RENEWAL - Part 2
This is what the Lord says:
“Bad things will happen to those who put their trust in people.
Bad things will happen to those who depend on human strength.
That is because they have stopped trusting the Lord.
They are like a bush in a desert where no one lives.
It is in a hot and dry land.
It is in bad soil.
That bush does not know about the good things that God can give.
7 “But those who trust in the Lord will be blessed.
They know that the Lord will do what he says.
8 They will be strong like trees planted near a stream
that send out roots to the water.
They have nothing to fear when the days get hot.
Their leaves are always green.
They never worry, even in a year that has no rain.
They always produce fruit.
- Jeremiah 17:5-8 (ERV)
Welcome to Renewal – Part 2 in this newsletter series, a journey to find renewal in our relationship with God and in our spiritual lives. It is for those who want more in their lives and a way through to new things and a fresh start. It is a search for flourishing in our souls.
RENEW is an acronym that represents the 5 shifts we need to make in our lives to find renewal. They are ... Reliance – Expectancy – Necessity – Endurance – Wonder... all based on material in the book: Movement Ready Church by Robby Gallaty & Vick Green.
This week we will look at the idea of...
Reliance: Moving from Dependence on Self to dependence on the Spirit.
One of the biggest reasons we need renewal is that we find ourselves tired a lot, physically, mentally, spiritually. Life has become complex and difficult. Everyday tasks feel like a burden. It seems like we are running on a hamster wheel, not making any progress and at times about to fall off the wheel and get tossed out the back. In short, we are weary. A soul that is weary needs renewal.
The above verse from Jeremiah was new to me. I must have read it at some point, but I don’t remember it, and yet it speaks directly to what I am experiencing when I need renewal.
When we put our trust in people, including ourselves and our own strength, bad things happen. We have stopped relying on the Lord and have been relying on ourselves.
Ever been there? If I just try harder. Put in more time. Research it enough. Ask the right people. Think about it in the middle of the night. Worry about it and then worry some more, think about it while driving, eating, spending time disconnected from those around me, I can solve any of my problems. The answer will come to me eventually. “God helps those who help themselves,” right? (Not in the Bible.)
To be candid. The last paragraph is my general approach far too often. I try to figure it all out by myself. I am too self-reliant.
This passage stresses that the person who relies on their own strength or skill or other people in life will find themselves like a bush in a spiritual desert “... where no one lives. It is in a hot dry land. It is in bad soil.” There is no thriving, no flourishing, no life.
In our own strength, we are not enough. This is a spiritual truth.
There is an alternative ... to trust in the Lord. To rely on HIs strength.
Zechariah 4:6 is one of my favorite verses: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
There is life in the Spirit.
Robby Gallaty writes about a key time in his life when he came to the end of himself after years of striving on his own. One night, after his children had gone to bed, he just went out onto his porch by himself and just sat there in the dark for an hour in the silence and stillness of being with the Lord. Then he did it again the next night and again and again for 18 months.
At one point, out of a growing sense of frustration he said, “Lord I have been sitting here night after night and have received nothing.” In his spirit he sensed God saying, “Robby, you have not received nothing. You have received everything. You have received me.”
After reading that, I went out and sat on our deck, at night, in the dark, in the silence, and the presence of the Lord and sensed His peace. No agenda – just being with Him under the stars that He created, beneath the towering trees that He brought to life. It was an experience in the realm of “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). It is my hope to make this a rhythm in my walk with Jesus, simply being with Him.
“... those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. They know that
the Lord will do what he says. They will be strong like trees planted
near a stream that send out roots to the water. They have nothing to
fear when the days get hot. Their leaves are always green. They never
worry, even in a year that has no rain. They always produce fruit.”
- Jeremiah 17:7, 8
This is a beautiful picture of the person who trusts in the Lord – who relies on Him to accomplish what needs to be done. They will flourish like trees beside a stream and will always have what they need. Their leaves are always green, They never worry. They will experience vitality and fruit even in the years without rain.
This is the life of one who relies on the Lord. This is the life of one that is renewed. It starts with reliance, a full on trust in God.
I am doing more praying before starting a task, asking for the Spirit to guide me, inspire me, strengthen me. I am in the process of breaking the habit of relying on self. It is a habit built up over a lifetime. It is being broken one prayer at a time. Trusting in God means surrendering to Him and relying on Him to work. That is the way He intends it to be.
Jesus put it this way: “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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-39)
Let’s give our burdens to God today and be renewed.