The Dark Night part 2

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, 

we are of all people most to be pitied.

1 Cor. 15:19

I was doing so well.  I was back to writing more consistently.  I was looking forward to finishing February strong.

Then life got in the way.

I think most of us understand what I mean.  Sometimes we run into a busy time of life.  Sometimes we get sick.  Sometimes relational disaster strikes.  Sometimes we just can't get out of our own way.

My last post included a brief description of what Christian spirituality writers have called the Dark Night of the soul.  I believe many believers go through this experience.  

It is not just a day or a week of "life" that has gotten in the way.  It is an extended period where we wonder where is God?  We don't feel His presence, but instead we actually feel an absence.  It is like something is missing.

This experience can be brought about by busyness or lack of busyness; illness or great health; broken relationships or great relationships; or any other combo.

The real question of the Dark Night is:

In Whom do you trust?

This is really the primary question of all of life.  It just becomes the focal point of the Dark Night.  Do we trust that God is good and He has our best interests in heart?  Do we trust that He loves us?  Do we trust Him?

If we are not careful, it is easy to like the blessings of faith more than we like trusting in God.

In other words, do we like the feelings being in God's presence more than God?  Do we like the gifts of God more than the Giver of gifts?  Do we like our vision of how life should be more than trusting in faith when things don't go our way?

I know.  Another post with more questions than statements of "fact".  Sorry, that is how life is.  The longer we live, the more questions we have.  There are too many events in life that lead us to ask why.

In the midst of the struggle to believe in the midst of life's distractions, I offer this hope.

This life is not all there is.  

We were made for eternity and our heart longs for it.  

When Jesus comes back to set all things aright,

things will be set right.

All injustice, all loss, all wrong will be made right.

Sin and death will be done away with.

What we now know as through a mirror dimly,

we will know fully even as we will be fully known (and loved).

The Dark Night of the Soul

Walking in dependent faith.  Only four words, but what a difficult concept.  So many times I wish my questions could just be answered and I did not have to walk through life as if I were walking in darkness.  Some many times I wish I could just "do it" on my own and have God bless my efforts.  

In other words, faith is not nearly as simple and easy as I often think it should be.  I believe Lord, help my unbelief.

Let me give an example of what I mean.  I love this passage of scripture and I have claimed it often.

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save;

Neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear."

Isa. 59: 1

What exactly is Isaiah speaking of in this passage?  I believe for most of my Christian life I would have answered that passage is all about the condition of those apart from Christ.  In other words, those who do not know Jesus as Lord and savior do not have the Lord's ear.

In that case, my interpretation is simple.  If you do not know Jesus, repent.  His hand is not too short to save you.  No matter who you are or where you find yourself.  Jesus can and will answer if you cry out to Him in repentance and faith.

I have seen such actions of God many times.  I know God can change the human heart.

The problem is that I think this passage has other applications.  The proceeding context is about God hearing prayers.  This is not a new section, but a continuance of an entire thought.

What about the believers who are calling out for healing of their child, only to have this child die?  What about those struggling with their finances, begging God for mercy, and they lose everything?

Is God's hand to short to save?

I know from experience that most solid Christian folks go 

through times and seasons of life where their prayers are not answered.  

At least, they are not answered as they hoped.  

Instead of God showing up, 

they feel like their requests do not go past the walls of their room.

Where is God in the midst of our difficulties?  Why does He seem to work so almost every Christian has days, months, years, and even seasons where it appears as if their prayers fall on deaf ears?

The term used to describe what I am writing about has been called the dark night of the soul.  It is a time in a believer's life where they wrestle with more questions than answers.  It is a time where they feel less of God's presence.  It is a time when prayers appear to go unheard.

I know I have walked through this experience.  It is deeply disconcerting.  It is lonely.  It can be deeply painful.  It is also so hard to describe.  It is not like I am walking in active rebellion.  It is more like a good friendship that has suddenly cooled and each party merely continues on with their separate lives.

If you are in the place, let me encourage you that the dark night does end.  I don't really know how, but God uses it to make us deeper.  When His presence returns, the relationship is different but better.

The real key is to hold unto Jesus by repentant faith 

even if you feel nothing and even if your prayers 

aren't being answered at the moment.

