A dear family from the Church I attended in college invited me over to their for lunch one summer afternoon. I knew this family as the “missionaries from Africa.” They had just recently moved back to the States from their last mission with their three young children. When I walked into the house, there was a quiet ambience that was peculiar to me as I had experienced many homes with young children, normally a little more rambunctious upon entry. The husband and wife greeted me with calm voices and said that they were having “quiet time” with the kids. They explained that during quiet time the children would go to their individual rooms and could do whatever they wanted as long as it was quietly and rest was encouraged. Wow, they must have really good children, I thought to myself.
When lunch was brought to the table we all ate together, including the children, and exchanged stories and laughter. This is a memory I hold onto because it gave me a lightbulb moment that I didn’t even know was needed.
Quiet. Silence. Rest. Three words that have become luxuries rather than priorities, especially in the modern-day US.
We pride ourselves in working hard and chasing dreams. If someone tells a story of working themselves to the bone to survive to eventually make it to the top of the ladder, they are applauded and lauded as heroes of the American Dream. They may develop a long list of medical issues, but that’s not important, right?
Jesus’ ministry was only one part of his time spent on earth. The rest? He spent in the quiet with God. He fled the noise so often that it wasn’t strange to the people who knew Him that he would be away for fasting and prayer. The early Christians took up this practice as well, especially during times of persecution.
The idea of sabbath rest, fasting, and contemplative prayer are all foreign to the go-getter, fast-food eater and noise-lover that make up the American church body. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but if we are honest most of us fall into one if not all three categories.
We can blame the boom of industry for this newfound idea that the fast-pace life is something to strive for, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t recognize our inward yearning for sabbath rest. I see them every day: the exasperated mother, the weary late-shift worker, the burnt out pastor, the anxious child. We are constantly going, consuming, initiating and creating and then wonder why we eventually crash into a wall of physical and emotional stress that forces us to stop.
We have a tendency to allocate worthiness by how much someone is “doing,” which brings us to look at ourselves and others with shame because we feel that we are not “doing” enough. The cycle of maniacal doing may give us a feeling of achievement, but God looks much deeper than appearances and feelings.
This is bittersweet news for two reasons. The good news is that our approval from God isn’t based on the appearance of “doing good” for Him. But that’s also the bad news, because a lot of us are relying on our performance to get us to the finish line.
In Matthew 27:22, Jesus reveals that on judgment day, many will come to him speaking of the works they did in His name. They performed miracles, casted out demons, drove the Church bus (okay maybe that’s not in there but you get the point. Yet, He will say “Depart from me, I never knew you.”
Ouch! You think. But what’s going on here?
Jesus spent the entirety of His three year ministry doing what? Working, dwelling and communing. And not always in that order.
In Mark 6:45-46, we see that Jesus went away to spend time with God. HE WENT AWAY TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD. This wasn’t a custodial visit. This is the Gospel in action. Jesus knew that his source of life was in that place of solitude, away from the people. He knew that He could perform miracles 24/7 if He wanted to, but that wasn’t the point. The point is that God isn’t some distant figure that we can only reach if we do X, Y and Z. He is the source of X, Y and Z.
Communion with God/The Holy Spirit is the source of strength that we’ve been taught about even since the beginning of creation. Remember Adam and Eve? How God was their provider for every single need until they chose to try out their own strength and doomed man to separation from God? Then the Israelites were dependent on God for years in wandering through the desert until they ultimately chose their own strength and doomed the generations after them?
Jesus’ pattern of living shows us the importance of communion and trust in God alone. Not productivity, not laws of order and means of control: full reliance of God for the source of transforming ourselves to be more like Him so that we go out and transform the world with Him.
It’s not that having a work ethic is bad because every apostle had a trade and continued utilizing their trade throughout their ministries. They were productive members of “society.” And this is DEFINITELY not saying that the work that we do for others is in vain. Quite the opposite. We are commanded to serve others as Jesus did throughout His life on earth. I would be completely false in saying that ministering for the Lord isn’t equally important. This is, quite simply, an observation from a young Christian that is trying to observe a dangerous pattern that can set us up for idolizing “productivity” and “work ethic” which results in the misplaced striving that was mentioned in part two.
