09.13.19 - week 20
with.
“though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil, for you are with me.” psalm 23:4
god doesn’t place himself above us very often. he is, but he doesn’t often draw our attention to it. his majesty, wisdom, understanding, glory etc, make him far above us every hour of every day in every category. permanently.
god doesn’t play the false modesty foolishness game by placing himself below us either. he’s comfortable with the reality that soon enough all will bow the knee to his power. he lowered himself temporarily, but even then anyone watching could see where he belonged.
god certainly doesn’t stand behind us, like adam with eve, letting us take the first punch from the enemy. he’s been tempted in every way as we have, he isn’t watching us to see how things play out.
god also doesn’t run ahead of us, making us feel endlessly inadequate and behind. it has always been funny to me that john noted that he beat peter in the race to the tomb, as though the risen christ couldn’t have gone usain-bolt-style and crushed both of them any day of the week. but it illustrates to some degree the extent to which the disciples knew jesus in his humanity.
no, the word used to describe where he is in the valley is with.
alongside. present with. supportively beside. if you don’t sense that today, it isn’t because he moved. you did. and he’s still right there. believe. receive. he’s with you.
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
Having a two year old will teach you a lot about the nearness of God. We all want it and yet, I think when dire circumstances come our way we decide if we can ‘feel it’ or not. I can’t go three feet without Felicity asking me ‘why’ or wanting me to hold her or her literally sitting next to me at my feet. Even if she doesn’t ‘need’ me she still wants and pursues proximity to me. As I have been thinking about the nearness of God I couldn’t help but realize she is teaching me something by her behavior. The best way to ‘feel it’ for lack of better words is to be in constant pursuit of his presence; not for something (answered prayer, a clever social media post, encouragement for a friend) but to just sit there and take in being with him in prayer and through his Word because he wants a relationship with us.
I love how these scriptures spoke to me of God’s nearness:
Psalm 73:28 - nearness of my God is good // it allows me to proclaim His goodness because I can see it personally
Psalm 16:8 - nearness to God helps me to not be shaken by circumstances
Psalm 34:18 - He is near to the brokenhearted
Psalm 119:151 - nearness to Him reminds me what truths to focus on
Psalm 145:18 - He is near to all who call upon him
Hebrews 10:22 - He wants us to draw near and in doing so we will seek a purity/cleansing only he can bring
James 4:8 - when we draw near to him, he draws near to us and helps us see our need for him.
I think the best thing these verses convey to me about his nearness is that it isn’t based on my coming to him all cleaned up - all it says is I have to initiate the coming and he will always, always, always meet me. Faithful God.
This song has ushered me into his nearness lately, hope it blesses you too.
Cup of Leadership
a dear friend said this to me recently and it was so convicting. pastors know all too well that the loudest and crankiest get the lion’s share of attention. those who are steady and solid are often appreciated at a distance but forgotten when it comes time for verbal plaudits. the frustrating reality is that those a leader is trying to encourage into health or praise into progress are typically a cup with a hole in the bottom. they need constant refilling. the emotional camels on our teams or in our churches just need a little every once in a while, and it’s easy to forget to give them that. give low maintenance partners a little attention. don’t treat them as though they need nothing.
Book Review
christian books tend to be prophetically challenging OR practically useful.
prayer by richard foster is both. many of us have had the experience of reading books on prayer only find ourselves as prayer-less as ever. this book has a defiant humility i have found repeatedly (september 2019 is at least my 3rd reading) helpful. foster gently demands that we push further into prayer, make it less formulaic + more of a lifestyle. yet, he isn’t cavalier about the word or overly prescriptive with how we should go about it. the first 75 pages or so are simply the finest writing on prayer i’ve ever read.
the examples are faith-building, but not the ‘author as hero of every story’ shtick that social media has made so tiresome. see some of my favorite quotes below and pick this up to build your prayer muscles.
Sermon of the Week
i was privileged to preach at faithful central this past weekend.
i hope the message will encourage you.
3 Things I Really Liked This Week
1. this little comedic yet potent illustration on ‘i love you’ in the digital age is flat-out brilliant… check this out.
2. measles is back. this investigation into how (and even more potently why), was really interesting.
3. the mac boys love a good remix, this new one from hillsong young & free has been on repeat all week.