate.
There’s nothing wrong with this. Jesus did it all the time. The Bible frequently speaks of his practice of going off by himself to a “lonely place” before
embarking on some new phase of his ministry.
The problem is that our modern culture, for whatever reason, has come to
see this need as an anomaly—even a pathology. People like me (and Jesus) tend to
get labeled as rude or antisocial. Far from being seen as a refreshing blessing, solitude is considered the harshest form of punishment reserved for the most heinous
criminals. Introversion is denigrated as something we need to overcome before we
can take our place as normal, well-adjusted members of society.
This shouldn’t be. It’s an unbalanced view. Yes, we need community—in
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appropriate doses. But we all (not just introverts) also need solitude in good measure. This is a message that has been sadly and consistently neglected in our culture.
I often felt a desire to address it by making the virtue of solitude the theme of an indepth study, but it never became my top priority. So I just went on itching. Every so
often I’d hear “better together” repeated yet again, and inwardly cringe.
Then a co-worker forwarded me an on-line article about the role of introverts
in our churches, and I read it with great interest. It seemed that many of the same
thoughts that had been running through my head are ones that others have struggled
with as well. This cemented my desire to scratch the itch, and the following study is
the result.
It’s meant to achieve two things: first, to give validation to all those like me
who have been led to feel like they need to apologize for their introverted personality. You don’t. Rather, you should celebrate it. While extroverts can teach us a lot
about the virtues of community, we have something to say about the equally valuable virtues of solitude, silence, study, and meditation. This is the second aim of
this devotional—to persuade my extroverted brothers and sisters that there are
times when all of us are “better alone.” In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
Whoever cannot be alone should beware of community. Such people will
only do harm to themselves and to the community. Alone you stood before
God when God called you. Alone you had to obey God’s voice. Alone you
had to take up your cross, struggle, and pray and alone you will give an
account to God. You cannot avoid yourself, for it is precisely God who
has singled you out. If you do not want to be alone, you are rejecting
Christ’s call to you, and you have no part in the community of those who
are called.
THE FOLLOWING LESSONS are intended primarily for use in small group settings, but are also suitable for private devotions. The study is divided into daily
readings that should be completed individually by each group member. The study
can thus be completed in four weeks. Following each commentary there are one or
more questions or assignments under the heading “Challenge Yourself,” and room
to write down a few comments. Once each week the group should gather to review
the past week’s readings and share thoughts about some of the Challenge Yourself
items. Leaders: Do not attempt to answer all the questions during your time together (1½ to 2 hrs is recommended, including time for gathering, prayer, and refreshments). Enough questions are provided to allow groups some flexibility to focus on those few that are most pertinent or interesting to them.
Peace,
Bruce Heydt
Director of Adult Discipleship Ministries
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Getting Started: Fellowship in Community
Day 1: Finding a Rhythm
Scripture: Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a
helper suitable for him.”
The Big Idea:
The virtues of solitude are not a substitute for the virtues of life in the
Body of Christ.
Commentary:
The danger with the sort of study we are undertaking is that some readers
may mistakenly think that the virtue under discussion is being promoted
above all other virtues. That is not the case. The point is rather that the one
particular virtue we will explore has been neglected, and the intention of
this study is to elevate it to a level equal to, but not above, corresponding
virtues that have been more universally recognized, accepted, and put into
practice.
The virtue whose status I hope to elevate is the virtue of solitude. But
before attempting to do so, I first need to affirm the corresponding virtue
of community. We will have achieved nothing through this study if the result is to create a bunch of mad hermits or a culture of rugged individualists who have no time for each other. If someone were to ask you which
was the key to good physical health, regular exercise, or rest and refreshment, you would say that both are required in proper measure. It’s the
same with spiritual health. In order to fulfill our potential we need to engage in Christian community as well as seek out times apart to be alone
with God. Either one without the other is unhealthy.
When God created man he realized that it was not good for him to be
forever alone, so he next created woman in order for them to share companionship. Later on, he created hairdressers for the woman to go off to,
because it was unhealthy for the man and woman to be together constantly. (Somehow, that story seems to have been omitted from the Bible,
so you’ll just have to take my word for it.) Balance was, and is, necessary.
Life is meant to be a rhythm of time together, followed by time apart.
Richard Foster notes: “We must seek out the recreating stillness of
solitude if we want to be with others meaningfully. We must seek the accountability of others if we want to be alone safely. We must cultivate
both if we are to live in obedience.”
In today’s culture, this is a message that many people aren’t likely to
have heard before; or if they have, they’re likely to disbelieve it. But we’ll
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get to that in just a few lessons. First we need to establish a necessary context for our thoughts on solitude by taking careful note of what the Bible
says about community. Otherwise, we’re liable to swing too far in the opposite extreme.
As with so many of the Bible’s most essential themes, we find an affirmation of humankind’s need for community in the opening few chapters
of Genesis. Unfortunately, inadequate understandings of Eve’s role have
led some women to sneer and accuse God of making her subservient to
man. Similarly, men who read “servant” where the NIV uses the English
word “helper” distort God’s intentions. A better understanding of ancient
Hebrew would prevent either attitude. What God is actually conveying in
today’s passage is that the woman is one on whom man’s very existence
will depend, or as the songwriter would say, “I’m so lost without you.”
“Helper” hardly scratches the surface.
So right from the very start, when two was not only company but also
the biggest crowd possible, we have a clear biblical reference to the importance of community in the form of the union between a man and a
woman. The value and sacredness of this relationship is further developed
in the Proverbs:
Proverbs 31:10-11
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
Perhaps one of the reasons contemporary writers place such an unbalanced
emphasis on community is that marriages in the 21st century often fall
short of the noble ideal expressed in scripture. To that extent, constant
repetition of the litany “better together” may indeed be useful.
Challenge Yourself:
Compare the Bible’s affirmation of fellowship in marriage with Paul’s advice to the Corinthians: “Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It
is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.” What was the basis for
Paul’s statements? Do you agree with him?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 2: Better than One
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
The Big Idea:
The Bible exalts symbiotic relationships among friends.
Commentary:
In the previous lesson we affirmed the benefits of community in the form
of the marriage covenant. But that is not the sole way by which God intends for us to share fellowship. Friendships, too, offer opportunities for
cooperation and mutual encouragement. They are like marriages, yet different. C.S. Lewis describes the characteristic posture of husband and wife
as face-to-face. Friends, he says, stand side-by-side. Jesus also suggests
this side-by-side partnership when he describes those in relationship with
him as “yoked.” A yoke is the device a ploughman uses to make sure his
horses or oxen all pull in the same direction. It’s a means of joining our
individual strengths together to accomplish a common goal. Jesus is saying, “Join yourself to me and you’ll find the going easier.”
The greatest biblical example of the community of friendship is the
relationship between David and Jonathan:
1 Samuel 20:4
Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for
you.”
Yoked friends bear a responsibility to each other. They remain steadfast
when trouble comes along. Fair-weather friends are not yoked. They can
run off when things get sticky. And very often they will, because incidental friends have no stake in each other’s lives. So they’ll hang together as
long as it doesn’t cost them anything, but when it’s no longer comfortable,
the friendship ends.
Our human tendency to run away when the going gets tough is the
reason marriage covenants are sealed with vows to stick together “for
richer or poorer; in sickness and in health.” Modern friendships aren’t customarily bound by similar covenants, but David and Jonathan provide an
example of why perhaps they should be.
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1 Samuel 18:3
And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as
himself.
Here’s biblical precedent for a covenant relationship between two people
of the same gender. This is not a marriage, and it’s certainly not sexual,
but it represents something more than what we today often mean when
we casually throw around the word “friend.” It implies a level of trust
and accountability that few friendships today live up to.
When people’s lives are characterized by uncertainty and they begin
to doubt even God, your unwavering friendship may be the only anchor
they can cling to. You need to be there, and a covenant can help remind
you of that and help hold your feet to the fire so that you will stick it out
when the friendship calls for sacrificial love.
In The Lord of the Rings, a fellowship of friends accompanies the
hero of the story on a perilous quest. At the outset an advisor points out
that they need not travel together any farther than they freely choose, but
a member of the party takes a different view of things:
“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,” said Gimli.
“Maybe,” said Elrond, “but let him not vow to walk in the dark,
who has not seen the nightfall.”
“Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart,” said Gimli.
For my money, Gimli’s is the better advice. True, we don’t always understand what lies ahead, but that’s precisely why a covenant serves us
well. We may easily succumb to the frailties of the human heart if we fail
to bind ourselves to our friends’ service “in good times and bad,” just as
husbands and wives do—who likewise have only a dim idea of what lies
ahead, but who easily, even eagerly, pledge eternal constancy.
Challenge Yourself:
Think of a time when a friend faced dark times and needed companionship. Were you willing to suffer alongside him or her? Why?
Have you ever felt abandoned by friends when the going got tough? What
were the circumstances?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 3: The Body of Christ
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its
parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
The Big Idea:
You have been custom-designed to fit into God’s plan. Without your contribution to the whole, the Christian community is crippled.
Commentary:
Every one of us has a unique purpose. In the King Arthur legends, Arthur
shows Sir Galahad a sword embedded in a stone. None of Arthur’s greatest knights have had the strength to remove it.
“Sir, said the king unto Sir Galahad, here is a great marvel as ever I
saw, and right good knights have [tried] and failed.”
“Sir, said Galahad, that is no marvel, for this adventure is not
theirs but mine… And anon he laid his hand on the sword, and lightly drew it out of the stone.”
The medieval romances accurately reflect the teaching of Scripture. The
Bible too tells us that we each have a role to play that is unique to ourselves, and that true community exists only when we all bring our particular gifts to the table and use them for the good of everyone.
Romans 12:4-8
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many
form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have
different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving,
let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let
him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
In God’s kingdom, we aren’t called to be a Jack-of-all-trades. We don’t
need to be because the skills we lack are provided by others who share
their talents with us just as we share our skills for their benefit. We can
give a Galahad his moment of glory without jealousy or embarrassment
because we too have our own appointed gift that we can use for the good
of the Body.
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The Apostle Paul frequently warned his readers not to fall into the
trap of thinking themselves better than their peers on the basis of which
talents God had blessed them with, but to consider everyone—no matter
how humble—as an essential part of a healthy community of faith:
1 Corinthians 12:14-23
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot
should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it
would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear
should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it
would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole
body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole
body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God
has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he
wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body
be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head
cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts
of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that
we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts
that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty….
It’s interesting to note that when President Ronald Reagan was shot by
John Hinkley and spent several weeks in the hospital recovering, the nation carried on with hardly any notice of his absence, but when garbage
collectors in Philadelphia went on strike, they brought the city to a standstill. So who was more essential to the workings of the community—the
President or the trash collectors? It’s often that way with those whose contributions we take for granted.
Challenge Yourself:
What gifts or talents to do have that make you an asset to the Body of believers? How are you applying those gifts in your daily walk?