Hold unto the promises.  Hold onto God's love for you.  Read the scriptures and ask again and again that the Lord will make these promises known to you.  Confess you questions and doubts to God and others.  Don't "fake it to you make it" but be real, ask for prayer from others, and wait for the Lord.

Walking in dependent faith.

I told you that often this is much harder than we had imagined.  I encourage you that it is still worth it.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  There is no other.  He loves you and He is working through it all.

The Priesthood of All Believers...

"What's your role as pastor in this?  An indispensable element, or insignificant as God works with or without you?

Stuart: You have to understand that gifting is all about the Giver, not the receptor.  And so if I am gifted, which I am, there's no reason for me to get any grandiose ideas about it; I'm simply the receptor of what God has sovereignly given me.  This says nothing about me; it says much about him.

At the same time, there are gifts of wisdom and insight scattered throughout the whole church and you need to reckon with those as well.

"In This Together: an interview with Stuart and Jill Briscoe," Leadership Spring 2001, 66.

I believe the first two question asked in the above quotation are very significant to today's church.  Somehow and someway, we have moved to such a low church understanding of the pastorate that many people believe that the role of the pastor is really not that important.  As I have traveled to many churches, this belief takes several different forms.

Some promote the idea that a plurality of Elders means that no one should given the title of "pastor" but that all elders are equal.  While there is some merit to this, it is not entirely true.

Others promote the idea that because of the priesthood of all believers, we all are equal and have equal abilities to interpret scripture, lead, and express our opinion.  Again, while there is some merit to this opinion, it is far from being entirely true.

Some claim the mantle and title of pastor without any real training, discerning of gifts, or assurance of calling.  They believe that all is needed is an internal desire to be a pastor and you are one.  Again, while this has some merit, it is far from the complete truth.

Many believe that pastors are merely employees of their church who are responsible for church growth and maintenance, but who also have to do the will of the congregation.  If these come in conflict, the pastor is fired.

I find all of these notions odd.  They are so out of step with the entirety of biblical and church history.

How did we get here?

At its heart, I think we have embraced the radical enlightenment leveling of social classes to such a point that we have denied the importance of calling, gifting, and God-given roles.  We have allowed a strange Marxist informed ideology to misshape our understanding of the Church.

We do so to our peril.

God is still in the business of calling people to Himself.  All who come to Him are His children.  We are all in grace.  We all have access to the Father through Jesus's work by the means of prayer.  We also have His Word that the Holy Spirit can and will apply to our lives.

This is the true meaning of the priesthood of all believers.  We don't need another human priest to mediate for us because we have Jesus.

Moreover, we all are important to the body.  (Please read 1 Corinthians 12 to see how Paul explains it)  Each of us make up the body of Christ and all of us are needed.  We all belong to each other, and we all are important.  This is a secondary element of the priesthood of all believers.

I completely affirm the reality, importance, and truth of the priesthood of all believers.  Yet, I deny where some, I believe because of their misplaced political philosophy, have taken this doctrine.

The priesthood of all believers does not mean that we all have the same roles and tasks.  It does not mean that we are all equal in ability, responsibility, or role.  In fact, 1 Corinthians 12 emphasizes God creative work in making us all different.  As Paul states, we are not all the mouth nor all we all the hands of Jesus (1 Cor. 12).

God calls us to different roles and to be different parts of the body.  What I find interesting is that while most affirm this truth, many within mainstream Christianity have willingly lowered the authority and importance of the calling of pastors.  I don't think there has been a time in the history of the church when pastoral leadership and authority has been at a lower ebb.

To state it positively, pastoral leadership and calling 

is part of God's plan for the health of the body.  

While it is not everything within the body, 

it is important and it should be given the respect that it deserves.

Such a distinction and respect gives honor to the gift giver, who is the Lord.  He arranged the body this way.  To deny it means to dismiss God's order.  When we do so, our churches suffer.

How have you understood the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers?  How have you seen it used improperly?  When and how have you seen it used properly?

Knowing the Voice of God...

"And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.'  And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke to pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

And after the fire the sound of a low whisper."

1 Kings 19: 11-12

'Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, 'Here I am!' and he ran to Eli. ...Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him."

1 Samuel 3: 4, 7.

"By wise guidance you can wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory."

