Pieces of the Puzzle

It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. ~Isa. 25:9 (NRSV)

“God is the one who teaches to listen and pray. We must pray for the gift and pray for the gift to be taught. They say that mature writers have ‘found their voice.’ I think we need to ‘find our ear’ –our best way of recognizing God’s voice, knowing that, once we have found our ear, God may decide to speak in a different language.

Some people simply cannot listen to God in scripture. Some find God most readily in music or in the outdoors. Contemplation in the Jesuit understanding is paying attention to the reality of God. Whether God be in scripture, music, the other person, or in nature. Whenever we get beyond our own small preoccupations, whenever we have some degree of self-transcendence, whenever we are aware of the reality of God, contemplation has begun. If you are absolutely unable to find God in your Bible, go outside, listen to music, do whatever you do that puts you in touch with Something More.” ~From Spiritual Awakening by John Ackerman

You have started my heart to beating, given me eyes to see, set my feet in motion… Help me to love You more dearly, see you more clearly follow You more nearly this day, O Lord. Amen.

“I’m praying for them. I’m not praying for the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours. Everything that is mine is yours and everything that is yours is mine; I have been glorified in them. I’m no longer in the world, but they are in the world, even as I’m coming to you. Holy Father, watch over them in your name, the name you gave me, that they will be one just as we are one. When I was with them, I watched over them in your name, the name you gave to me, and I kept them safe. None of them were lost, except the one who was destined for destruction, so that scripture would be fulfilled. Now I’m coming to you and I say these things while I’m in the world so that they can share completely in my joy. I gave your word to them and the world hated them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. I’m not asking that you take them out of this world but that you keep them safe from the evil one. They don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. I made myself holy on their behalf so that they also would be made holy in the truth. ~John 17:9-19 (CEB)

“Each of us has a mission in life.  Jesus prays to his Father for his followers, saying:  “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).

We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks.  We act as if we have to choose how, where, and with whom to live.  We act as if we were simply plopped down in creation and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die.   But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was.  Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do.” ~Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Heavenly Father, May I take up my mission for this day to fulfill the tasks You have given me to do. Give me the strength that I need for this day. Amen.

But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. (Mic 7:7 (NRSV)

My heart longs for a simpler life, to be more available more able to listen and to learn more about God’s truths. I wonder how life can get so busy and complicated. Elizabeth Canham in the book Heart Whispers says that this is the challenge we face in today’s world. Our challenge is to find ways to let go of our dependence on things, expectations and status. We must intentionally make space for God’s word…

“Benedict chose to simplify his life in order to be more available to God, to listen and to learn the way of Truth. Others with a similar yearning soon joined him, and guidelines for their life together became necessary; hence the Rule, for simplicity is not easy. There is risk involved in refusing to live by cultural norms, as well as struggle in trusting God for daily needs. Most of us will not be called to monastic life; our challenge is to find ways to let go intentionally of our dependence on things, status, and expectations. Only then can we make space for God’s word.” ~From Heart Whispers by Elizabeth J. Canham

Almighty God, it is the cry of my heart to be close to You, to know more fully of Your truths. Help me to simplify my life. Help me to remove any dependence on things, status and any expectations I might have. May there be space to know Your word for my life. Amen.

So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. I gladly agree with the Law on the inside, but I see a different law at work in my body. It wages a war against the law of my mind and takes me prisoner with the law of sin that is in my body. I’m a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse? Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I’m a slave to God’s Law in my mind, but I’m a slave to sin’s law in my body. ~Romans 7 21:25 (CEB)

“As we mature in faith, our willingness is tested, expanded, and refined. We become more conscious of our limitations and turn to God. The necessity of God’s grace becomes clearer as we become more attuned and accurate in our recognition of our dependence on God and less sure of anything that causes us to describe ourselves self-righteously. At times, when confronted by the less-than-ideal behavior of others, we may recognize that we are capable of similar actions and give thanks to God for helping us avoid unwelcome pitfalls. Scripture instructs us to be holy as God is holy, yet we increasingly realize the impossibility of holy behavior unless it is brought about by the Spirit’s empowerment and our willing responsiveness and cooperation. Many people use spiritual direction as a window through which to notice and attend to their own expectations and expressions of willingness and willfulness.” ~From Holy Invitations by Jeanette A. Bakke

Almighty God, you have created me, called me, chosen me to be Your child. I wait now to receive Your word of guidance and blessing. Grant unto me ears to hear, eyes to see, and faith to respond to Your love and leadership. In the name of Christ. Amen.