Quiet. Rest. Confession. Solitude. Contemplation. What feeling do these words bring you? Some sound so nice, and others are, honestly, unfamiliar.
I think the scariest part about communion with God is that it’s so unfamiliar….
There’s a stark contrast between our consumer-based, fast-paced and Jesus’ less-flashy, steadfast relationship with God.
Jesus didn’t toot a horn on His way to the mountain to pray so that everyone will know where He was going. He wouldn’t be the one with a “BRB on my way to worship” bumper sticker, in other words.
He didn’t go to the desert to talk about His problems for a bit, enjoy the feelings of God for a minute, and then peace out. He wouldn’t be the one to write a wordy e-mail to the church staff about making the church-experience more enjoyable.
He didn’t exhaust himself with responsibilities and “hustling” to the point that He couldn’t “make time for God.” He wouldn’t be like most of us that have prioritized keeping up with the Joneses over relationship with Jehovah Jireh (see what I did there?)
So many of us use the excuse of “well Jesus was perfect and I’m not so I’m naturally going to fail at all of this.” But Jesus did not allow that excuse for His disciples. He commanded that His disciples live a life that would be unfamiliar to what they were used to. They had to walk away from a life of living up to the expectations of society, the religious leaders, and their moms and dads. They had to uproot their old identities and replace them with a new one that would be formed by the Holy Spirit at work in their hearts and minds.
Communion with God requires a lot less frills and a lot more discipline. Your favorite pastor won’t be there to walk you through the prayers you should repeat or music you should listen to. Your mind will want to go to other things and you may be frustrated with yourself for the first five minutes. God knows how we are and is patient with our shortcomings. When He says “come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest,” He means it. And time spent with Him, even as we wrestle with our minds, is a time that will detox us spiritually and, eventually, the time becomes more about resting in His thoughts versus wrestling with our own.
I’m reading a book written by Henri Nouwen, titled “Here and Now.”
This is one of my favorite quotes from the book, thus far “Prayer is the discipline of the moment. When we pray, we enter into the presence of God whose name is God-with us. To pray is to listen attentively to the One who addresses us here and now”
Spiritual discipline doesn’t happen overnight and I think that’s why we become so frustrated. We want to be present like it’s natural to us, yet our thoughts pull us backwards and forwards all-the-more naturally. It isn’t until we make spiritual discipline a daily practice that we see the fruits of being fully present in our time with God as well as others.
The Psalmist David speaks of the importance of meditating on the words of the Lord.
“I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. I told you my plans, and you answered. Now teach me your decrees. Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds. I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word. Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations. I cling to your laws. Lord, don’t let me be put to shame! I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding.”
Psalms 119:25-32 NLT
David didn’t become the Psalmist by being a King. He didn’t work his way to the heart of God. He dwelled with God as he hid from his enemies in quiet, low places. He understood the importance of communion with the Father and the obedience that comes from being near to the Creator.
As children, when we are disciplined by our parents, we feel as if it’s unfair and wish to “run away.” Then, miraculously, when we move away from our parents, we miss their nearness and words of wisdom that we once thought of as harsh discipline. That’s the way our relationship with God should be. That we’ve spent so much time near to Him and His discipline that even when we run away, we begin to wish for His words of wisdom and miss being in His presence.
That might not be a good example to those who didn’t have a loving parental relationship, but the point stands that we draw near to those we love. And what sets us apart from the rest of the World is that we can feel when we are distant from God.
When you are frustrated and feel that God is distant, that’s actually a really good thing, because that tells you that you’ve been near to Him and miss His presence. And, friend, He hasn’t gone anywhere. The chaos of the world that’s telling you to be busy, check lists and make sure to measure up to their standards is what’s drawing you away, not Him.
God has shown us that no matter how far we stray, no matter how many times we try to do it on our own, He’s always there, ready to take us back and show us what really matters to Him.
One day, I want someone to walk into my home and feel the peace of Christ and know that my household has spent time with Him.
My prayer is that you and I find time today, and every day, to partake in the necessary quiet time with our Father.
TheAbundantLife 