What do you think would happen if many believers began thinking, “I do
not belong to the body”?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Part One: Fellowship Alone
Day 4: Withdrawal
Scripture: Matthew 19:4-5
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made
them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh’?
The Big Idea:
Community opens the door to insights and strengths we’d otherwise miss
out on. So does solitude.
Commentary:
A recent article in The Boston Globe, titled “The power of lonely: What
we do better without other people around,” noted:
You hear it all the time: We humans are social animals. We need to
spend time together to be happy and functional, and we extract a vast
array of benefits from maintaining intimate relationships and associating with groups. Collaborating on projects at work makes us smarter
and more creative. Hanging out with friends makes us more emotionally mature and better able to deal with grief and stress.
Spending time alone, by contrast, can look a little suspect. In a
world gone wild for wikis and interdisciplinary collaboration, those
who prefer solitude and private noodling are seen as eccentric at best
and defective at worst, and are often presumed to be suffering from
social anxiety, boredom, and alienation.
But an emerging body of research is suggesting that spending time
alone, if done right, can be good for us — that certain tasks and
thought processes are best carried out without anyone else around,
and that even the most socially motivated among us should regularly
be taking time to ourselves if we want to have fully developed personalities, and be capable of focus and creative thinking. There is
even research to suggest that blocking off enough alone time is an
important component of a well-functioning social life — that if we
want to get the most out of the time we spend with people, we should
make sure we’re spending enough of it away from them.
In a sense, this is hardly news. Richard Foster said as much in his 1988
book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline. Before that,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it in Life Together, written in 1938. Thomas á
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Kempis extolled the value of solitude as early as the 15th century. So as
far as hot news goes, the Boston Globe didn’t exactly scoop the competition. Still, it’s not a bad thing when the skeptical, secular world stumbles
upon a truth that Christian writers have understood for hundreds of years
and labels it “news.” More people probably came across the Globe article
in the weeks following its publication than had read The Imitation of
Christ since the Renaissance. As long as the word gets out we won’t quibble about who gets the credit.
What’s important to understand is that all of these varied sources
agree that there are some things best accomplished in isolation from other
people. This can, but doesn’t always, mean total isolation from all others.
It may mean simply a change of scenery. It may mean withdrawing from
the madding crowd in order to confer with, or take comfort in, a select few
advisors or friends. It may mean separating yourself from others in order
to spend more time with a covenant partner.
This last example is the one referred to in today’s key verse. One of
the most bittersweet moments in a parent’s life is the day when a beloved
son or daughter leaves home to begin a new life with a husband or wife.
One who has been the focus of our nearly constant attention for upwards
of two decades is no longer our sole responsibility, and sometimes the
knowledge that our guiding presence is no longer essential can be a hard
thing to adjust to. But the goal of every parent is, or should be, to prepare
our children to get along without us.
Marriage is, according to scripture, a reflection of the relationship between Christ and his church. We are called to be distinct from the world so
we can be united with Christ. Likewise, withdrawing from parents to
spend our days with a spouse is indicative of being a mature Christ follower who is ready to bear fruit for Christ.
This is just one way that setting limits on our social interactions contributes to a well-balanced and productive life. There are many others.
Over the next few lessons we’ll consider some of them, using Christ’s
own habits as a guide.
Challenge Yourself:
Have you ever known (or perhaps experienced yourself) a marriage in
which one or both sets of parents were unwilling to step back and allow
the couple the freedom to “become one flesh” and chart their own
course? What was the result?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 5: Few…
Scripture: John 6:22
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake
realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered
it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.
The Big Idea:
Solitude can benefit both those who withdraw and those they withdraw
from.
Commentary:
If “better together” is always the best policy, Jesus dropped the ball in a
big way that morning by the Sea of Galilee. A crowd of people had ventured into the countryside the day before to hear him preach. After a good
night’s sleep, they were hoping for more of the same, but they awoke to
find that Jesus had left them.
We’re not told that he had any pressing business to attend to; he
seems to have simply felt like it was time to go, despite the fact that thousands of eager listeners wanted to hear him speak. You might think he’d
jump at the opportunity. But he didn’t. Instead, he left. It’s not too hard to
imagine a number of reasons.
When I speak, I typically address less than 200 people. Even so I have
the benefit of a microphone and a state-of-the-art sound system. Yet by
the time I’m done, I’m drained. It’s an emotionally exhausting experience;
at least for me. I can’t speak for Jesus, but I know this: Speaking loudly
enough to be heard by several thousand people would have tired him. And
his day wasn’t over when the preaching stopped. He miraculously fed the
entire crowd. None of us can begin to understand what that did to him
physically, but Mark records that when a hemorrhagic woman touched his
robe, he felt power leave his body. So we are probably safe in assuming
that multiplying the loaves and fishes left him feeling drained as well. All
in all, Jesus was probably much in need of a day off.
That may sound odd. The gospels tell us repeatedly of his power over
nature. We don’t tend to think of him as needing refreshment. But he certainly did. John records the fact in his gospel:
John 4:5-6
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of
ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there,
and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It
was about noon.
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Another likely reason that Jesus took leave of the crowd is that his obligations to them needed to be balanced with his other relationships. One of
the key indicators of workaholism is not knowing when to quit. An online article on the effects of overwork notes: “Whatever be the reason for
workaholism, its result is the same. With more and more time and effort
being spent at office, the person starts losing touch with those who matter
in his personal life—wife, kids, parents, friends, relatives, etc. He becomes alienated from them and starts failing at the personal front.”*
For Jesus, the personal relationships he valued the most were those
with his disciples. After spending a day serving the needs of the crowd, it
was time to give his friends some attention and to enjoy their company.
Finally, it’s evident from what follows in John’s account of this particular day that Jesus’ concern was not only for himself and his disciples
when he withdrew from the crowds at the Sea of Galilee—it was for the
crowd’s good too. At the time, they didn’t understand this and when they
came after Jesus he had to teach them a stern lesson, which few of them
understood and most of them resented. They asked Jesus why he had left.
John 6:26
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not
because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves
and had your fill.”
Or, to paraphrase, “A good time was had by all.” To Jesus, the table fellowship, while not bad of itself, was getting in the way of what was more
important; that is, the truths that Jesus had shared with them. They needed
time to digest the words he had spoken, not the food he’d provided. To do
that, they needed some time for quiet, private reflection—not another free
meal. Very often, it’s the same with us.
Challenge Yourself:
Have you ever had trouble balancing responsibilities to clients or coworkers on the one hand with family obligations on the other?
When the way you allocate your time gets unbalanced, which of these two
sets of relationships tends to get shortchanged?
Notes:
*http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 6: Fewer…
Scripture: Matthew 17:1
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of
James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
The Big Idea:
Sometimes, twelve’s a crowd.
Commentary:
During the past 30 years, I’ve worked on and off as a free-lance writer.
One of the most important things to get settled when I negotiate a contract, just one notch below what kind of pay I’ll receive, is how many
words I have with which to tell my story. Everything depends on that.
For example, say I draw the assignment of writing about Jesus, and
my editor tells me to keep it to 1,000 words. There’s no way to adequately
tell readers everything there is to know about Jesus in so short an article,
so what I’d do is narrow the focus. I’d define my subject in such a way
that 1,000 words is the perfect length to cover everything worth saying.
Maybe I’d decide to concentrate just on Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness.
Maybe I’d pick one of his miracles. Or his genealogy as provided by
Luke. Whichever angle I ultimately chose, it would amount to only a fraction of the whole life and ministry of Jesus.
It’s a lot like that in our relationships as well, and we see that truth
demonstrated in today’s key verse. In the previous lesson we considered
why Jesus left behind a large crowd in order to be with his disciples. Now
we learn that on occasion, he also left some of his disciples behind and
went on ahead with only three of them.
The reason is not explicitly revealed, but I suspect Jesus’ choice of
companions was much like the way I approach a writing assignment. His
ministry consisted of a series of encounters and events, each with its own
purpose and desired outcome. Those purposes sometimes required the
presence of crowds of witnesses. At other times his focus narrowed and
his plans included only the twelve. And at still other times his intentions
were such that it was best to leave even some of his disciples behind because what he was doing didn’t especially pertain to them.
We can only imagine why Jesus felt it appropriate to exclude nine of
his disciples from the Transfiguration. It certainly wasn’t because he
wanted to keep secrets from them. One of the nine excluded men, Matthew, is the one who recorded the story, so we know that Peter, James,
and John must have told him what they had seen and heard. It would appear that Jesus simply approached his ministry the same way I approach
magazine article writing. That is, he evaluated the task at hand, chose his
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companions based on his immediate needs and purposes, and dismissed
those whose presence was not strictly necessary. We needn’t think this
was because he didn’t value their company. As we’ve noted, Jesus seems
to have had a great appreciation for the universal human need for some
“down time.” By leaving most of his disciples at the foot of the Mount of
Transfiguration, Jesus may have been granting them a much-needed Sabbath rest. In fact, this is a likely explanation for the phase, “after six
days,” with which Matthew introduces the story. Jesus had spent six days
preaching in the city of Caesarea Philippi and the Transfiguration occurred on the seventh day—the Sabbath.
If this interpretation is correct it sheds an interesting light on how Jesus celebrated the Sabbath. We tend to regard it as a day of corporate unity and public worship. And Jesus too made a habit of speaking in the Synagogues on the Sabbath so we needn’t think there’s anything wrong with
mass worship, but he also seems to have considered retreating to a mountaintop with just his very closest companions an appropriate way to meet
His Father. And very literally, it was a transforming experience. So here
again we see a rhythm in Jesus’ habits rather than conformance to a single
standard of social interaction. He made room in his routine for both public
and private devotions, each in its own turn.
I’ve heard others say, and once believed it myself, that we don’t need
church to worship God—we can do that in the privacy of our own hearts
and homes. The best response I’ve yet heard to that attitude was from a
former Pastor who astutely noted, “Yes, you can; but will you?” The public aspect of our worship is what keeps us accountable. It also exposes us
to new ideas and allows us to seek guidance and comfort from others who
are on the same journey. But on the other hand, private worship sometimes allows us to hear God’s voice with a clarity that’s hard to attain
amid the regulated pace and programmed liturgy of public worship. To
become fully rounded Christians, we need both.
Challenge Yourself:
What is your personal experience of worship? Do you feel closer to God
in the company of just a few close friends, or in the whole company of
believers?
Where, apart from in a formal worship setting, do you most sense the
presence of God?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 7: Alone
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-23
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of
him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone… The Big Idea:
We’re never truly alone, but sometimes we don’t experience God’s presence until no one else is around.
Commentary:
Richard Halverson, in his book The Timelessness of Jesus Christ, wrote:
“The extrovert God of John 3:16 does not beget an introvert people.” I
have two objections to this interpretation. The first is with his claim that
the verse he cites identifies God as an extrovert. I suppose Halverson
means to suggest that God’s love makes him so, but I would strongly disagree with the notion that only extroverts are capable of love.
