Renewal - Part 4
Welcome to Renewal – Part 4 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...
Necessity: Moving from working for God to spending time with God.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about something that has helped bring some needed change in my life.
Like many of you I have a daily time with God as part of the spiritual disciplines I practice. Essentially, it has consisted of reading the Bible, going through a couple of short devotionals and spending some time in prayer. This typically is the first thing I try to accomplish each morning – get up, a trip to the bathroom, and then take some time to go through the disciplines – get it done, check it off, and move on to my day. All good things, but somewhere along the way, I have lost the time with God to getting things done for God. There are times I am sure I missed God entirely in working for Him. It was something I just did, a bit like making sure the bed gets made and the dishes washed.
The thing I wrote about a few weeks ago is pretty simple. It is simply sitting down with God at night on our deck, in the dark, no phone, no music, no books – sometimes no spoken prayer. Just time alone with God in silence.
Sometimes I just sit in silence with no thoughts, no planning, no reflecting, no stirring. Just time in silence with God.
The disciplines I have done earlier in the day provide the foundation and undercurrent for this time, so it is not done in isolation. It is part of my overall walk with Jesus.
One of the outcomes from the time is a greater overall peace in my life and a refreshing that I was missing before in my striving to get things done. It is also changing the way I go about my daily disciplines as well. I am slowing down. Being more open and honest with God, listening more, seeking more, finding more.
One of the things I did not realize about myself is that while I know that our bodies can be weary and tired, I didn’t think too much about how a human soul can be weary as well. In fact, I think there are a lot of people who are weary and tired, worn out by life. Their bodies may be fine, but their souls are exhausted. Too many worries, anxieties, conflicts, and discouragement can wear a person down.
A weary and languishing soul is probably pretty common, but it doesn’t need to be.
However, there is something good about a weary and languishing soul, and this is it: a weary and languishing soul looks for relief and refreshment. It's hungry and thirsty for something else. Eventually, it will drive a person to look for healing and wholeness, and that can lead one to God who is the One who refreshes. We turn to God because we need Him.
In Jeremiah 31:25, it reads, “For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”
When we realize our need for God, not just to get things done, or to solve our problems, or to give us direction, but to be the very One our souls need and desire, then we can change the way we approach Him. Just being in His presence and acknowleging our need for Him makes a difference and sets us on a new path.
I believe this is what God desires for us as well, just being with His children and doing life with us, not just our doing life for Him.
As we go through this series, take some time to do a “soul check”. How is your soul? Are you filled with life and joy and peace? Or do you sense that your soul is restless or hurting or weary? Taking time to just be with God is a good place to start. It doesn’t have to be a long time – just an intentional time with only one agenda – sitting still in the presence of God.