Proverbs 24: 6

How do we hear God's still small voice?  How do we hear "a sound of a low whisper?"  Are we like Samuel, who did not yet know the Lord('s voice), and the word of the Lord has not yet been revealed?

Even more fundamental, does the Lord still speak and lead in today's world?  Is God's word His only means of leading?

I have wrestled with these questions for years.  I believe that many well meaning Christians have come to different conclusions.  Here is my conclusion:

The Holy Spirit still leads us, guides us, 

and can work in our hearts and minds 

to make us know God's will.  

God's word is complete, but His Spirit is still alive and well.  

The problem is that many of us have no practice nor experience in hearing God's voice.

Thus, we are like Samuel.  We have not really learned how to "hear" the word of the Lord.

How does God lead and direct?  How do we hear God's still small voice?

First, we should be reading, reflecting, and thinking about God's word.  I am constantly amazed at how many folks who profess faith who don't daily read God's word.  If this is you, let me encourage you to start.  Read the Psalms daily.  Start with just one or two.  The Psalms were and are the prayer book for God's people.  As you slowly read, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it.  Take time to read and reflect.

I promise you that you will be amazed how God's word jumps off the page and addresses the questions and concerns of your life.  I can't tell you how many times a passage will stick in my mind, then later in the day it becomes clear why.

God's still small voice speaks through His Word.

Second, God often speaks through people.  Some are believers and some are unbelievers.  All are created in His image.  I have found that folks will often say the strangest and most pointed things.  As they speak, my conscience practically yells, "Pay attention!"  Then, another person will affirm the same idea.  Weird right?

When this happens, I often pray and ask God about it.  I ask Him, "What are you trying to say?"  I ask for ears to hear and for a heart that can respond aright.  I can not tell you how many times this has happened and I then get an idea in my head that I cannot let go.

God's still small voice speaks through people.

I wish this answered all our questions.  The problem is that we live in a fallen world and we are fallen people.  How do we avoid having such an idea being just our will, our preferences, and our desires?

Here are several safe-guards at this point that I have learned.

1.) God never will lead us in ways that are contrary to His revealed will.  He does not lead us into sin.

2.) God's wisdom is found in many godly counselors.  Particularly if it is a major decision, seek the wisdom of folks who know you.  Ask them to pray and listen to what they think.  The bigger the decision, the longer you should take to determine if this is really God speaking.

3.) Hearing God's leading is a process of growth.  The closer we are in our relationship with God, the better we can hear His leading voice.  So, if you are not hearing any prompting of the Spirit, start at the beginning.  Repent and believe the gospel.  As for God's Spirit to lead.

4.) When you hear God's leading and become convinced it is really God, don't resist but do it.  The ultimate confirmation comes as you walk in faith.

Tending the Inner Flame

Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

Ps. 46:10

If we open our mouths, the flame of the Spirit is quenched.

As we shut our mouth, ask the Spirit to re-ignite the flame, and be still before and in the presence of our God, even the smoldering flame comes back to life.

I am so thankful for the sabbatical break in my busy life.  A time for silence, listening, and growing.  A time to grow in dependent, listening faith.

I know it is so hard to be still before the Living God.  We live in a 24 / 7 / 365 kind of world.  Most people who read blogs are busy people.  We read to distract from our usual busyness.  (How ironic)

The problem is that the human heart has not changed.  We still have the same need as the Psalmist.  We need to be still before God even if the entire world shouts that we must labor, strive, speak, and be distracted.

I believe these loud distractions guide us and move us because most of us actually prefer the noise to dealing with our inner reality.

As I often explain,

We always take the time to do what we really want.

So, what are your true desires?  What does your life illustrate is driving you?  Have you taken time to be silent before the Living God?  Can you even hear His still small voice over the shouts of this world's distractions?

A new week means another week to start anew.  If the flames are merely smoldering, ask the Spirit to re-ignite the flame within.  Your responsibility with this re-ignition (or first ignition) is to be still before the living God.  Be honest.  Be repentant.  Look upon Jesus in faith and see His mercy and love.

Tend to the inner fire.

Make a plan this week to have a day, a morning, an hour where you consciously talk less and listen more.  May the Lord fill this time so as to re-ignite the flame of true life.

Lord have mercy upon us and show us Your beauty 

so our hearts will be captured by You.  

May our trust and rest flow from a deep-seated knowledge that "You are God!"