My second objection to Halverson’s assessment is that the Father
most certainly begot the Son and Jesus, at times, showed classic signs of
introverted behavior. So with all due respect, introversion is no indication
of Godlessness. In reality, Halverson’s claim is simply another manifestation of contemporary society’s pervasive bias against introversion.
Jesus plainly felt no such bias. He regularly practiced the sort of selfimposed isolation that would have earned him Halverson’s scorn. We’ve
already noted his readiness to separate himself from the crowds of admirers who flocked to hear him, as well as the company of the majority of his
disciples when occasion called for it. Now in today’s theme verse, we read
of him reducing his circle of contacts to the bare minimum in order to be
alone. Why?
Because he recognized that he was never truly alone. His Father was
ever present. (There was of course, one very significant exception, which
prompted the cry, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”) But God’s presence can be next to impossible to experience so long as there are friends,
family, or co-workers alongside us demanding our attention. When we are
most alone, we are most with God.
This truth has been recognized throughout most of the Christian era,
but is becoming a forgotten fact in our own day. We have gone to great
lengths to eliminate the possibility of silence from our lives. From iPods
and ear buds to smart phones, we fill the airwaves with sound and ensure
that we are never, ever, alone with God. (All the time complaining that He
seems so distant!)
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Previous generations knew better. The monastic movement is often
criticized for being cut off from the needs of the real world, but this is
largely a stereotype created in our own age by Christians who don’t understand what our medieval forebears were all about. Monasteries were
not cut off from the needs of society; they were in fact the chief agents of
social welfare. Our modern word “secular” originally described a Christian who had chosen to devote his primary service to God’s people, while
“religious” monks were those whose focus was on God himself. They
knew that both arenas needed to be attended to, but that serving God often
required solitude. Since their understanding coincides with that of Jesus,
we’d do well to emulate them.
In the book The Practice of the Presence of God, Joseph de Beaufort
relates his conversations with the Carmelite monk, Brother Lawrence:
“Brother Lawrence related that we should establish in ourselves a sense of
God's Presence by continually conversing with Him. It was a shameful
thing to quit His conversation to think of trifles and fooleries.” Brother
Lawrence goes on to note that he had learned to be able to engage in such
conversations anytime and anywhere, not having need for the special
times of prayer set aside by his Carmelite order. But for most of us the
routine is necessary, at least until we become well advanced in the spiritual life. Otherwise the “trifles and fooleries” of which he warns us will
take our minds off God. Again, if Jesus himself did not think he was too
advanced in faith for times of solitude, we’d best not think too highly of
ourselves by considering them unnecessary in our own lives.
Challenge Yourself:
Does the thought of regularly spending time alone seem appealing to you,
or tedious? Why do you think that is so?
What experiences have you had, if any, of extended periods of solitude or
silence? Did they have any lasting impact?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Part Two: The Call
Day 8: Noise
Scripture: 1 Kings 19:11-12
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the
LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After
the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
The Big Idea:
God calls us out of chaos and into singleness of purpose and focus.
Commentary:
Nature, we’re told, abhors a vacuum. The universe is put together in such
a way that whenever there’s an empty space, something wants to rush in to
fill it up. Boats spring leaks, rooms fill with clutter and nick-knacks, and
stink bugs find a way into every home.
Contemporary culture abhors vacuums, too. We like to keep our lives
filled to the brim with sensory stimulation. Silence and solitude are anathema. We have radios in our cars, in our pockets, over our ears. Just the
other day I saw a news article about the next technological innovation on
the horizon—“supplemental reality.” Apparently we’ll soon be able to
saturate our senses not only with input from the real world, but also with
holographic images projected onto the lenses of specially designed eyeglasses. When reality alone isn’t enough to grab our attention, we’ll be
able to infuse our minds with some artificial stimulants.
We have grown accustomed to immersing ourselves in noise—and
not just the auditory kind. Noise is anything that obscures or distracts us
from the really vital stimuli that we ought to pay attention to. When billboards tempt us to takes our eyes off the road to gawk at seductive advertisements, that’s an example of visual noise.
We’ve grown accustomed to—even addicted to—noise, and we go
through withdrawal symptoms when we’re deprived of it. I’m as guilty as
the next person. I used to have an audio CD at my office that played not
music, but the sound of waves beating against the shore. I played it while I
worked because total silence was distracting. I needed noise to feel relaxed so I could concentrate.
The potential problem with all this is that Jesus calls us away from
contemporary culture and much of the sensory input it bombards us with
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and offers instead God’s still, quiet voice. He bids us to leave behind the
loud, multisensory life we’re accustomed to and to sit at his feet and learn.
He asks for our full attention, but we’ve been trained from birth to conform to our modern lifestyle, which demands they we divide our attention
between three or four conflicting calls. Fish out of water have it easy
compared to a follower of Christ without his comforting, enveloping blanket of noise.
Yet that’s what we’re called to, at least now and then. Note though
that following Christ does not require total silence. With practice, it’s possible to hear God’s voice even in a crowded subway, or a sports arena, or
even (once you’re really advanced in the skill) in a worship service. But
all that comes with time. At the outset, we are better off doing as Elijah
did, and withdrawing to an isolated place free of distractions. We train
ourselves best in the practice of hearing Christ’s call and listening to his
voice by retreating from the world for a time and eliminating noise from
our lives. This does two things for us. First, by eliminating distractions,
we can concentrate more fully on what’s most important. Next, we begin
to break our addiction. We learn to feel comfortable with silence. It
doesn’t spook us any more. In time, silence and solitude become a welcome relief from the workaday world, and a real blessing.
Challenge Yourself:
Experiment with spending at least 20 minutes each day apart from people,
phones, radios, and television. If your drive to work each morning takes
roughly that long, you can accomplish this experiment just by turning
off the radio. Pray very briefly, telling God that you’re available and inviting him to speak. Then just listen patiently. If you are part of a group
who is reading this study together, share your experience with the other
group members.
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 9: “Follow Me…”
Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the
lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will
make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee
and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat
and their father and followed him.
The Big Idea:
God’s call draws us out of everyday community and into a communion
with Him.
Commentary:
Christ’s call is uncompromising to the point of sometimes sounding harsh.
Never does he say, give me an hour or two each week, then you can go
back to what you were doing.” Instead he calls us to leave our families,
our careers, our hometown.
We’re in good company, at least. God’s call has been the same for
countless generations, as has been the difficulty many of us feel in honoring it:
Genesis 19:17, 26
As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for
your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain!
Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away…!” But Lot’s wife
looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Matthew 8:21-22
Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their
own dead.”
Matthew 10:37-38
“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy
of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me
is not worthy of me.”
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But is this policy is not nearly as harsh as it sounds. The payoff, Jesus
makes it clear, will be worth it:
Matthew 19:27-29
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What
then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things,
when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Christ’s call is not one to be taken lightly. Yes, it is a call to join a community of faith; a fellowship of believers. But it is also a call away from
the familiar and the comfortable. It’s a call to the single-minded purpose
of attaching ourselves to Christ and severing ties with all that holds us
back. In some sense, it is a call to solitude—if not constantly than at least
frequently. As such, it is a call that seems less and less attuned to the expectations of our fast-paced modern world with its emphasis on connectivity rather than exclusiveness.
The result is that fulfilling this requirement of Christ takes conscious
commitment, and practice. Like Brother Lawrence so long ago, we need to
practice the presence of God.
Challenge Yourself:
What are some practical steps you can take to practice the presence of
God? Like monks of old, consider establishing a “rule of life,” that is, a
daily schedule that includes both time spent in community with others
and time alone to commune with God.
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 10: Moral Solitude
Scripture: Luke 22:55-58
When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat
down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated
there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was
with him.”
But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later
someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
The Big Idea:
There is more than one way to be all alone.
Commentary:
Before continuing with our exploration of the discipline of solitude, it is
well to consider a different sense in which we might at times be called to
stand alone. Just as our contemporary culture is often denigrates the practice of physical separation from community, it is often less than congenial
to many of the moral and ethical standards to which Christ calls us. As a
result we should expect that a serious commitment to Christian values will
sometimes isolate us from the opinions of the masses.
Unhappily, Peter’s experience is not an unusual one. Courage is most
often measured by a person’s coolness in the face of physical danger, such
as on a battlefield, but a less mortal danger is likely to be the sort we face
more often; namely, the danger of facing ridicule or being despised for our
beliefs. Our greatest need is for the moral courage to adhere to our faith
and act accordingly when doing so draws unfavorable attention to ourselves.
There is a reason why Hans Anderson’s children’s tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” has become one of his best known and most widely
read stories all around the world. The lessons it teaches are universal. The
story tells of an emperor who is excessively concerned with his own appearance:
Time passed merrily in the large town which was his capital; strangers arrived every day at the court. One day, two rogues, calling themselves weavers, made their appearance. They gave out that they knew
how to weave stuffs of the most beautiful colors and elaborate patterns, the clothes manufactured from which should have the wonderful property of remaining invisible to everyone who was unfit for the
office he held, or who was extraordinarily simple in character.
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The swindlers, of course, had no magic invisible cloth, but they did have a
good understanding of human nature. They knew how unlikely it was that
anyone would question the existence of clothes that couldn’t be seen by
incompetents and fools.
And of course no one did, until a small child, too young to understand
the risks of exposing himself to potential ridicule, tells it like he sees it and
whispers that the emperor has no clothes. The comment passes from one
bystander to the next until it become all the rage to see no clothes on the
emperor, at which time everyone feels free to speak the truth.
In time, the emperor begins to suspect that the whispers he overhears
are true, but still determined to make the best showing possible, he
marches on, holding his head high and doing his utmost to look dignified,
while his retainers “took greater pains than ever, to appear holding up a
train, although, in reality, there was no train to hold.”
Those two rascally weavers are still at work in the world. They’ve
told us all that they have a magical new worldview that’s contrary to traditional morality, that only ignorant or intellectually backward people can’t
see the virtue of. And so those who dare to lift up traditional values face
the same risk as the little boy in Anderson’s story, with the significant difference that while he was too young to realize the dangers of speaking
truth, we aren’t, and that makes following the call of Christ and living and
speaking in faithful obedience to that call so much more difficult.
Challenge Yourself:
Has there ever been a time when you participated in an ungodly act, or
chose not to speak out against one, for fear of having to dissent from the
majority? What were the circumstances?
How might we equip ourselves, in advance, to stand up and be counted
when such circumstances arise in the future?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 11: Foxes and Birds
Scripture: Luke 9:57-58
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you
wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
The Big Idea:
We are called individually. While we will join others who have been similarly called, our devotion is directed not primarily to them, but to Christ.
