GOD’S GENTLE WHISPER – Part 2 of 2

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

I have two practices at the beginning and end of the day that help me listen to God’s “gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12)…

My evening practice is a time for self-reflection or what some call “the daily examen.” For my nighttime ritual, I simply review my day and ask the Holy Spirit to help me accurately assess my relationship with God, myself, and others. I typically ask myself three questions:

• Is there anything I need to celebrate?
• Is there anything I need to confess?
• Is there anything I need to change?

Sometimes this means getting up and making a note to do something in the morning or even sending a text. It’s the ongoing work of keeping my heart clean and removing anything that hinders my inner world. The gentle whisper of God recalibrates my soul.

So, whether it’s early in the morning or late evening, God’s whisper is transformative. And it’s the space between, in the everyday-ness of life, that the whisper gets lived out. I cannot tell you the number of times that something God has spoken into my heart becomes a word for someone sitting in my office seeking [pastoral] counsel at 2 pm. Afterward, there is a sense of God’s confirmation that I am hearing from God not just for myself but for the well-being of others.

-- Jorge Acevedo in “Everybody Needs Some Cave Time: Meeting God in Dark Places”

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GOD’S GENTLE WHISPER – Part 1 of 2

The Greek philosopher Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” This is the wisdom of the Bible, too. Paul gave Timothy, the young pastor of the fledgling church in Ephesus, this sage advice, “Keep a close watch on how you live” (1 Timothy 4:16a). This is an invitation for all followers of Jesus to perform an honest evaluation of their lives, including their relationship with God, themselves, and others. Put more simply, it’s the command in scripture to love God and love neighbor as we love ourselves.

It’s been said that we need to be careful and watchful over our soul when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT). This phrase finds its origins in the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Its wisdom echoes Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV): “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” For me, I have two practices at the beginning and end of the day that help me listen to God’s “gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).

My morning practice is a Bible reading and reflection time in which I journal the whisper of the Spirit for my life. This 30- to 45-minute-long exercise has sharpened my ear to God’s gentle whisper more than any other discipline. I have observed in my life and the lives of others that daily Bible engagement more than any other practice helps Christ followers grow in their faith. 

-- Jorge Acevedo in “Everybody Needs Some Cave Time: Meeting God in Dark Places”

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HELPING ONE ANOTHER

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”  (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV)

Picture two travelers in the desert. One is dying of thirst. The other has a huge jug of water, but he’s exhausted from carrying it. Eventually, one dies of thirst, then the other of fatigue.

All right, it’s a gloomy ending. Let’s try it another way. The thirsty man says, “”Hey, why not give me a drink and I’ll help you carry your jug?” That’s all it would take for both to survive.

Many in our society are like the first two travelers. We guard our independence. We strive to be self-sufficient. We don’t want to need each other. But if we’re going to survive in these changing times, we must leave rugged individualism behind. We’re not meant to go it alone. We can help one another. Each of us has resources to offer.

-- David Mains, Marian Oliver, Randy Peterson in “Survival Skills for Changing Times”

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SOMEBODY'S GONNA FALL

A friend of mine has a unique perspective on temptation. He says there have only been two temptation stories since the beginning of time. The temptation of the first Adam in the Garden led to the fall of man. And the temptation of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, led to Satan's fall. All temptation, he says, will conclude with one or the other. Either we will fall, as Adam fell, or we will stand, as Jesus stood, and see Satan fall.

Temptation is always a shortcut. It's Satan's way of offering you now what God wants to give you later on. What he doesn't tell you is the cost -- and the consequences. 

-- Ron Mehl in Just in Case I Can't Be There


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