LORD , you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, LORD, that you don’t already know completely. ~Psalm 139:1-4 (CEB)

“Willingness is the opposite of willfulness, being full of our own will and ways and the satisfaction in being self-made or self-controlled persons. Willingness to be aware and willingness in general are prerequisites for spiritual direction. Willingness is a chose position of vulnerability that recognizes we are ordinary being in need of God’s love, companionship, and guidance. It includes our acknowledgement that we are not all we would like to be or all that God hopes for us and points toward our desire to hear and follow the Spirit’s invitations even when it means giving up our ways in favor of what we perceive as God’s ways.

When we are even a little bit honest, we recognize that our measure of willingness varies depending on what is being asked of us and by whom. Some of God’s opportunities seem to offer pleasurable outcomes. Surrender to these requests is easy. But there are times when the Spirit invites or simply takes us into unfamiliar territory either inwardly or outwardly. Then we may feel decidedly uneasy about following. God’s love and intentions are larger and farther reaching than we realized. They extend beyond the kind of people we are used to and the kinds of problems, possibilities and joys that are familiar to us.” ~From Holy Invitations by Jeanette A. Bakke

Heavenly Father, it is my wish that You find me this day not in willful disobedience but with a willing heart to do Your will. Search my heart. May You find it free of “self”. Help me be more vulnerable for Your love, companionship and guidance this day. My desire is to follow Your invitation where ever it may lead me. Amen.

You call me Teacher and Lord- and you are right, for that is what I am… For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you… If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. ~John 13:13, 15, 17 (NRSV)

I am thankful that when I need to know what the Lord requires of me, I can turn to the examples of those who have gone before me. Anthony de Mello in his book Contact with God reminds us that we need to regularly get away like Jesus and his apostles so that we may function better in this world for God.

“Here, then, is another reason why apostles withdraw to make a retreat: they need to be charged with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to those who watch and pray and wait patiently, those who have the courage to get away from everything and come to grips with themselves and with God in solitude and silence. No wonder every one of the great prophets, indeed Jesus himself, retired to the desert for prolonged periods of silence, praying, fasting, wrestling with the forces of evil. The desert is the furnace where the apostle and the prophet are forged. The desert, not the marketplace. The marketplace is where apostles function. The desert is where they are formed and seasoned and receive their commission and their message for the world, ‘their’ gospel.”

Lord I find my soul dry today. Help me to steal away to a quiet place so that I may fill myself up with Your love and then pour it out on Your children. Amen.

Theophilus, the first scroll I wrote concerned everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, right up to the day when he was taken up into heaven. Before he was taken up, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus instructed the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom. While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ~Acts 1:1-5 (CEB)

“Most of us do not wait well. A checkout line at the grocery store, a registration line at school, a doctor’s appointment, or holiday traffic can quickly make us impatient, uneasy, and irritable. We want things at one and do not like to wait. Further, our culture thrives on instant responses from fast food to computers- we want everything fast. So waiting is often a hard lesson for us to learn. My young grandchildren planted watermelon seeds with the dream of eating their own red, juicy watermelon. Despite frequent reminders that the melons would take eighty days to ripen, the children could not resist picking a couple of melons long before they matured. They were disappointed when the cut melons delivered far less than the taste treat they had dreamed about. As we grow older, we sometimes find waiting easier, but we still want God to respond to our requests with speed and accuracy.

However, deep in our hearts we know that many things cannot be hurried without endangering the results for which we wait. Friendship, character, personal transformation, pregnancy, ripened fruit, and sprouting seeds all take time. Each has its own schedule. While we may encourage a peach to ripen, it still requires a certain number of days on the tree and in the sun. Trying to hasten the process can lead to less than desirable results.

Jesus asked the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promised power to meet all that lay ahead of them as well as an advocate to teach them all that they needed to now. It must have been hard to wait. They were under suspicion by the authorities. They wanted to get on with their lives; and how did they know that waiting would make any difference? The disciples were obedient to the command of Jesus, though, and their obedience was rewarded with power and with a companion.