Commentary:
Sometimes I hear well-meaning Christians justify the value of faith by
saying: “You might not need it now, but someday there will come a time
when you are hurting or in need of a loving community of friends and then
you’ll be glad you joined the church.”
No doubt this is true, but it’s kind of like saying that you ought to get
married so you’ll have someone to bring you chicken soup whenever you
get sick. Marriage goes much deeper than that. It’s about a day-to-day relationship, constant devotion, and occasional self-sacrifice. It’s about not
just perseverance through the bad times, but a fruitful partnership during
the good. And so is our Christian faith. Jesus calls us not to convenience,
but to truth. Our faith may bring us comfort, but it is equally likely that it
will bring persecution or ridicule. So if comfort is your number one goal,
buy a Snugglie. But if you want a relationship with the Way, the Truth,
and the Life, then Christianity is for you.
Christ himself made it clear that a relationship with him is sometimes
hard. Those who followed him during his days on earth often had no place
to lay their heads. For us who follow him in spirit, he predicted even more
severe inconveniences:
Revelation 2:10
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil
will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give
you the crown of life.”
Happily, most of us will never be called make so great a sacrifice on behalf of Truth, but nearly all of us, if we are serious about our calling, will
face times when our beliefs separate us from the crowd and leave us feeling isolated. For introverted people like me, this doesn’t pose too great a
challenge. At times I wholeheartedly embrace isolation for the opportunity
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it provides for thoughtful introspection and letting down my guard. But
extroverts might well consider isolation, or merely a lack of acceptance by
the crowd, to be a fate worse than death.
In the previous lesson, we ended by asking ourselves how we might
equip ourselves to stand firm when we find ourselves in the minority—
maybe even a minority of one. I can imagine two possible outcomes. One
is to give in to to peer pressure, compromise our values, and conform to
the norm. I’m far from confident that Jesus would approve of this option,
but it’s one that’s temptingly available to us if acceptance by the crowd is
of overriding importance.
The second option is, through a series of small steps, to acclimate
ourselves to the sensation of being alone. (And this, maybe, is the right
time to listen to those who espouse Christianity primarily as a source of
comfort and fellowship. Within the Body of Christ, we are never completely without companionship.) It is natural to feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations. And those who most crave company are those least
familiar with isolation, be it moral isolation or physical. But we can overcome the sense of disorientation we feel during such times by exposing
ourselves to small doses of solitude—much like a vaccination.
If you have an extroverted personality, stretch yourself by spending
just a little more time each day in silent prayer. Reading may not come
naturally to you, but try making it a daily discipline nonetheless. You
don’t have to start with the Bible—read about your favorite hobby or the
sports team you follow. The information you gain is less important than
the comfort you acquire with spending time alone. In time you can begin
applying those opportunities to more overtly spiritual activities.
Challenge Yourself:
In what situations, or at what times of day, do you find it most natural to
be alone. In what circumstances are you least willing to be alone?
Try being intentional about setting aside time in your daily schedule to be
alone with God.
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 12: Seeking the Lost
Scripture: Matthew 18:12
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them
wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look
for the one that wandered off?
The Big Idea:
Companionship among believers is often refreshing and enticing, but the
Great Commission requires us to venture beyond our fellowship halls.
Commentary:
In 1777, when Benjamin Franklin, one of three American ambassadors to
Paris, received the news that the British army under General William
Howe had captured Philadelphia, he retorted, “It would be more correct to
say that Philadelphia has captured Howe!”
Franklin’s assessment of the strategic situation at that period of the
American Revolution was typically shrewd. Philadelphia offered many
tempting pleasures to distract General Howe from vigorously pursuing his
campaigns. In fact, Howe never again ventured more than a day’s march
from his headquarters on 2nd Street with an army at his command.
An officer serving under Howe in Philadelphia wrote in his diary
about the social life in the city that winter, noting one particularly lavish
party:
From the garden we ascended a flight of steps, covered with carpets,
which led into a spacious hall; the panels, painted in imitation
marble…. In this hall, and in the adjoining apartments, were
prepared tea, lemonade and other cooling liquors….
From these apartments we were conducted up to a ball-room,
decorated in a light, elegant style of painting. The ground was a pale
blue, panelled with a small gold bead, and in the interior filled with
festoons of flowers in their natural colors. ...
On the same floor were four drawing-rooms, with side boards
of refreshments, decorated and lighted in the same style and taste as
the ball-room. Dances continued till ten o’clock, when the windows
were thrown open, and a magnificent bouquet of rockets began the
fire-works.
While this entertainment was going on in the city, George Washington’s
army was at Valley Forge, being drilled in 18th-century infantry tactics—
training that eventually turned the tide of the war and helped America win
its independence.
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We’ve all grown up on stories of the hardships Washington faced at
Valley Forge, but it was the willingness to endure those hard times that
enabled the American army to be effective and to achieve its mission.
Christians face a similar choice. As we go about our work we find
ourselves sometimes enjoying the high life in Philadelphia, and other
times in the bleak isolation of Valley Forge. Neither setting is evil. Both
are necessary. But each much be understood in its proper relationship to
the other. The pleasures of an inviting congregation constitute an enjoyable pause from the work we are called to—a pause that’s meant to refresh
and invigorate us so that we can return to our mission with new energy.
As Christ-followers, our mission is not so much to defeat our enemies, but to win them over. Christ himself orders us to love them, and the
primary way we show that love is by sharing the Good News of Christ
with them—to invite them to come back to Philadelphia with us, if you
will, to join the party. But to do that we must leave the warmth and camaraderie behind for a season and go out to fetch them.
Jesus taught this lesson not using military metaphors, but rather the
image of a wedding banquet:
Matthew 22:8-10
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but
those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and
invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into
the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and
bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
Again we see that in order to bring guests to the feast, we are required
first to go, because our purpose is not just to enjoy good eating for ourselves, but to offer the Bread of Life to everyone.
Challenge Yourself:
Has your faith journey been characterized more by receiving what the
church offers, or by extending God’s grace to others?
What is it that you most need to receive from God’s church?
What is it that you are best equipped to offer others?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 13: Discipline: Learning to Play the Game
Scripture: Hebrews 12:11-12
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it
produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been
trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
The Big Idea:
Solitude is a discipline. Disciplines equip us to hear Jesus’ voice and answer his call, but as with any new interest or activity, there is a learning
curve during which we may feel awkward or inadequate.
Commentary:
A college professor of mine noted that the key to understanding is knowing the right questions to ask. This was never truer than in a small group I
led a few years ago, when a member asked, “I know we’re supposed to
grow in faith and become more like Jesus, but how exactly do you go
about doing that? What is it we should be doing?” That is the best question I think I’ve ever been asked in a small group, and it cuts straight to
the heart of what it means to be a Christ-follower.
This is the same question that motivated Richard Foster to write his
excellent book, Celebration of Discipline. Foster makes a persuasive case
that what we should be doing to become more Christ-like are the classic
spiritual disciplines. These include spiritual exercises that have been practiced and valued throughout much of church history, but which we today
seem to have lost interest in. Most probably this is because they take a
good deal of conscious effort and a long attention span—things that aren’t
all that attractive for most of us. That’s why they’re called disciplines;
they’re hard work.
Both of my sons play hockey. The older, Scott, began nearly as soon
as he could walk. He and I would play together in our garage. He’d take
shots while I played goalie from my knees. In turn, my younger son, Ben,
learned to love the game by playing with Scott.
When they became serious about the game and graduated from the
garage to an ice rink, they had to learn to skate. It was interesting watching them. It was hockey they loved, not skating per se, but they couldn’t
play the game well, and therefore enjoy it, until skating became second
nature for them. In the meantime, they stumbled along, their concentration
fully occupied by the effort of staying upright, of starting, and most especially stopping. (It’s hard to convince yourself of the need for speed until
you’ve mastered stopping.) With so much to concentrate on, there was
hardly time to think about the game, let alone enjoy it.
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The only way to learn to skate is by experience, so I took the boys to
the rink during free skates and told them to get on the ice and keep starting and stopping as often as it took, paying no heed to their many falls,
until they were completely comfortable on skates. There, where none of
their teammates would see their pratfalls and rib them about it, they gradually became confident, competent skaters. With their mobility issues settled, they could enjoy the sport to the fullest since they no longer had to
concentrate on the mechanics of skating.
When it comes to the spiritual life, all of us need to go through the
same process before we can enjoy the full blessings God has to offer. But
we also face the same doubts, and hesitate to exert ourselves to the fullest
because we haven’t yet learned the basics. Worse, we’re afraid others
might chuckle at us when we stumble, so we avoid putting ourselves in
situations that call for skills we haven’t yet mastered. Soon we’re caught
in a vicious cycle. We don’t challenge ourselves; therefore we never gain
the experience we need to feel comfortable in new roles. And because
we’re uncomfortable, we never challenge ourselves.
At least, that’s the danger. But we don’t need to get stuck forever.
Like my boys, if we can just tough it out until we develop a knack for the
necessary skills, we can achieve incredible things that we once thought far
beyond our ability.
That’s the way it usually is with the spiritual disciplines. They’re not
easy at the start, because they are new to us. But that’s no reason to quit
after one or two half-hearted tries. We’ll never get the chance to fully enjoy the game until we master the basics, but once we do, a whole world of
possibilities opens before us.
Challenge Yourself:
Recall a time when you needed to persevere through a difficult learning
process in order to gain the benefits of experience. What was the toughest part of the process? Was it worthwhile in the end? What lessons can
you draw from your experience?
Notes:
©2012 Bruce Heydt
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Day 14: Discipline: Good Soil
Scripture: Luke 8:5-8a
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some
fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.
Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they
had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and
choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded
a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
The Big Idea:
Faith, like a seed, is meant to be planted and then to grow. Spiritual Disciplines are the fertilizer of faith.
Commentary:
The disciplines include a wide variety of activities, some of which are best
practiced in community, and others which are typically done in solitude.
For the sake of this study, we’ll naturally be concentrating on the solitary
disciplines, but all are valuable resources for serious Christ-followers.
There is no comprehensive list of the disciplines. Different practitioners will emphasize different ones. Foster’s list includes silence, study,
prayer, meditation, fasting, service, submission, simplicity, worship, confession, guidance, and celebration. In the next several lessons we’ll consider the first four of these, but first it’s important to establish exactly why
the disciplines are important and how they help us to grow in faith.
First, the Apostle Paul reminds us:
Ephesians 2:8-9
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can
boast.
Which is to say, we can’t earn God’s favor by doing the disciplines. It’s
not like he’s keeping score of how often we pray or meditate and when we
reach a tipping point, we’re in. The disciplines help us in a different way.
Foster uses a helpful metaphor. He notes that there is nothing a farmer
can do to grow crops entirely by his own efforts. All he can do is prepare
the ground and plant the seed. After that, the forces of nature take over
and with the benefit of sunshine and the right amount of rain, the crops
grow. It’s the same in the spiritual life. We are helpless to become righteous through our own efforts. God alone can do that by transforming us
from the inside out. Our job is to prepare the soil of faith and get the seed
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of the Spirit into our lives so that God can begin working on us. The disciplines are how we do this.
