Be still my soul ...

Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in every change God faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future, as in ages past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow for forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Text: Katharina von Schlegel, 1752;
trans. by Jane Borthwick, 1855 (Ps. 46:10)
Music: Jean Sibelius, 1899; arr. from The Hymnal, 1933

Jason

The prayers of a child

“The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God.”
Oswald Chambers

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
The angels watch me through the night,
Until I wake in morning light.

God is great, God is good,
Now we thank Him for this food.

We are taught at an early age to pray. Many of us were taught to say these prayers and many others. What would happen if we were taught to pray like this at an early age?

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple…
My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Psalm 27:4, 8

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—a place near your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.”
Psalm 84:1-4

Some of the words of these prayers are a little too deep for someone my 5 year-old’s age, but the concept is something I have heard him pray several times. One night in his prayers he said to God that he can’t wait to see him someday. In his prayer he tried to explain to God what he thought he looked like. My son’s thoughts in his prayer life have started leaning towards the idea of God and a relationship with him, instead of just thank you for mommy, daddy … He has begun talking to God. Just talking. Isn’t that how we should all be? A relationship with someone involves an ongoing conversation most of the time. It involves time. So many people who have been spiritual giants throughout time, such as Martin Luther, George Fox, and Richard Foster were known for their time spent in prayer. Martin Luther actually said, “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” This time was made up of interceding for others like we did today, it was made up of prayers of thanks, of asking for help in situations, and also just a time of conversation with his God.

How do you pray? Do you have time set aside for your prayer life? Just being honest, I have to say that there have been times over the years where I felt like I was not praying anything deeper than my childhood prayers. If you feel that way now, or just don’t know where to begin, maybe it’s time you started setting aside time to just be with God. Sit in silence and get rid of the distractions and allow God to start a conversation with you that will never end.

Jason

Replies to Jason's devotionals

This is a quick post to let all of the readers know that comments have been enabled on the devotional blog at least as long as Jason continues his series on the spiritual disciplines. Here's the opportunity to express yourself and enter into meaningful dialogue about this important subject.

Ron

Simple, quiet rest ...

A Prayer by Henri Nouwen

Why, O Lord, is it so hard for me to keep my heart directed toward you? Why do the many little things I want to do, and the many people I know, keep crowding into my mind, even during the hours I am totally free to be with you and you alone? Why does my mind wander off in so many directions, and why does my heart desire the things that lead me astray? Are you not enough for me? Do I keep doubting your love and care, your mercy and grace? Do I keep wondering, in the center of my being, whether you will give me all I need if I just keep my eyes on you?

Please accept my distractions, my fatigue, my irritation, and my faithless wanderings. You know me more deeply and fully than I know myself. You love me with a greater love than I can love myself. You even offer me more than I can desire. Look at me, see me in all my misery and inner confusion, and let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil. All I can do is show myself to you. Yet, I am afraid to do so. I am afraid that you will reject me. But I know--with the knowledge of faith--you desire to give me your love. The only thing you ask of me is not to hide from you, not to run away in despair, not to act as if you were a relentless despot.

Take my tired body, my confused mind, and my restless soul into your arms and give me rest, simple quiet rest. Do I ask too much too soon? I should not worry about that. You will let me know. Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Amen

Today we will be starting our next spiritual discipline, or experience. You may read this before or after our classroom experience. I have read and reread this prayer many times since I have been studying spiritual disciplines. Just reading it today as I type, I realize how much it represents where my tired and restless mind goes every day.

My challenge to you all is to use this as a prayer to begin and end your day with. I know that this may be difficult to remember to do this. Take this and print it off. Place it where you will see it often. Over this next week we will be praying this prayer. There will be other focuses of prayer that we will be dwelling on, but I wanted to give you something to aid you in your prayer life. It may seem strange to say the prayer of someone else for your own personal time with God, but think of it as taking the words of a close friend and brother and allowing his wisdom to help guide you when you don't know what to say yourself.

Out of our conversations with God will come streams of living water, refreshing and rejuvenating to your soul. Let this overflow into your life and to the lives of those around you.

Jason

The hum of fluorescent lights ...

“Solitude molds self-righteous people into gentle, caring, forgiving persons who are so deeply convinced of their own great sinfulness and so fully aware of God’s even greater mercy that their life itself becomes a ministry.” - Henri Nouwen

Waking up every morning and spending time in the Word, time in silence just staring at the steam coming up from my coffee cup, listening to nothing but the refrigerator motor and the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead has been a blessing. You are in that place where you really can feel God there with you. You can feel his presence, and almost hear his voice as you read his Word. You can feel yourself being molded and sharpened for another day.

Then you hear one of the kids wake up. You realize that it is time to go and get the boys up for school. There is a lot to be done before we walk out that door. You just don’t want to get up. You have had such a wonderful time of devotion with your God. You feel like you are changed and are growing, but you have life to live. You know that you are going to face boys who don’t want to wake up, possible fights because of crankiness, chores to make sure get done, animals to feed, noise, busyness, noise, lists, meetings, and more noise. What do you think God is preparing you for?!

“I am the vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:1-5

We have discussed silence, solitude, and meditation. These three will be a part of almost all of the disciplines we look at in the future. You have to be able to sit with God, before you can do the others. You have to be able to put your time with him as the highest priority before you can practice service, study, fasting, and so many others. Remain in Christ and he will remain in you. He longs to pour out of your life. He longs to overflow from your cup and touch every person and situation that you go through in a day.

Yes it’s hard to sit and be still long enough. Yes it is then hard to go out and be in the noise of life, but we are called to take our lives and use them for the glory of our Father. Are we bearing fruit yet? How are people seeing our lives? How is God seeing our lives? Is he getting more and more proud or longing for you to come and be with him? Only you and He know the answer to these questions. Hopefully we are on the right track. Remember, we are together on this journey. Together we overflow into the lives of those around us.

God’s blessings today.

Jason

Being and doing ...

Being and doing, being and doing. Even though I preach that lesson and long to be in the presence of my Father, I find myself doing more and more. Yesterday in the chaos of the day, and the busyness that we all do not want to have on Sunday, I found myself running around the house cleaning and moving furniture. I couldn’t stop. I was organizing our bedroom, I was folding laundry, I was getting more and more frustrated as the day wore on. This came right after preaching about being and doing. I wanted to sit down all day and just be in the presence of God, but that is so hard when you have this person asking for this, your daughter choosing to never fall asleep for her nap, someone always asking “what’s for snack?”

I know that many of you can feel my pain. I kept saying to myself, if I only have an organized space, I can sit and relax and be with God. I just can’t focus when things are not in order. Some of you may think I am insane, but that is how I get sometimes when I am tired and worn out from the wonderful life that we all live. I am reminded of someone else who had this same problem.

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed, Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

I know that our world doesn’t always slow down for us to sit and be in God’s presence, but that is when we need to make ourselves slow down. We may feel we need everything perfect in our universe, but that’s not going to happen. Spending time with God is important, so if you need your world ordered for that time, spend some time preparing.

Find yourself a quiet place in your house. Pick a corner of a room that no one seems to come in very often. Find yourself a comfy chair, speak with your spouse and those around you and let them know that there is a time that you will be taking as your quiet “Being” time with God. They should understand, they are hopefully seeking that same time themselves. When and if you create this place, spend some time in silence before you do anything. Let God’s peace come over you. Open your Bible and allow the words to open, break, and reshape your heart.

Silence and Solitude with the Father is slowly but surely becoming a reality for us. We are in this together on our journey, let’s keep each other in our prayers and help each other out to find that peaceful time with God. Happy Being!

Jason

Silence, solitude, and meditation ...

For the next several weeks, Jason Roark will be bringing the daily devotionals to us based on the fruit of our focus on the spiritual disciplines during our weekly devotional time. We will see how these disciplines can form us into godly people within a godly community.

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17

After meditating on this passage of scripture last Thursday, I have come to realize a little more about God’s love for me. God is standing with me, sitting with me, walking with me, and yes he is even there while I sleep. He is right there while you struggle with daily life. He is right there listening to your worries, and knows them before you say a word. He desires you to just turn them over to Him.

He is mighty to save. So often we worry, cry, and hurt all because we do not have the power or strength to deal with some of the situations we get into everyday. When you feel like you just can’t make it, remember this. Remember that the God who created the universe, who parted the Red Sea, sent a burning tornado of fire to guide the Israelites, made a donkey talk, raised the dead, calmed the seas, and sacrificed his own Son, is with YOU and mighty to save YOU! He takes great delight in YOU! He is ready to quiet YOU with his love, and yes he is even at this moment singing over YOU, the great love song that a Father sings to his children.

When you read this passage remember these things. When you meditate on scripture, make it personal. Make sure you put yourself in the passage. God is longing for us to take his Word to heart. As we meditated on this passage this last Thursday in our Disciplines class, many of you had epiphanies. Let me read some of them to you.

“Why do I keep myself from his presence, his rescue, his delight, his quiet love, and his rejoicing over me? It is me that denies myself these things, these great gifts. WHY? Because of my list in my head, because I’m not worthy, because of my laziness, BECAUSE I DON’T STOP AND SEEK IT OFTEN ENOUGH! Being bare before the Lord is how he always sees me. Why can’t I come to his presence alone?”

“O Lord, still the thousand distractions that surround my soul so that I can hear your voice, and the voice of those around me more clearly. May I hear you well so as to please you well!”

“I don’t think I have much been quieted with love before, or rejoiced over with singing!? That’s just too much to hope for. Increase my faith!”

“Sometimes I don’t feel like I am a delight to you Lord. My sins take me away from your presence and I don’t feel like a delight to you. But you’re ever there, reaching out to me, calling me back to Your presence, Your family, and Your community.”

Can you see yourself in some of these quotes from brothers and sisters in our midst? Can you feel their pain, their hope, their frustrations, and their longings? We minister to people everyday who do not understand hope. They do not understand the point of sitting at the feet of the Father, because if they sit too long, they are forced to see what some of these brothers and sisters saw. They are forced to see a person who needs someone. A person who needs a God.

Silence, Solitude, and Meditation are just three of the disciplines we practiced this past Thursday in our disciplines class. Some of us walked away unchanged, and some of us walked away like a broken tool, longing for the master blacksmith to take us and reshape us and sharpen us. This is just the beginning. I am glad we are on this journey together.

Jason