That power and that companion have been with Christians ever since. We claim the power of the Holy Spirit today to strengthen us for living fully, faithfully, and joyfully. We claim the companionship of Jesus Christ to guide, instruct, and sustain us day by day. Sometimes we wait for that power to become active or for that kind of companionship to blossom in our relationship with God in Christ. As we learn to earnestly seek and patiently wait- in God’s perfect timing- the gifts are given. Then we now it was worth the wait.” ~From A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God Rueben P. Job

Almighty God, you have called us, chosen us to be your people. We want now to receive your word of guidance and blessing. Grant unto us ears to hear, eyes to see, and faith to respond to your love and leadership. In the name of Christ. Amen.

What do workers gain from all their hard work? I have observed the task that God has given human beings. God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in their hearts, without enabling them to discover what God has done from beginning to end.

I know that there’s nothing better for them but to enjoy themselves and do what’s good while they live. Moreover, this is the gift of God: that all people should eat, drink, and enjoy the results of their hard work. ~Eccl. 3:9-13

It is easy to overlook everyday life and everyday experiences and think that there is nothing special to them. They are just ordinary. But even in the ordinariness of life I can find sacred moments. Letting a dog out for a friend, “refueling” my son with a hug, coffee with a friend or a walk with my husband can all be sacred moments. Joan Puls in her book, Every Bush is Burning recognizes these moments in her life too.

“I feel an urgency at this stage of my life to name the human expressions and vivid manifestations of our life in the Spirit. I believe that nothing human is foreign to the Spirit, that the Spirit embraces all. Our mundane experiences contain all the stuff of holiness and of human growth in grace. Our world is rife with messages and signatures of the Spirit. Our encounters with one another are potential sites of the awakening and energizing that characterize the Spirit. But the light that shines through the tiny chinks and the dusty panes of our daily lives. We are too busy to name the event that is blessed in its ordinariness, holy in its uniqueness, and grace-filled in its underlying challenge.”

Heavenly Father, help me to see the sacredness of everyday life. Help me to see the simple encounters with others as moments with you. May I not be too busy to see the blessings You send my way today. Amen.

I have a deep secret sacred wish that lies at the bottom of my heart. When I reach out and dream of it I find myself in a sacred space. It is a dream that calls me to be more than I am, to rise above who I am, above this time and this place. God does not see me as who I am or what I have done or where I have been, but who I am to become. I only have to listen to that Voice that calls to my heart and take the first step forward.

Emmet Fox says it beautifully in From Power Through Constructive Thinking, “The most secret, sacred wish that lies deep down at the bottom of your heart, the wonderful thing that you hardly dare to look at, or to thing about- the thing that you would rather die than have anyone else know of, because it seems to be so far beyond anything that you are, or have at the present time, that you fear that you would be cruelly ridiculed if the mere thought of it were known- that is just the very thing that God is wishing you to do or to be for Him. And the birth of that marvelous wish in your soul- the dawning of that secret dream- was the Voice of God. . . . telling you to arise and come up higher because He had need of you.”

May I have the faith of Abraham this day O Lord as I take this blind step forward. Lead me to Your promise. Bolster me for the journey as You reveal more and more of Your vision for me. You are the Source of my strength. Amen

Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. ~Galatians 6:9 (CEB)

No matter what is going on in our lives we must never give up. In the scripture on God’s Armor (Eph 6:10-18) it ends the section with “no matter what, persevere.” This is easy to throw around but how do you even begin to persevere in a world that is full of all kinds of problems, frustrations and difficulties? I persevere by my diligence in prayer, resolving to stay the course, unwavering faith, and determination to stand firmly on God’s Words and His promises for me.

It gets frustrating how slowly things seem to be moving sometimes. It is easy to think that God isn’t dealing with the situation but I have to remember that God is doing some of his greatest work even if I can’t see what He is doing. Also I need to keep in mind if the problem didn’t occur over night it also will take time to correctly resolve it.

No matter what is going on in our lives the victory is in not giving up. I think that is a good definition for perseverance. Not giving up. When the road ahead is full of bumps and I feel like I am acting out one of my son’s ninja shows trying to dodge trouble I need to keep assured that the good that I am trying to do is noticed by God and time will bring fruition to my diligence.

Sometimes God, I get tired of doing the right thing. Give me courage to stay the course give me strength to do your will. Amen.