Regular, intentional practice of the classic disciplines develops in us a
certain mindset that is especially attuned to God’s voice. When we practice the disciplines it’s like we’re tuning in our mental radio set to God’s
frequency. An once we get our radio tuned properly, we can hear his voice
all day long as we go about our regular daily chores.
A few of the disciplines are still commonly practiced by most Christians. You probably have some familiarity with prayer, worship, and maybe service—although the amount of time and energy we devote to these
activities typically falls far short of what practitioners of previous generations were accustomed to. Most of the other disciplines are less common.
Of these, several are ideally suited to the quiet, solitary times of life, and
allow us to make profitable use of those moments to build our faith.
In the remaining lessons of this study, we’ll consider the ways in
which four disciplines, commonly practiced in solitude, contribute to spiritual maturity:
•Silence—the practice of quieting our lives and our surroundings in
order to hear God’s still, small voice;
•Prayer—the attentive dialogue through which we communicate with
God and he responds;
•Study and Meditation—the practice of allowing God’s word to take
up residence in our hearts and minds.
Challenge Yourself:
Of the list of spiritual disciplines supplied by Richard Foster, which do
you commonly practice? Of those, which do you find most enriching to
your personal faith?
Which of the disciplines described in this lesson are you least familiar
with? Why? Would you be willing to give that discipline a try?
Notes:
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Part Three: Silence
Day 15: Silence
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:1
Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think.
Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.
God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better. (The Message)
The Big Idea: Talk is often the opposite of submission.
Commentary:
In Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster notes that a large proportion
of the things we say are aimed at justifying our own actions. If we do
something that seems a little bit shady, we are eager to explain ourselves
so that everyone knows we acted with the best of intentions. If we don’t
do something we know we should have, we offer rationales for why we
shouldn’t be held accountable in this particular circumstance. We cite unavoidable circumstances that necessitated a change of plan. We defend our
failure to carry through on some promise we made by blaming the weather, a busy schedule, or a demanding boss. And the list goes on. At times,
there may even be some truth to what we say!
But regardless of whether our excuses have any factual validation or
not, they represent our ongoing attempt to justify ourselves by manipulating others’ perceptions of us. No one wants to be thought poorly of. I’ve
been at business conferences where I’ve said something to a colleague
during a short break, and then after the program resumed I realize that
what I said could easily have been misunderstood in a way that might
cause my colleague to take offense. Then I’ve sat uncomfortably through
two our three hours of lectures wondering what the other person might be
thinking and desperately hoping for another break so I could find him and
explain myself. To a greater or lesser extent, many of us are doing this sort
of thing constantly. We are very, very invested in making sure that other
people have a favorable opinion of us.
There’s nothing wrong, of course, with winning the respect of those
we interact with. But there are two ways of obtaining that respect. The
first is the one we’ve been considering. We employ lots of words in an effort to convince our acquaintances we are better than we seem to be—or at
least not as bad. I’ve formulated a truism about human nature that I lightly
call Heydt’s Law: “The amount of respect an individual actually merits is
inversely proportional to the number of times he feels the need to remind
you that he deserves your respect.” This is really just a roundabout way of
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saying that actions speak louder than words. A truly honorable person will
be known by his actions. He’ll never need to insist on being treated with
respect, respect will flow to him the way water flows downhill—without
needing to be told.
But as Foster notes, we tend to rely on words rather than actions to
define who we are and how other people perceive us. We try to manipulate their impression of us.
This might occasionally work with friends and co-workers (and seldom enough even then), but it’s a poor strategy for relating with God. God
is not fooled by our words; he knows our hearts. Rather than trying to
convince God that our intentions are good, we need to quiet ourselves and
listen while he tells us where we’ve gone wrong.
When we listen to the Spirit’s convicting voice, we can begin to live
more respectable lives, and we’ll have less and less need to justify our actions. Our actions will speak for themselves, and we’ll be content with
what they have to say about us.
This is really just another way of saying we need to practice the
Christian discipline of submission. We need to fine-tune our attitudes,
thoughts and behavior in accordance with God’s standards of holiness, rather than asking God to adjust his standards in order to accept us as we
are. (Yes, of course there is a sense that God accepts us as we are because
he is a God of forgiveness, but that doesn’t excuse us from constantly
striving to conform to his holiness.) Striving after righteousness will require more listening than speaking, and so we will need to practice, and
grow comfortable with, the discipline of silence so we can hear God’s
voice when he speaks to us.
Challenge Yourself:
The “Vow of Silence” sometimes practiced among monks and in monasteries is often the basis of sit-com humor and the like, but there are
practical benefits to the practice if not carried to extremes. Consider going one day, or just one hour, without talking, then reflect on the experience. What frustrations did you feel? What benefits? Can you imagine
any ways in which practicing a daily time of silence might help you
draw closer to God, or to gain a better self-awareness?
Notes:
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Day 16: Physical Solitude
Scripture: John 6:14-15
After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say,
“Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing
that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to
a mountain by himself.
The Big Idea:
Solitude is the good soil out of which God’s blessings grow.
Commentary:
Everyone knows the story of Robinson Crusoe, the fictional castaway in
the novel written by Daniel DeFoe. What is less well known is that DeFoe
based his character on a real-life castaway named Alexander Selkirk,
whose return from isolation after four years on the Pacific island of Mas a
Tierra caused a sensation in Scotland in the year 1709.
Selkirk’s adventure did not follow the stereotypical Hollywood script
about a man lost on a desert island. While serving as sailing master aboard
the ship Cinque Ports, Selkirk had a premonition. The ship had been battered by storms and rough seas, and Selkirk feared she was unseaworthy
and would sink within a matter of days. Unwilling to continue the voyage
with the rest of the crew, he demanded to be put ashore with only a sea
chest filled with a few essentials, including a Bible.
The island on which he was left was not uncharted or even especially
remote. In fact, while it was not on any regular shipping routes, it was a
well known place to rest and refit for ships such as the Cinque Ports,
which needed some calm waters in which to repair damage before continuing on to their ultimate destination. Thus, Selkirk fully expected another vessel to arrive within days, on which he could catch a ride.
As luck would have it, the Cinque Ports finished its voyage without
mishap, while month after month passed for Selkirk without rescue. He
spent his first few days on Mas a Tierra sitting on the beach scanning the
horizon for the sight of a sail, but when none appeared he settled in, building a house, planting a garden, and hunting food. Over time, he grew
amazingly fit through his simple diet and his daily labor, so that by the
time he was finally found his rescuers were amazed by his ability to run
barefoot through the brush with the speed of a wild animal. In his moments of leisure he read the Bible and meditated on God’s word.
It’s natural to imagine that he yearned for rescue while bemoaning the
decision that resulted in his isolation on Mas a Tierra, but that wasn’t the
case. Samuel Griswold Goodrich, in his biographical book The Story of
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Alexander Selkirk, describes Selkirk’s outlook when he finally left his island after four long years:
Nature in his solitude had been kind and pleasant to him, and nothing
had aimed to hurt or annoy him…. No accident had befallen him
here…, and he had conversed with God, with nature, and with his
own heart; he had escaped many temptations, and become a more reflective, pious man than he ever was before.
In short, he had learnt wisdom, and he felt a strong attachment to
the scene where it had been taught him, and many yearnings of the
heart did he feel as he turned his back forever on his beloved [island], to return to a busy, bustling world.
If Selkirk’s story was a fable, we’d next be told that he lived happily ever
after, but his experience back in the busy society of his day provided a
sharp contrast to the peace and contentment he’d felt while on the island.
After a short time, he abandoned his home in Scotland and moved into a
cave, preferring the life of a recluse. Richard Steele, another writer who
interviewed the reluctant celebrity, noted that Selkirk told him the civilized life “could not, with all its enjoyments, restore him to the tranquility
of his solitude.”
Challenge Yourself:
Try to imagine yourself living in isolation like Alexander Selkirk. What
hardships can you picture? Do you think you might find it to be in any
way pleasurable or nurturing to your spirit? Why do you think Selkirk
found his experience so favorable to life in busy society?
Four solitary years on a deserted island is probably not a practical way for
you to experience solitude. What are some more reasonable ways to
seek the refreshing benefits of time alone?
Notes:
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Day 17: Practicing Silence
Scripture: Psalm 46:10a
“Be still, and know that I am God….”
The Big Idea:
Tuning out the world’s noise doesn’t require a deserted island; only some
practice and patience.
Commentary:
In a way, Selkirk had it easy. Being on an isolated island left him with no
alternative to the practice of solitude. For us, it will take some perseverance and the ability to wrestle with the temptation to find other things to
occupy our time. That’s why solitude and silence are called disciplines.
They must be intentionally fit into our daily schedules. They won’t happen
naturally. If we allow ourselves, we’ll find a hundred and one good excuses for avoiding them.
But for the person willing to make the commitment, here are some
practical suggestions. They are not commandments; each individual will
find that different settings or a different time of day works best for her, but
these suggestions will provide a place to start. They represent a routine
that worked for me.
First, start modestly. Don’t try to emulate Selkirk. Instead, find a quiet spot and set aside just one hour. For most of us, an hour is far longer
than we are accustomed to devoting to prayer or meditation, so it will
stretch us a bit. But it’s not so long that we won’t be able to fit it into our
day if we really want to. I developed a habit of using my lunch hour. Once
each week I would forgo my mid-day meal and instead spend a full hour
with the Lord. The office building where I worked overlooked a pond and
by the pond grew a weeping willow tree whose branches hung down in
such a way as to form a sort of curtain between me and the world. I’d take
a folding chair and sit by the water in the shade of the tree. Again, you are
unlikely to have the same setting available to you, but this description
might call to mind possibilities that you can take advantage of.
In this place of solitude, I would spend an hour practicing several of
the disciplines we’re focusing on in this study. I would first spend about
20 minutes in prayer, lifting concerns before God, interceding with him on
behalf of friends in need, and asking for personal blessings. I’d draw my
20-minutes of prayer to a close by inviting God to speak to me, either in
response to my prayers, or by giving me a message of his own that he
wanted me to hear.
Then for the next 20 minutes, I’d listen in silence for God to speak.
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Finally, I’d spend the final 20 minutes of my lunch hour reading the Bible
or some other Christian title.
The middle 20 minutes—the time spent in silence waiting on the
voice of God, is surely the portion of my weekly discipline that most practitioners will find most unfamiliar. True enough, it can seem unproductive
and even awkward at the outset. But in time I found it to be a thoroughly
refreshing and fruitful experience. Here are a few tips:
As you try to still your mind, you’ll likely find it’s easier said than
done. That’s why 20 minutes is none too long to devote to it. If you’re like
me, you’ll find that a dozen or more things will vie for your attention—the
project you need to have finished by the end of the day; the argument you
had with your spouse the night before; or for me, in my spot outside my
office, the noisy tractor-trailer passing by on the road just over the hill.