Leading as God intended

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb,

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Ps 139: 13-14

Do you really believe that the Lord made you who you are?  Do you believe that He composed your soul and personality right alongside your body while you were in your mother's womb?

I think many sincere folks doubt that the Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He put us together.  We look at our sin tendencies and our hang-ups, and we wonder how God could use us.  We are so _____ (fill in the blank).  We might be cautious or aggressive; thoughtful or spontaneous; or quiet or outgoing.  We make so many mistakes!  How could God use us like we are?

It is so much easier to see what holds us back instead of how 

God could and will use us as He made us.  

Today I wish to focus our thoughts on leadership and how God uses our strengths to lead His people.  God did not make a mistake when He made you like you are.  He did not make a mistake with any of us.

We are all so different.  We all have different strengths, gifts, experience, and natural abilities.  I think all of us would agree to these statements.

The problem is that most of us can intellectually acknowledge these "facts" but then we look at our issues, hangups, addictions, tendencies, etc., and these cause us to shrink back from using our strengths to lead ourself and others.

What if our weaknesses were not a problem but instead an opportunity for us to work with others who have different strengths?  What if our weaknesses were God's way of working inner humility within us and outer love for others?

In other words, God puts us together as the "body of Christ."  All of us are needed.  All of us have different roles and functions.  If you or I do not use our God-given strengths, the body of Christ will be weak.  If we all work together, the body of Christ will be strong.

Our responsibility before God is to develop our strengths and confess our weakness.  Our weaknesses promote our humility and our reliance upon God and others.  Our strengths promote God's action and work in the world.

Perhaps the greatest irony is that both our strengths and our weaknesses illustrate the gospel when we bring them to the light.

This post has more questions than answers.  I ask you to reflect upon them.  I also ask that you stop listening to those voices, even those what are supposedly well-intentioned, that constantly tell you to be different so God can use you.  God did not make a mistake when He made you.  He knew exactly what He was doing.

In Christ, honestly confess your sin.  In Christ, honestly lead from your strengths.

Praying for fullness of joy...

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Ps. 16:11

Many years ago, while I was in seminary, I had a friend who shared my passion for seeing the lost come to know Jesus.  We were talking about what we did when someone embraces Jesus by faith.  I shared that I would get them immediately into a bible study and a discipleship group.  In the tradition of fundamentalism in which I had started my Christian journey, knowing scripture and being in an accountability and growth relationship was key.

My friend shared that while he thought that was interesting, but he did not do this.  Instead, he taught them how to pray because he figured if they learned how to pray, they would learn how to walk with God.

For years I have thought about this conversation and its implications.  I do not believe there is anything wrong with bible study and discipleship groups.  In fact, I still encourage them.  Yet, I think my method of encouraging a new believer to grow was a bit short-sighted.  

Why?

I had a mistaken belief that if I changed a person's mind, it would transform them.  

Experience has taught me that this is not always true.  In fact, transformation through changing one's mind often does not bring about lasting and deep change.

You see, there is a vast and categorically different experience 

between knowing about God and knowing God.  

Knowing about God can bring a sort of intellectual satisfaction.  Yet, unless it leads to knowing God it does not lead to the fullness of joy found in the path of life.  Knowing about God apart from experiencing the presence of God through fellowship with Him will grow stale.  It leaves us with the knowledge that we should know better, but it does not have the power to change our heart that actually directs our whole being.

In other words, over the long run, the heart will not serve the mind.  

The heart must be transformed by the grace of God.

A heart transformed brings fullness of life now and eternal life forevermore.  Knowing God transforms the heart.  In so doing, it will activate the mind and demands that the mind come to know more about the God whose presence brings fullness of joy.  After heart transformation, the mind serves the transformed heart.

What are the marks of a transformed heart?

Joy, pleasure, contentment, peace, love, and grace.  You will not just know the definition of these words, but you will taste and know them in your heart.  They are found when God pours out His grace into our hearts.  They are enjoyed we we walk in repentant faith.  Such grace does transform your mind, your actions, and your life.

How do we do this?  Let's finish this week by asking God for His Spirit to transform us by grace.  Ask Him to lead you into deeper repentance and trusting faith.  Ask Him to bring joy, pleasure, contentment, peace, love and grace.