Don’t get frustrated. In the beginning, these things may keep you from
hearing any message from God. That’s okay. We need to learn to crawl
before we can walk, and to walk before we can run. Keep at it. For me,
closing my eyes helped. Others have told me that looking at a pleasant
scene like my pond or my weeping willow tree helped them ignore their
distractions. Or maybe some quiet instrumental music.
Before too long, you’ll be doing better. But you still may not be hearing any clear messages from God. Again, keep at it. He’s teaching you patience. He wants you first to learn to enjoy the silence before filling it up
again with words. Relax. Don’t be surprised if your chin suddenly hits
your chest and you realize that you nodded off for a moment. Enjoy the
sense of peace that comes from laying aside your cares for one hour.
In time—it may take days or even weeks—you’ll hear God speak.
Not audibly, but into your heart. You’ll suddenly have a confidence about
a decision you’ve been struggling with, or the meaning of a Bible passage
you’ve been puzzling over will unexpectedly flash into your mind. And
you’ll know God is talking to you.
Challenge Yourself:
Spend some time silently waiting upon God as described above. Write
down your impressions in a journal.
Notes:
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Day 18: Spiritual Solitude (The Dark Night)
Scripture: Philippians 3:7-9
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all
things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in
him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but
that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from
God and is by faith.
The Big Idea:
A fully mature faith requires that, for a time, we be separated even from
God Himself.
Commentary:
Until you experiment with the discipline of silence as described in the
previous lesson, you’ll probably rank among the many Christians who
wonder why God seems distant. Hearing his voice is not always easy. The
fault is not usually God’s. Most of us just don’t make the necessary effort.
But there is another reason why God sometimes seems distant. A
16th-century a Carmelite monk named St. John of the Cross coined a
phrase to describe this particular experience of the Christian life. His terminology is still used, but it is almost universally misunderstood. St.
John’s writings describe what he called “The Dark Night of the Soul.”
Typically, people who borrow that that phrase use it to mean nothing more
than a time of tribulation or sorrow that they are going through—maybe a
divorce or the loss of a job. Whatever the circumstance, they consider
their “Dark Night” something unwelcome that must be endured but which
has no redeeming qualities and which they can only hope will be over as
quickly as possible.
St, John himself, though, described the Dark Night as “more lovely
than the dawn,” and considered it to be a blessing, albeit a mixed one. The
Dark Night is hard to describe to those who have not yet experienced it,
but eventually most of us do. We come to the faith, typically, amid many
strong emotions. Flushed with excitement over our new relationship with
Christ, we can’t wait for Sunday worship. Our prayers are vibrant and we
lift them up daily without fail. But over time something happens. Where
once God seemed so real and so close, suddenly, we don’t feel the same
sense of presence. Worship seems less interesting. Our prayers don’t come
as easily. We call out to God and don’t hear anything in response.
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This is what St. John called the Dark Night. It’s a time of spiritual
“dryness” more so than of any particular crisis of health or wealth or relationships. It’s a sense of dull routine where once we felt carefree abandon.
Based on this description, you may well wonder why St. John would
call such a time “more blessed than the dawn.” It’s because the Dark
Night is a time of great opportunity for spiritual growth.
The best way of describing it is to compare the spiritual life of a new
believer to the physical life of a newborn. For the first few months of a
newborn’s existence, life is good. When I see parents carrying their infants
into worship in a baby carrier, I like to joke, “I wish they made those in
adult sizes.” Wouldn’t that be the life? Getting carted around without having to move a muscle, wrapped in a warm blanket, with a toy in one hand
and a bottle in the other. Plus, you can fall asleep in church and everyone
thinks it’s cute. It’s much like the state of contented innocence we are in
when we first accept Christ.
Of course, no father would be content to have his child stay in that
condition forever, so at some point he takes her out of the baby carrier,
puts her on the floor, and says, “Come to papa!” And the kid has to be
thinking, “What gives? Come and get me!” What gives is that papa wants
the child to begin the hard, long process of becoming an adult. That means
challenges. Many things she once had done for her, she’ll need to begin
doing herself.
God does the same with new believers. In time he lets go of our hand
in order to watch us take our first faltering steps under our own power.
Whereas once we prayed and worshipped and served because such things
seemed personally rewarding, now he wants us to do them even when they
aren’t. He wants us to do them not to please ourselves but to please him.
He wants us to cry out for him and come to him, rather than just passively
receiving his blessings. Sadly, some who don’t understand God’s reasons
derive the wrong lesson from his Dark Night and, finding they aren’t destined to be carted around in a baby carrier for the rest of their lives and
having their every desire catered to, they turn from God to look for thrills
or comfort from some new interest, rather than face a season of solitude.
Challenge Yourself:
Have you ever experienced God’s Dark Night? What were the circumstances? Were you able to grow through the experience?
Notes:
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Part Four: Prayer
Day 19: Moving Mountains
Scripture: Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The Big Idea:
Like any other activity, prayer is a skill that we perfect through practice. If
we hope to master it, it will require our full attention.
Commentary:
Most of us never really plumb the depths of what prayer is all about. I’ve
found that my own prayers have changed dramatically over the years. At
first, I prayed mainly that my favorite team would win the big game or
that I would pass my math test. Needs—or at least perceived needs—vary
from person to person, but I think that by and large, that’s the sort of thing
most of us pray for. For us, prayer is akin to rubbing Aladdin’s magic
lamp, and we evaluate our prayer life according to how many or how few
of our wishes come true.
In Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, two of the characters talk about prayer. One says it’s a waste of
time because his prayers never get answered. The other replies:
“But, Ivan Denisovich, it’s because you pray too rarely, and badly at
that. Without really trying. That’s why your prayers stay unanswered.
One must never stop praying. If you have real faith you will tell a
mountain to move and it will move….”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Alyosha. I’ve never seen a mountain move.
Well, to tell the truth, I’ve never seen a mountain at all. But you, now,
you prayed in the Caucasus with all that Baptist Society of yours—did
you make a single mountain move...?”
“Oh, we didn’t pray for that, Ivan Denisovich,” Alyosha said earnestly. Bible in hand, he drew nearer to Shukov till they lay face to
face. “Of all earthly and mortal things Our Lord commanded us to
pray only for our daily bread. ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’”
“Our ration, you mean?” asked Shukov.
But Alyosha didn’t give up. Arguing more with his eyes than his
tongue, he plucked at Shukov’s sleeve, stroked his arm, and said:
“Ivan Denisovich, you shouldn’t pray to get parcels or for extra stew,
not for that. Things that man puts a high price on are vile in the eyes
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of Our Lord. We must pray about things of the spirit—that the Lord
Jesus should remove the scum of anger from our hearts….”
Alyosha and Ivan represent two different outlooks on prayer. For Ivan
Denisovich, prayer is all about manipulating God in order to get what we
want out of him. Alyosha rejects that approach. For him, prayer is about
pleasing God. In Solzhenitsyn’s novel, these two opposing approaches to
prayer are attributed to two distinct characters, but in life they often occur
within the same individual, One style—Ivan Denisovich’s—represents an
immature, self-centered understanding of prayer, while the other—
Alyosha’s—depicts that sort of prayer we learn to pray as we grow in our
faith and in our understanding of what it means to be a Christ-follower.
Following Christ requires us to submit to his will. That’s rarely easy,
but through prayer we can solicit his assistance in helping us let go of the
personal hang-ups that get in the way of an unreserved devotion to Christ.
But instead the immature Christian uses prayer in an effort to pry from
God the favors we want, asking Him to submit to our will rather than the
other war around. The Apostle James asks:
James 4:1-3
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from
your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get
it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you
ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you
may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Next, we’ll consider two models of prayer we can practice in order to
grow accustomed to submitting ourselves to God and seeking his will.
Challenge Yourself:
Consider the nature of your own prayers. Do they more closely reflect the
style of Alyosha, or Ivan Denisovich?
Notes:
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Day 20: The Prayer of Examen
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-8
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you
pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is
unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward
you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they
think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them,
for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
The Big Idea:
Prayer is not only about asking. It’s also a time for inviting our Father to
enter into our lives and then responding to His presence.
Commentary:
Jesus followed his instructions on prayer, quoted above, with the model
prayer that we know as The Lord’s Prayer. Others who have strived to put
Christ’s words into action have come up with other good models that we
can use to energize our own prayer lives.
One such model, called the Prayer of Examen, is provided by Ignatius
Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest who founded the Roman Catholic
Jesuit order. Through this method of prayer we try to discern how the
Spirit is at work in us by reflecting on our day. Thus, you might want to
pray according to this model daily before going to bed.
The Examen consists of several parts. As we enter into prayer, the
first step is to remember that you are in the presence of God. Quiet yourself. You may need to ask for God’s help in laying aside your private concerns for a moment while you pray. Then, focus on God himself, and remember that his indwelling Spirit is empowering you to help bring creation to its fullness.
Next, express gratitude for the day’s blessings. Give thanks for favors
received during your day, no matter how small. Be specific. Recall the
kindness showed by a stranger or a lesson that you learned or forgiveness
that you were offered. Take stock of what you received as well what you
were able to give. Remember we are blessed when we help others; not only when we receive their kindness.
Next, ask the Holy Spirit to help you evaluate your motives. Were
your acts of generosity done in celebration of God’s love, or in the expectation of receiving praise? Invite the Spirit to reveal things about yourself
that you may be reluctant to face. Ask that you will learn and grow as you
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reflect, thus deepening your knowledge of self and your relationship with
God.
As your conversation with God continues, review your day. Allow
God to speak, challenge, encourage, and teach you. As the Apostle Paul
advises: “Test yourselves to see whether you are living in faith.” In what
areas are you making progress and simply need to stay the course? In
what areas are you struggling and need to do better?
Share your thoughts on your attitudes and actions with your personal
Savior. If needed, seek forgiveness, ask for direction, share a concern, or
express gratitude.
Prayer of this sort will stretch most of us and carry us beyond our established comfort zones. We won’t be accustomed to spending so much
effort and time at prayer. That’s why solitude is so key to a rich prayer
life. When we are in the midst of the typical daily bustle, we’ll struggle
against the urgency we feel to wrap prayer up quickly so we can get back
to the business of the “real world.” But when we make time apart from the
demands of family and community, we’ll be more at ease; more willing to
linger in God’s presence, and better able to listen. Very likely, we’ll begin
to look forward to our times of prayer with eagerness, as we learn to enjoy
God’s company in the quiet moments at the end of each day.
Challenge Yourself:
Experiment using the Prayer of Examen for at least a full week. Like most
new disciplines it might not be easy or even pleasant at first. Because of
this, we often quit before the discipline becomes familiar and therefore
comfortable and thereby miss out on blessings we might otherwise have
enjoyed.
Notes:
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Day 21: Putting on an ACTS
Scripture: Song of Solomon 4:1b
We rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
The Big Idea:
Prayer is more about what we offer to God than about what we ask from
him.
Commentary:
Many believers use the “ACTS” model of prayer to remind them of several key elements of a rich, well-rounded prayer life. The acronym stands
for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Let’s look at
each of these in turn.
The most appropriate way to begin our conversation with God is with
a statement of awe and appreciation. Adoration recognizes God’s greatness and our love for him. It’s a verbal act of worship. What’s more, adoration puts God first. It acknowledges his sovereignty and power and reminds us that we come to him as junior partners in this relationship. We
stand in his presence only because he invites us in and allows us the privilege of sharing fellowship with him. A spirit of adoration removes all preconditions we tend to place on our relationship with God. We come to him
on our knees in awe, rather than with a set of demands.
When practicing the ACTS model of prayer, I’ve found it helpful to
quote scripture rather than struggling to put these attitudes of the heart into
words. For example, when expressing Adoration, try lifting up the words
of Moses:
Exodus 15:11
“Who among the gods is like you, O LORD?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?
Or maybe David:
Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
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After expressing adoration for God, we next make confession. In confession we acknowledge that we are in need of forgiveness and transformation. Our acceptance by God, as well as his response to our prayers, is not
due to special merit on our part, but is solely the result of his mercy and
desire for fellowship.
Again, the words of scripture can guide us in expressing our sense of
contrition. Psalm 51 may be the most eloquent expression of confession
found in the Bible:
Psalm 51:3-4
I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
The gracious thing to do when anyone shows kindness to us, as when God
forgives our sins, is to show our gratitude. Prayer is as much about giving
God his due as about getting what we want, and so next we offer thanks
for all God’s blessings. David modeled this aspect of prayer when he
prayed:
Psalm 30:11-12
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Finally, after, adoring, confessing and thanking our Father, we may feel
privileged to ask for the blessings he wants us to have.
Challenge Yourself:
Experiment with prayer using the ACTS model. This is a good way to
pray in small groups. Ask four group members to lead the group in
prayer, one after the other, as they lift up in turn the group’s adoration,
confessions, thanksgiving, and requests.
Notes:
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Part Five: Study
Day 22: Studying God’s Word
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Big Idea:
We cannot live according to God’s word until we know God’s word. Solitude provides an opportunity to engage scripture and hear God’s voice.
Commentary:
I’ve always been bothered by the way the pages are numbered in the Pew
Bibles used in Methodist Churches. I don’t lose sleep over it, but I do
think someone exercised poor judgment somewhere along the way. Specifically, I take issue with the fact that when you get to the end of the book
of Malachi and flip the page over to begin the New Testament, the page
numbers reset to 1.
The implication seems to be, “Enough of that stuff. Now let’s start
afresh with the gospel of grace.” I have no issue with the gospel of grace,
mind you, but is it wise to symbolically write off 4,000 years of revelation like a video gamer hitting the reset button when he doesn’t like the
way the game is unfolding?
The apostle Paul assured his young protégé Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God
may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I’ve got to think that if Paul were around today, he’d chose a Bible with
pages that are numbered consecutively from Genesis 1 through Revelation
22. Likewise, when we, as students of God’s word, turn to the Bible for
inspiration and study, we need to give equal weight to both Testaments if
we hope to gain a full and balanced understanding of God’s will.
Unhappily, it’s not only the Old Testament that gets neglected in the
lives of most believers today. Statistics indicate that the entire Bible has
become uncharted territory for most people, including many Christians.
A recent Gallup poll reveals that 41 percent of Americans “rarely or never” read the Bible. Fewer than half of all Americans can name the first
book of the Bible. Only one in three know who preached the Sermon on
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the Mount. (Many believe it was Billy Graham.) One in four do not know
what event Easter commemorates.
When George Barna asked similar questions of professing Christians,
the results were even more shocking. Roughly one in eight think that Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc. (I was once skeptical of this statistic, thinking
it was a joke, but it turns up again and again in surveys of Bible literacy!)
Four of five Christians believe that “God helps those who help themselves” is biblical.
A survey conducted by the Tyndale House publishing company indicated that 64 percent of Americans don’t read the Bible because “they are
too busy.” This explanation directly connects the pandemic of biblical illiteracy in the country to the way we spend our time, and specifically, how
we discipline ourselves to use solitude productively.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Americans are spending
fewer hours in the workplace in recent years:
According to the survey, that time has been allocated largely to leisure activities and sleep. In 2010, for example, Americans spent an
average two hours and 31 minutes watching television on weekdays,
up 5.4 minutes from 2007. They caught eight hours and 23 minutes of
shut-eye per day, up more than five minutes from 2007.*
So collectively, we have no trouble finding time for television, yet are
“too busy” for God’s revelation. Something’s not right, and it isn’t the
amount of time we have.
Of course, not all Bible study need be done in solitude. Small group
studies where participants can encourage each other can be a wonderful
asset to those who find the Bible hard to understand. But until we chose to
make better use of our quiet time, we’re unlikely to take Bible study seriously, let alone understand what’s he’s saying to us.
Challenge Yourself:
How would you rank your grasp of the Bible? Comprehensive? Adequate?
Tenuous? Non-existent?
Notes:
*www.eyedrd.org
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Day 23: Studying the Natural World
Scripture: Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal
power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from
what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
The Big Idea:
One way to gain insight into a master artist’s mind is to study his works.
Commentary:
Too often, when we think of study in the Christian sense, we limit our
thoughts to Bible studies and other small group curricula. These are invaluable, but they are not the only subjects of study that we can learn
from. We can also gain valuable insights into the mind of our Creator by
examining his creation.
Community and a close connection with the natural world do not need
to be mutually exclusive, but in practice that is often the case. When we
gather for worship or celebration, we typically do so in settings that cut us
off from God’s creation, with the result that we grow oblivious to the
wonders of the natural world and what they reveal about God.
This doesn’t happen only within the body of Christ. Many years ago
when I was a trade journalist, I travelled to Florida on a press trip with
three other writers. Our hosts were showing off the attractions of an
oceanfront planned community in the hope that we’d go back home and
tell all our readers what a great place it is to retire to.
Of the three journalists who made the trip with me, two were from
New York city and had never before been away from an urban environment, another was from rural Virginia and I was from suburban Pennsylvania. One evening, as we stood together on the lawn outside our hotel,
the two writers from New York city pointed in awestruck wonder at the
sky, absolutely blown away by the sight of stars. The Virginian and I
looked at each other, smirked, and rolled our eyes. Then, a deer unexpectedly stepped out from behind some bushes at the perimeter of the hotel
property and one of the New Yorkers gasped in astonishment, “Look!” he
shouted, “It’s a wild dog!” The Virginian and I lost it.
To some extent, we all suffer from a disconnect with the natural
world. Even our language betrays the discomfort many of us feel at being
separated from modern technological conveniences. We refer to undeveloped regions as “untamed,” and time spent in the outdoors as “roughing
it.” In truth, withdrawing from the hectic pace of modern times can be a
refreshing and at times even necessary means of re-centering.
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I’ve learned to shudder when I hear the word “retreat”—not because
a genuine time of retreat is something I try to avoid, but because of what
the word has come to mean for most of us. More often than not what we
call a retreat is really just a business meeting held off-site. The church’s
Administrative Council meets at the pastor’s house to decide policy and
they label it a retreat. The sales staff spends a week at corporate headquarters working on next year’s budgets and they call it a retreat. Let’s stop
fooling ourselves. These things aren’t retreats; they are what make retreats
necessary.
A true retreat has no agenda, no speakers, no plan. It is a time to
spend with God, listening for his still, small voice, and therefore smartphones, iPads, and emails are off-limits.
Instead, spend time reacquainting yourself with God’s backyard.
Watch the birds and animals scurrying about their business and be reminded that God put us on earth to be stewards and to care for creatures
such as these. Walk along a gurgling stream and think about God’s promise never again to destroy the earth with water. Go out at night and marvel
at the same stars that amazed those two reporters from New York City.
Truth be told, most of us are not very much more familiar with the night
sky than they were. Let it remind you of the vastness of God’s creation.
Pluck a leaf from a tree and study the intricate veins that run through it, or
pick a dandelion gone to seed and think of it not as a weed but as a marvel
of design that speaks of God’s creativity. Richard Foster advises: “The
first step in the study of nature is reverent observation. A leaf can speak of
order and variety, complexity and symmetry.” At the same time, don’t be
blind to marks of the fall—cigarette butts and beer cans and other litter
that speak eloquently of how badly we’ve managed this treasure world
God has created for us.
Challenge Yourself:
Visit a local, state, or national park and spend a day walking and observing nature. Pray to God to let his creation speak to you. Take a notebook
with you and record your thoughts.
Notes:
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Day 24: Studying Ourselves
Scripture: Romans 7:15
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but
what I hate I do.”
The Big Idea:
Of all the mysteries of the universe, none are so mysterious as our own
motives—until we quiet our mind long enough for it to turn inward.
Commentary:
In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis’ imaginative commentary on human
weaknesses, the arch-demon Screwtape advises his nephew Wormwood
on the ins and outs of corrupting human souls. One of his most insightful
pieces of advice is to keep every human blind to his own foibles. He cunningly advises:
Aggravate that most useful human characteristic, the horror and neglect of the obvious. You must bring him to a condition in which he
can practise self-examination for an hour without discovering any of
those facts about himself, which are perfectly clear to anyone who has
ever lived in the same house with him or worked in the same office.
The particular facts the demons find most useful, naturally, are those habits, mannerisms, and patterns of speech that those around us find most insufferable. We, in contrast, can do our part in ushering in a world of peace
and tranquility—not by striving to conform other people to our own will,
but by looking at ourselves without bias and identifying those aspects of
our nature that are in most need of redemption.
This is a noble task, but one that we won’t achieve until we really
work at it. Screwtape is right; all of us have annoying habits that drive
those around us crazy, but few of us have the knack for seeing ourselves
as we really are. For this reason, we need to make ourselves one of the
principle subjects of our study time. In the quiet of solitude, we can begin
to penetrate the mask we hide behind—even from ourselves.
Foster writes:
We should learn the things that control us. We observe our inner feelings and mood swings. What controls our moods? Why do we like
certain people and dislike others? What do these things teach us about
ourselves?
Foster suggests most of all that we focus on our habits of speech:
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If we will observe the relationships that go on between human beings,
we will receive a graduate-level education. Watch, for example, how
much of our speech is aimed at justifying our actions. We find it almost impossible to act and allow the act to speak for itself. No, we
must explain it, justify it, demonstrate the rightness of it. Why do we
feel this compulsion to set the record straight? Because of pride and
fear, because our reputations are at stake!... If, however, we gradually
make ourselves one of the principle subjects of study we will be delivered from a haughty spirit. In time we will be unable to pray like
the Pharisee, “God, I thank thee that I am not like other men….”
Say we study ourselves and are successful in identifying one or two bad
habits, or a hidden sense of pride, or some other aspect of our own character that we’d do well to exorcise. How do we proceed? In this regard, the
Apostle Paul’s dilemma is instructive. His words describe most of us:
“What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Such is the human
condition. We know what is right, so we dig in our heels and set our will
to doing what pleases God. And for a day or two we manage just fine. But
then the inevitable moment of weakness comes, and a temptation catches
us with our guard down, and we stumble. So we determine never to be so
careless again, but all to no avail.
Happily, there’s a better way. We can rely not on our own will power
to redeem ourselves, but on God’s grace. Invite his Spirit to take up residence in your heart and transform you from the inside. Often, it’s a lifelong process, but we take comfort in knowing that every stumble has been
forgiven. The price for our failures has been paid by Jesus Christ.
Challenge Yourself:
All of us can benefit from honest self-examination, but our opinion of ourselves is liable to be clouded by wishful thinking. Consider identifying
one close friend whose opinion you value and invite him to tell you your
most annoying habit. You’re likely to be surprised to learn what others
think of you! But if you are willing to listen to what they have to say,
you can learn a great deal about yourself that you might not otherwise
see.
Notes:
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Part Six: Meditation
Day 25: Meditating on God’s Law
Scripture: Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
The Big Idea:
We live by grace, but God’s law continues to provide insight into what
pleases our Creator and how we should order our lives.
Commentary:
There is a great temptation to treat morality the way a well-dressed man
goes about buying an expensive suit. He doesn’t just pick one off the rack.
Rather, he goes to a tailor and has one made just for his particular shape. If
he likes good food, he may need to tell the tailor to leave a little extra
breathing room around the waist. If he’s especially tall, he may be happy
to pay for a little extra material so the pant legs reach all the way down to
his ankles. If for some reason one arm is longer than the other, the tailor
will take that into account and adjust the jacket so that it fits each arm perfectly, despite any physical flaws. In short, we typically conform our
clothes to suit our shape, rather than reshaping our bodies to fit a particular size.
Modern morality works much the same way. Rather than conform our
behavior to unpopular moral standards, we reinvent morality to suit our
personal tastes. For a devoted God follower, this won’t do. Our task is not
to reinvent morality, but to understand God’s standard. We do that by
meditating on his law. Meditating differs from reading in much the same
way that wine-tasting differs from getting drunk. The drunkard is interested in how much he consumes; the taster savors each mouthful and lingers over each sensation of taste, aroma, color, temperature, etc.
The effect of meditating on God’s law is to internalize his conception
of right and wrong. All of us, of course, face those moments when we are
genuinely unsure of which course of action would be the right, godly, one.
But through meditation, we begin to not just know God’s ways, but to begin thinking like him. His ways become ours. Ideally, the end result is that
we no longer find it difficult to do the right thing, or to avoid the wrong; it
comes naturally to us.
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The Bible promises many blessings to those who immerse themselves
in God’s law in this way:
Joshua 1:8
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on
it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written
in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
We must not take such promises to mean that trouble will never come our
way, or that submitting to God’s ways never earns us the scorn of those
who don’t honor his authority in their lives. Far from it. Following God’s
law will require us to sacrifice on a daily basis. But on the whole, God assures us that his ways are the ones that lead to harmony among neighbors,
justice in the workplace, and joy in our personal relationships.
Challenge Yourself:
Memorize the 1st Psalm in its entirely. Make a habit of incorporating it into your daily prayers.
Notes:
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Day 26: Meditating on God’s Promises
Scripture: Psalm 119:148
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.
The Big Idea:
God’s Word is his bond.
Commentary:
Meditating on God’s law and applying it to our daily walk puts us on the
path towards obedience. But conformance to the will of God is not the only outcome toward which the Bible points us. It also offers comfort by virtue of the promises it extends to those who trust God to keep them.
While God never promises a care-free life or un wavering good fortune, he does guarantee certain blessings. A knowledge of God’s promises
can therefore be a source of strength and comfort when we suffer setbacks, illness, or abandonment by family and friends. We meditate on
god’s law so we can live lives more pleasing to our Lord; we meditate on
his promises for assurance in the midst of difficult circumstances. In this
regard, maybe the first of his promises to take hold of is:
Lamentations 3:25-26
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
This passage is not only a comfort in itself; it is also a good guide to how
to understand and receive God’s promises. His blessings may be immediate and unequivocal. At other times we may need to wait. Sometimes, the
blessing we most crave may not come until we awaken in another world.
His promises do not include the instant gratification of every desire. They
do include blessings for those who are prepared to trust and patiently wait.
The Bible contains more than 8,000 specific promises to God’s children, and it is thus a rich vein of treasure waiting to be mined by those
seeking comfort. These promises are addressed to the hungry:
Psalms 22:26
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
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To the world weary:
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
To the lost:
Isaiah 45:22
Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
To the righteous:
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
And even to the unrighteous:
Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Challenge Yourself:
Memorize some of the Bible’s best-known and encouraging promises so
you can recite them to yourself when you need encouragement: Matthew
5:4; Matthew 10:42; Acts 2:21; Revelation 21:4
Notes:
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Day 27: Meditating on God’s Works
Scripture: Psalm 77:11-12
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.
The Big Idea:
The best indication of how God will behave in the future is how he has
acted in the past.
Commentary:
A friend of mine once very aptly noted that of all the amazing stories of
God’s might that can be found in the Bible, he was most impressed by
what amounts to a one-sentence parenthetical comment found in Genesis
1:16. That verse begins by saying that God created the sun and moon. This
is followed by the statement that so impresses my friend. “He also made
all the stars.” Oh yeah, that too. There were still a few hours left before
quitting time so why not create a few trillion stars before calling it a day?
Nothing stretches our conception of God more than than reflecting upon
his awesome deeds.
Several of the Psalms, known collectively as the Psalms of Lament,
are expressions of grief or mourning. These psalms tend to follow a
common pattern. They begin with the narrator pouring out his heart in
anguish and even some anger at God. Having expressed this frustration,
which often centers on the apparent absence of God in times of need, the
psalmist will then go on to take hope by remembering the record of
God’s past deeds. There’s a lot to be learned from the psalmists. They
were freer and more honest with their grief, and they were more knowledgeable about God’s works. As a result, they were able to find healthy
ways to express emotions that we typically try to suppress. On the other
hand they had access to a source of comfort that we typically neglect.
That source is God’s track record of intervening in the lives of those who
trust him to deliver them from danger.
It’s quite an impressive record. When all seems hopeless and you begin to despair that God cares, it helps to remembers that:
Exodus 15:3-6
The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
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The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, LORD,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand, LORD,
shattered the enemy.
The message is clear: If God can handle Pharaoh’s army, he can deliver
us too. And oftentimes, he does so when things seem most hopeless.
Consider some of the Bible’s other stories of great escapes from danger and what they tell us about God’s providential care; stories like Elisha’s escape from the Arameans in 2 Kings 6, Paul and Silas and their
unexpected deliverance from prison in Acts 16, Peter’s similar deliverance in Acts 12, and Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27.
We should not expect miraculous escapes from every danger we face.
The Bible also records the crucifixion of Jesus and the killing of his
brother James at the hands of their enemies. But Scripture makes it plain
that God’s plans cannot be thwarted and that we can never be afflicted
beyond what he allows. We may wonder why he allows suffering in a
particular case while providing an escape in others, but the mere fact that
he is in control and that our circumstances somehow fit into his larger
purposes offers us assurance that we are not alone.
Challenge Yourself:
In the Bible’s most poignant commentary on the nature of pain and suffering and God’s role in it, Job questions God motives and his justice. God
responds by asking Job a series of questions designed to remind Job that
God’s power and his purposes are too great to be comprehended. God’s
answer to Job is meant for us as well. Read Job 38 and reflect upon the
wonders of God’s acts of creation.
Notes:
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Conclusion
Day 28: Introverts & Extroverts
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 15:12
They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.
The Big Idea:
Introversion predisposes people of that personality type to disciplines that
are conducive to spiritual growth, but are too often neglected.
Commentary:
It would be going too far to label Jesus an introvert (or an extrovert, for
that matter), but he definitely displayed some classic introverted behaviors. We’ve highlighted some precedents from Jesus’ ministry to validate
the practice of spending time apart from large crowds and even in complete isolation from others, and considered several habits, best practiced
during these times of solitude, which can propel us on toward spiritual maturity. In an age when extroversion is commonly judged to be healthy and
admirable, and where introverts are contrarily deemed somehow inferior
or even slightly pathological, I have hopefully provided a basis for reassessing these stereotypes. Introverts, I would argue, are uniquely equipped
by their basic psychological makeup to make a habit of disciplines that are
foundational to a mature spiritual outlook.
Both introverts and extroverts will face situations in which they must
interact with others, as well as occasions on which they must fend for
themselves. Emotionally healthy persons are able to perform well in all
circumstances, regardless of whether they tend toward introversion or extraversion. Thus, it’s not in the least unusual to find introverts who are
good public speakers, as well as extroverts who are avid readers. Neither
introversion nor extroversion implies that we cannot be accomplished at
skills typically associated with the opposite personality type.
The real distinction is that for introverts, interacting with others requires an expenditure of energy while being alone is refreshing and recharges our batteries. For extroverts the opposite is true. Furthermore, extroverts process information by bouncing ideas off of others. Introverts
tend to mull ideas over inside their own heads.
Neither personality type is inherently good or bad, right or wrong,
healthy or unhealthy. The secret to good emotional health lies not in encouraging one sort of behavior and suppressing another but rather in understanding the sorts of activities that drain us as well as the sort that refresh us, so we can maintain a proper balance. Like Jesus, we need to de-
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velop an intuitive sense that it’s time for a change of pace—time for a
mountaintop retreat, or an outing on the lake with a friend or two—or time
to go public and be among the masses of those who hunger, both physically and spiritually.
Because of the prevailing bias of our times, the danger of spending
too little time in community is relatively non-existent. The “Better Together” mindset assures us that the communal aspect of our nature will not
be overlooked. The greater danger, I believe, lies in the other direction. If
we are going to maintain a healthy balance, we will need to be intentional
about finding opportunities to “go to a lonely place” like Jesus to practice
the disciplines of prayer, silence, study, and meditation. Introverts will
find this easier to do, but extroverts should not give up easily just because
it initially feels a little disorientating. In time, they too will discover that
there are times when they are “better alone.”
Challenge Yourself:
If you are doing this study as part of a small group and have not already
done so, share with each other which type of personality God has given
you—introverted or extroverted.
List some of your daily activities that you find draining. Which do you
find refreshing? Do you feel like you have achieved a healthy balance?
Notes: