Study from God’s Word… Habakkuk, Chapters 1 – 3 (the entire book) … Passage for Reflection: Habakkuk 2: 20 … NIV But the Lord is in His holy temple; let the earth be silent before Him.
My Journal for Today: In the days of the prophets, about whom I’ve been reading recently from The Daily Bible in Chronological Order and LaGard Smith’s The Daily Bible Devotional, men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and in today’s passage, Habakkuk, all were perplexed by why God would use such an oppressive, evil people, as God was prophesying in the Babylonians, to bring God’s justice down on His own, chosen people in Israel and Judah. And Habakkuk joined in the clamoring by taking his loud complaints to God. And God, knowing Habakkuk’s prophetic heart, listened mercifully and patiently to the very personal concerns of this believer. And then – finally – Habakkuk, at the end of Chapter 1, and goes to a high place to listen to God.
And it’s in this attitude of being silent and seeking truth that we get our life lesson for today.
Haven’t we all been in the place of doubt or despair when all we are led to do in prayer or in consultation with other believers is to rail against the evil in our times or to clamor, in our hearts or in accord with others, going to God with our loud complaints. But when are we going to go to that high place and silently listen to the One Who is in total control of what is going on in our world.
It was in that posture of solitude, Habakkuk going to the high-ground of listening prayer, that God revealed to this prophet His truth. And we read about God’s response to Habakkuk in Chapter two of the book by Habakkuk’s name. And then … in Chapter three, we read how the light bulb of revelation shines in Habakkuk’s realization that God ALWAYS loves him and His children; and as Habakkuk learned we must choose to let God be God when we are not. [And it seems like I come back to that realization a lot myself by going deep into God’s word this year.]
But the lesson today is in the value of contemplative solitude, … going to some quiet place, especially in an attitude of prayer to be in a humble, submissive attitude, … doing all we can to listen for God’s truth.
For any who read my journal entries here daily, that is where I try to go EVERY MORNING; and conceptually I call it “the high ground of prayer.” And I learned a long time ago, that I can’t perceive (i.e., “hear”) God’s truth when I’m in a clamoring, self-determined attitude. It’s only when I’m willing to consciously go to a place (mentally and spiritually) where I can be on higher ground to be able to get God’s clearer perspective. And it’s only when I go silently to this place, intently seeking God’s perspective on the battle fields of life, I begin to see God’s battle plan for my life; and I quietly yield.
When we’re down in the trenches of everyday battle, especially when we’re listening to the opinions and loud expressions of other selfish sinners, our minds cannot get God’s perspective on life and living. It’s only when we’re able to choose submissive silence before our God that He’s able to penetrate our willfulness and prideful selfishness to give us His perspective on the battles of life.
Right now, today, I’ve come to God, much as did Habakkuk, asking God why He would allow an activist judge in California to rule against God’s concept of marriage [something that literally happened yesterday. However, by going, QUIETLY, to my high ground of listening solitude and prayer, God has assured me that He has all of this, not only under His view, but in HIS control. And like Habakkuk sing in his song of praise, in Hab. 3: 17 – 18 [linked], I’m not going to let some activist judge, who’s trying to unravel God’s institution of marriage, to steal my joy. No, … in solitude here at this high ground of devotion, I’m going to choose to turn these matters, which are out of my control, over to God, Who is in total control. And like Habakkuk in that latter passage, I will praise my God forever.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are the God of all justice; and Your will be done. Amen
Showing posts with label solitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solitude. Show all posts
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
2010 – May 13 – The Importance of Quiet Times
Study from God’s Word… 1st Kings 5: 1 – 9 [2nd Chron. 2: 1, 3-16]; 1st Kings 5: 10-12; 1st Kings 5: 13-18 [2nd Chron. 2: 2, 17, 18]; 1st Kings 6: 1 [2nd Chron. 3: 1,2]; 1st Kings 6: 11-13; 1st Kings 6: 2 [2nd Chron. 3: 3]; 1st Kings 6: 9b, 18 [2nd Chron. 3: 5-7; 1st Kings 6: 7, 1st Kings 6: 3 [2nd Chron. 3: 4]; 1st Kings 6: 4; 1st Kings 6: 5, 6, 8, 10 [2nd Chron. 3: 9]; 1st Kings 6: 16, 17, 18, 19-22 [2nd Chron. 2: 3: 8, 9a]; 1st Kings 6: 23-28 [2nd Chron. 3: 10-13]; 2nd Chron. 3: 14; 1st Kings 6: 15, 29, 30 [2nd Chron. 6: 37, 38]; 1st Kings 7: 13, 14; 1st Kings 7: 15-22 [2nd Chron. 3: 15-17]; 2nd Chron. 4: 1; 1st Kings 7: 23-26 [2nd Chron. 4: 2-5, 10, 6c]; 1st Kings 7: 27-37; 1st Kings 7: 38, 39 [2nd Chron. 4: 6]; 1st Kings 7: 4—47 [2nd Chron. 4: 11-18]; 1st Kings 7: 48-50 [2nd Chron. 4: 7,8, 19-22]; 1st Kings 7: 51 [2nd Chron. 5: 1]; 1st Kings 9: 25 [2nd Chron. 8: 12-16] … Passage for Reflection: 1st Kings 6: 7 … NIV 7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
My Journal for Today: After reading through, the selected readings in 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles, prepared in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, the elaborate description of Solomon’s supervision of the building of the magnificent temple designed by his father, David, Dr. Smith is right that the highlight passage does stand out with its curious message, which happens to resonate deeply today. Do you see the historical fact that much of the ancient Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem was built without noisy tools? And how eerie it must’ve been to see this magnificent structure rising in its elaborate glory … in silence? How they would’ve done that is beyond me; but let’s face it God is often way beyond us (see Isaiah 55: 8-9).
But that silence was undertaken to honor God and let the world see that we need to silently, but diligently, working in the world to honor God with what we build out of our lives. And how difficult is that in these noisy days where we’re bombarded by the world’s noisiness. Satan has invented many ploys to stand in the way of our abiding and deepening relationship with God; and one of his battle strategies is the noise of this world, both audible and informational. We’re so encumbered by the “noises” of the world that it is hard to strategically get alone and honor God with our silence. That is why the joint faith disciplines of solitude and silence become so important for the Christian today, trying to honor God by building the walls of his/her personal temple these days.
What about it, my friend? Do you have time and a place – EVERY DAY – where you go to be alone with God, … a place where the noises and interruptions of the world don’t get in the way of quietly praying and reading and meditating on God’s word? Do you have a place – preferably to start each day – where you can go to be with God, away from the world and other people, … away from any phones, TVs, Ipods, I-phones, or other devices which are the world’s tools to keep you from being alone with your God? Dr. Smith asks a telling question of me (and his readers) today, positing, Can I bear to have silence in my life, or am I afraid that God just might speak to me in the stillness?
You’re going to have to answer that one for yourself; but I covet the time – EACH DAY and EACH MORNING – which I have here in my personal “closet,” which is my place to be still and listen for God to “speak” to my mind/heart, … my place where I can quietly, without noisy interruption mediate on God’s truth from His word, … and my place where I can go to the high ground of prayer, preparing for what I know is going to be a battle with the world, in its noisiness, with Satan doing all he can to get in the way of my communion and relationship with my God.
I will pray for us …
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to maintain this time/place each morning, which I covet so personally to be with You; and help any dear ones who are reading here to develop such a place/time to be with You, as we honor You with our quietude. Amen
My Journal for Today: After reading through, the selected readings in 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles, prepared in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, the elaborate description of Solomon’s supervision of the building of the magnificent temple designed by his father, David, Dr. Smith is right that the highlight passage does stand out with its curious message, which happens to resonate deeply today. Do you see the historical fact that much of the ancient Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem was built without noisy tools? And how eerie it must’ve been to see this magnificent structure rising in its elaborate glory … in silence? How they would’ve done that is beyond me; but let’s face it God is often way beyond us (see Isaiah 55: 8-9).
But that silence was undertaken to honor God and let the world see that we need to silently, but diligently, working in the world to honor God with what we build out of our lives. And how difficult is that in these noisy days where we’re bombarded by the world’s noisiness. Satan has invented many ploys to stand in the way of our abiding and deepening relationship with God; and one of his battle strategies is the noise of this world, both audible and informational. We’re so encumbered by the “noises” of the world that it is hard to strategically get alone and honor God with our silence. That is why the joint faith disciplines of solitude and silence become so important for the Christian today, trying to honor God by building the walls of his/her personal temple these days.
What about it, my friend? Do you have time and a place – EVERY DAY – where you go to be alone with God, … a place where the noises and interruptions of the world don’t get in the way of quietly praying and reading and meditating on God’s word? Do you have a place – preferably to start each day – where you can go to be with God, away from the world and other people, … away from any phones, TVs, Ipods, I-phones, or other devices which are the world’s tools to keep you from being alone with your God? Dr. Smith asks a telling question of me (and his readers) today, positing, Can I bear to have silence in my life, or am I afraid that God just might speak to me in the stillness?
You’re going to have to answer that one for yourself; but I covet the time – EACH DAY and EACH MORNING – which I have here in my personal “closet,” which is my place to be still and listen for God to “speak” to my mind/heart, … my place where I can quietly, without noisy interruption mediate on God’s truth from His word, … and my place where I can go to the high ground of prayer, preparing for what I know is going to be a battle with the world, in its noisiness, with Satan doing all he can to get in the way of my communion and relationship with my God.
I will pray for us …
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to maintain this time/place each morning, which I covet so personally to be with You; and help any dear ones who are reading here to develop such a place/time to be with You, as we honor You with our quietude. Amen
Saturday, October 17, 2009
2009 – Day 289.Oct 17 – Slow Down!
2nd Passage for Study: Devotional focus on Galatians 1: 1 – 11 … Galatians 1 linked for study …
My Journal for Today: It’s a little obscure to see why the text to which Swindoll refers us today fits his devotional message, which is to “Slow down!” But the message of Paul to the church of Galatia actually is more the result of Paul’s post-conversion time alone in Arabia than it was a description of those times in solitude where the former Saul of Tarsus really became the Apostle Paul, …the man we would read about in the New Testament and the man who could preach a message like that we read of in the first chapter of Galatians.
Actually I think that the message of Ephesians 5: 15 – 16, to which I’m linking you here fits the message of Chuck Swindoll this morning a little better. Because what Swindoll is pitching is how the rabid anti-Christian, Saul, became the Christian zealot, Paul; and that was by separating himself from his former world and using the discipline of solitude and priority focus on Christ to let God, the Holy Spirit, do business with his soul. And that’s Swindoll’s message today … for us to slow down and take our focus off of the world and get it onto Jesus.
Swindoll posits that it’s hard these days, in these “evil days” to which Eph. 5: 16 refers, to keep God’s priorities straight. Oh how our enemy, Satan, and his informationally loaded world, works on us is to get us to react to the demands of these “evil times” and to get us caught up in the world of multi-tasking, taking our eyes off of Jesus and the priorities He desires for us, … the desires He commands for us, … which are documented in Luke 9: 23, which is a verse I truly hope you have internalized by now.
How can we deny our selves and follow Christ when we’re overloaded with worldly demands and even with church-related stuff. That’s what apparently had happened to the Galatians as Paul wrote to them about getting side-tracked by false messages and false doctrines (see Gal. 1: 6-7). And Paul was trying to get these dear Christians to stop, refocus, and get their priorities straight.
Swindoll proposes that we seriously prioritize some time on a periodic basis to get alone and refocus our lives on Christ and His will and direction for our lives. And that is a message of the chorus of that great Christian hymn which I so often use to refocus my life. Here it is; and if you’ve been following me in this past year, you’ve read me quote this one … many times: …
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of this world will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
And my friend we cannot do that if were on overload from the world, … if Satan has us bound up in so many good things that we can’t see what is God’s best for us, … if we have succumbed to the “tyranny of the urgent.” I’m actually tougher than is Swindoll about this point. I think you can’t just take what he is proposing as periodic, chosen times of solitude and focus to accomplish what God proposed in the BIG 10”] [yes, I mean the 10 Commandments] … and that is to have times of Sabbath on a regular basis. I maintain that in order to be able to fulfill Paul’s command in Eph. 5 to prioritize the things of God in our lives, we need a time of solitude or Sabbath in our lives EVERY DAY. And I propose that this should be a time in the morning, one like I’m investing right now, to get alone, … quietly, with God …and to seek His mind through His word and in prayer to fulfill the purpose of the hymn I quoted above.
Do you have such a time each day, my friend? I pray that you do. And don’t be deluded to think that the enemy will not do all he can to divert and to discourage you from have a daily Sabbath where you get alone with God for some chosen quiet time and to seek His will and His way for your life. But I’m telling you, … from experience, … nothing will help protect your Christian priority focus, as is commanded in Eph. 5: 15-16, any better than the discipline of daily devotional focus on Christ. Let me pray that for us, my friend.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, God, … You are the focus of our lives; but we need to decide to seek that with our daily quiet times with you. Help to protect us as we choose to seek Your mind and Your priorities for our lives by spending time with You ever day in Your word. Amen
My Journal for Today: It’s a little obscure to see why the text to which Swindoll refers us today fits his devotional message, which is to “Slow down!” But the message of Paul to the church of Galatia actually is more the result of Paul’s post-conversion time alone in Arabia than it was a description of those times in solitude where the former Saul of Tarsus really became the Apostle Paul, …the man we would read about in the New Testament and the man who could preach a message like that we read of in the first chapter of Galatians.
Actually I think that the message of Ephesians 5: 15 – 16, to which I’m linking you here fits the message of Chuck Swindoll this morning a little better. Because what Swindoll is pitching is how the rabid anti-Christian, Saul, became the Christian zealot, Paul; and that was by separating himself from his former world and using the discipline of solitude and priority focus on Christ to let God, the Holy Spirit, do business with his soul. And that’s Swindoll’s message today … for us to slow down and take our focus off of the world and get it onto Jesus.
Swindoll posits that it’s hard these days, in these “evil days” to which Eph. 5: 16 refers, to keep God’s priorities straight. Oh how our enemy, Satan, and his informationally loaded world, works on us is to get us to react to the demands of these “evil times” and to get us caught up in the world of multi-tasking, taking our eyes off of Jesus and the priorities He desires for us, … the desires He commands for us, … which are documented in Luke 9: 23, which is a verse I truly hope you have internalized by now.
How can we deny our selves and follow Christ when we’re overloaded with worldly demands and even with church-related stuff. That’s what apparently had happened to the Galatians as Paul wrote to them about getting side-tracked by false messages and false doctrines (see Gal. 1: 6-7). And Paul was trying to get these dear Christians to stop, refocus, and get their priorities straight.
Swindoll proposes that we seriously prioritize some time on a periodic basis to get alone and refocus our lives on Christ and His will and direction for our lives. And that is a message of the chorus of that great Christian hymn which I so often use to refocus my life. Here it is; and if you’ve been following me in this past year, you’ve read me quote this one … many times: …
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of this world will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
And my friend we cannot do that if were on overload from the world, … if Satan has us bound up in so many good things that we can’t see what is God’s best for us, … if we have succumbed to the “tyranny of the urgent.” I’m actually tougher than is Swindoll about this point. I think you can’t just take what he is proposing as periodic, chosen times of solitude and focus to accomplish what God proposed in the BIG 10”] [yes, I mean the 10 Commandments] … and that is to have times of Sabbath on a regular basis. I maintain that in order to be able to fulfill Paul’s command in Eph. 5 to prioritize the things of God in our lives, we need a time of solitude or Sabbath in our lives EVERY DAY. And I propose that this should be a time in the morning, one like I’m investing right now, to get alone, … quietly, with God …and to seek His mind through His word and in prayer to fulfill the purpose of the hymn I quoted above.
Do you have such a time each day, my friend? I pray that you do. And don’t be deluded to think that the enemy will not do all he can to divert and to discourage you from have a daily Sabbath where you get alone with God for some chosen quiet time and to seek His will and His way for your life. But I’m telling you, … from experience, … nothing will help protect your Christian priority focus, as is commanded in Eph. 5: 15-16, any better than the discipline of daily devotional focus on Christ. Let me pray that for us, my friend.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, God, … You are the focus of our lives; but we need to decide to seek that with our daily quiet times with you. Help to protect us as we choose to seek Your mind and Your priorities for our lives by spending time with You ever day in Your word. Amen
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
2009 – Day 153.June 3 – God’s Protection and Provision
2009 – Day 153.June 3 – God’s Protection and Provision
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 4 - 6 … 2 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” … 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll really likes to get all God has for him (and us) out of a passage; and so, here we are again in these first few verses of 1st Kings 17, dwelling on this boot camp experience God had arranged for Elijah where the Lord had the Prophet to a quiet place in the wilderness where he’d be secure, secluded, and surrendered to God’s will.
And the first thing we note is Elijah’s response to God’s leading, reading in verse 5 that upon being called to do so, Elijah went to the Brook Cherith without question. There was no, “What’s this all about, Lord?” God said, “Go,” and Elijah went where God said to go. And I love the way Swindoll speculates about what Elijah may have perceived God saying. He writes that it would be as if God said, “[Elijah] You need to get out of the spotlight. You need to come up in the mountains, alone with Me, where you can hear My voice clearly. We need more time together, Elijah, and you need more training.”
How about you? Do you feel God saying to you, “[Insert your name here], I need more time with you. You need to carve out more quiet time with Me. We need to be alone together so that I can get closer to you, and so that I can lead you more clearly through my Word.” So many men which I’ve been blessed to lead in ministry over the years have said to me, “Bill, I know that I need more quiet time with God in His word; BUT I … [and I’ll bet you can fill in the blank here with reasons (really EXCUSES) why you don’t have enough time with God or why your time with Him is not deep enough].”
God wanted Elijah to be protected and prepared by the solitude and provision He laid out for His Prophet. God knew that Elijah was going to face some really tough times ahead; and so God made a way for a bootcamp of solitude and character building for Elijah. But Elijah had to CHOOSE to respond. God didn’t force the Prophet to follow Him. No, Elijah simply responded obediently and immediately to God’s lead and followed His Lord; and God came through with the provisions and the promises which Elijah was going to need in Spiritual warfare for the near and more distant future.
My dear one, as you read this, I hope you get it that God is saying to all of us that we need to get away from the tyranny of the urgent, from the hubbub of worldly information, and from the deceitfulness of our own hearts so that we can be refreshed by the living waters which come only from God’s Word.
Are you getting alone with God in a quiet place EVERY DAY and letting God feed you and give you drink from His word? Blessed one, EVERY DAY we face the wiles of the devil, the terror of the world, and the call of our own flesh to do things Satan’s way rather than God’s way. And EVERY DAY we need to have a brief “boot camp” in solitude where we are refreshed by God’s living truth and rearmed for battle for the day ahead. That is what Elijah learned by the Brook of Cherith; and it is the lesson we must learn and activate in our battle plan living for each day of our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I type this, You are filling me with Your living waters and giving me the armor I need for the day of battle ahead. I praise You for this quiet place of protection and for Your provision for my day. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 4 - 6 … 2 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” … 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll really likes to get all God has for him (and us) out of a passage; and so, here we are again in these first few verses of 1st Kings 17, dwelling on this boot camp experience God had arranged for Elijah where the Lord had the Prophet to a quiet place in the wilderness where he’d be secure, secluded, and surrendered to God’s will.
And the first thing we note is Elijah’s response to God’s leading, reading in verse 5 that upon being called to do so, Elijah went to the Brook Cherith without question. There was no, “What’s this all about, Lord?” God said, “Go,” and Elijah went where God said to go. And I love the way Swindoll speculates about what Elijah may have perceived God saying. He writes that it would be as if God said, “[Elijah] You need to get out of the spotlight. You need to come up in the mountains, alone with Me, where you can hear My voice clearly. We need more time together, Elijah, and you need more training.”
How about you? Do you feel God saying to you, “[Insert your name here], I need more time with you. You need to carve out more quiet time with Me. We need to be alone together so that I can get closer to you, and so that I can lead you more clearly through my Word.” So many men which I’ve been blessed to lead in ministry over the years have said to me, “Bill, I know that I need more quiet time with God in His word; BUT I … [and I’ll bet you can fill in the blank here with reasons (really EXCUSES) why you don’t have enough time with God or why your time with Him is not deep enough].”
God wanted Elijah to be protected and prepared by the solitude and provision He laid out for His Prophet. God knew that Elijah was going to face some really tough times ahead; and so God made a way for a bootcamp of solitude and character building for Elijah. But Elijah had to CHOOSE to respond. God didn’t force the Prophet to follow Him. No, Elijah simply responded obediently and immediately to God’s lead and followed His Lord; and God came through with the provisions and the promises which Elijah was going to need in Spiritual warfare for the near and more distant future.
My dear one, as you read this, I hope you get it that God is saying to all of us that we need to get away from the tyranny of the urgent, from the hubbub of worldly information, and from the deceitfulness of our own hearts so that we can be refreshed by the living waters which come only from God’s Word.
Are you getting alone with God in a quiet place EVERY DAY and letting God feed you and give you drink from His word? Blessed one, EVERY DAY we face the wiles of the devil, the terror of the world, and the call of our own flesh to do things Satan’s way rather than God’s way. And EVERY DAY we need to have a brief “boot camp” in solitude where we are refreshed by God’s living truth and rearmed for battle for the day ahead. That is what Elijah learned by the Brook of Cherith; and it is the lesson we must learn and activate in our battle plan living for each day of our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I type this, You are filling me with Your living waters and giving me the armor I need for the day of battle ahead. I praise You for this quiet place of protection and for Your provision for my day. Amen
Monday, April 13, 2009
2009 – Day 102.Apr. 13 – Youthful Integrity
2009 – Day 102.Apr. 13 – Youthful Integrity
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Here again we move toward answering the question as to why God chose David to the His anointed successor to King Saul. And in today’s study Swindoll, from his devotional, points to the character trait of youthful integrity which was developed in young David out there in the fields of the desert wilderness. But I remind any reader here, … we have to focus now on YOUNG David and what God saw in the heart of this teenage shepherd. And Swindoll contends that the shepherd King was chosen because his character of integreity had been developed by four disciplines.
And the first of these, according to Swindoll, was SOLITUDE. The discipline of solitude develops depth of personality. One who requires superficial or meaningless noise in his life will likely avoid being able to focus on the really important aspects of life. Young David, out there alone in the desert, tending his flock, had learned how to focus on the main things in life; and the quiet he experienced helped to develop that focus. Meaningless noise has a tendency to cover over the deep, unresolved issues in life. However, developing and maintaining solitude in life helps one see and deal with those issues; and God can be heard more clearly when one develops and uses the discipline of solitude in. There’s an awful lot of meaningless noise in life these days. Do we have enough solitude in our life to be able to hear God’s still, small voice?
Secondly, and in a somewhat related discipline, David was honed through OBSCURITY. Servant leaders, Swindoll contends, are first “… unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded.” And I love another quote about the life which David experienced which helped shape him for being king. Swindoll writes, “Strange as it may seem, those who first accept the silence of obscurity are best qualified to handle the applause of popularity. How about it? Are we seekers of the affirmation of others rather than doing the job behind the scenes?
The third training ground which developed young King David was MONOTONY; and that, according to Swindoll is learning to be faithful “ … in the menial, insignificant, routine, uneventful, daily tasks of life.” If one requires the drama or applause in life, he will not be able to deal with the small, but significant, details which are required to make one a leader. Servant leaders must be able to serve first; and service requires an attention to the mundane and repetitive details of life, … taks which may be boring but are absolutely necessary to get “the job” (of life) done in a way which is pleasing to God.
And finally, Swindoll claims the fourth discipline which helped to shape the Shepherd King was REALITY. And there’s probably no more real life on earth than that of being a shepherd out there in the deserts with a bunch of sheep, … where one must get to know the sheep, deal with the threats of predators, and have to provide for the needs of his flock. David didn’t have the luxury of living in fantasy out there with his flock. He had to learn to deal with solitude, obscurity, and monotony in the context of a very real existence. How about us? Are we dealing with real life; or are we drawn into fantasy to escape life?
How about it, fellow Christian? Are you doing the self inventory from this study as I am? And from conviction, I admit needing noise in my life to cover over my deeper, very personal issues. Often I’ll get in the car and instead of relishing the solitude, I’ll turn on the radio to surround myself with meaningless chatter; or I’ll turn on the TV or computer when I come in the house rather than listening for God’s still, small voice in the midst of quiet. But I’m learning to seek out and relish these quiet times with God, much as I am right here, listening for God and writing in this place.
I also confess that too often I seek out the affirmation or applause of other people, rather than just focusing on the more obscure and/or monotonous tasks which need to be done to get God’s job done. I’ve always, well, maybe not so much lately, been focused on getting into the public eye …to be seen by others doing the things which the world has a tendency of applauding. As I’ve matured in my faith, however, I’m recognizing and learning that getting the small details accomplished, those things which use my God-given gifts for His glory, will likely make God smile much more than feeding my human need for human applause. Now, I’m learning that the very real, but important, things like encouraging someone or doing a lesson plan for teaching my adult Sunday School class, can be used by God a lot more than seeking out the flashy applause or doing the stuff which give ME pleasure, rather than glory to God.
Perhaps in my later years of life, I’m finally learning what made God smile about David when he was a teenaged shepherd boy and what drew our Lord to the heart for God whom He could anoint as His King.
My Prayer for Today: Lord help me seek out the quiet in life to help me be shaped into Your image. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Here again we move toward answering the question as to why God chose David to the His anointed successor to King Saul. And in today’s study Swindoll, from his devotional, points to the character trait of youthful integrity which was developed in young David out there in the fields of the desert wilderness. But I remind any reader here, … we have to focus now on YOUNG David and what God saw in the heart of this teenage shepherd. And Swindoll contends that the shepherd King was chosen because his character of integreity had been developed by four disciplines.
And the first of these, according to Swindoll, was SOLITUDE. The discipline of solitude develops depth of personality. One who requires superficial or meaningless noise in his life will likely avoid being able to focus on the really important aspects of life. Young David, out there alone in the desert, tending his flock, had learned how to focus on the main things in life; and the quiet he experienced helped to develop that focus. Meaningless noise has a tendency to cover over the deep, unresolved issues in life. However, developing and maintaining solitude in life helps one see and deal with those issues; and God can be heard more clearly when one develops and uses the discipline of solitude in. There’s an awful lot of meaningless noise in life these days. Do we have enough solitude in our life to be able to hear God’s still, small voice?
Secondly, and in a somewhat related discipline, David was honed through OBSCURITY. Servant leaders, Swindoll contends, are first “… unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded.” And I love another quote about the life which David experienced which helped shape him for being king. Swindoll writes, “Strange as it may seem, those who first accept the silence of obscurity are best qualified to handle the applause of popularity. How about it? Are we seekers of the affirmation of others rather than doing the job behind the scenes?
The third training ground which developed young King David was MONOTONY; and that, according to Swindoll is learning to be faithful “ … in the menial, insignificant, routine, uneventful, daily tasks of life.” If one requires the drama or applause in life, he will not be able to deal with the small, but significant, details which are required to make one a leader. Servant leaders must be able to serve first; and service requires an attention to the mundane and repetitive details of life, … taks which may be boring but are absolutely necessary to get “the job” (of life) done in a way which is pleasing to God.
And finally, Swindoll claims the fourth discipline which helped to shape the Shepherd King was REALITY. And there’s probably no more real life on earth than that of being a shepherd out there in the deserts with a bunch of sheep, … where one must get to know the sheep, deal with the threats of predators, and have to provide for the needs of his flock. David didn’t have the luxury of living in fantasy out there with his flock. He had to learn to deal with solitude, obscurity, and monotony in the context of a very real existence. How about us? Are we dealing with real life; or are we drawn into fantasy to escape life?
How about it, fellow Christian? Are you doing the self inventory from this study as I am? And from conviction, I admit needing noise in my life to cover over my deeper, very personal issues. Often I’ll get in the car and instead of relishing the solitude, I’ll turn on the radio to surround myself with meaningless chatter; or I’ll turn on the TV or computer when I come in the house rather than listening for God’s still, small voice in the midst of quiet. But I’m learning to seek out and relish these quiet times with God, much as I am right here, listening for God and writing in this place.
I also confess that too often I seek out the affirmation or applause of other people, rather than just focusing on the more obscure and/or monotonous tasks which need to be done to get God’s job done. I’ve always, well, maybe not so much lately, been focused on getting into the public eye …to be seen by others doing the things which the world has a tendency of applauding. As I’ve matured in my faith, however, I’m recognizing and learning that getting the small details accomplished, those things which use my God-given gifts for His glory, will likely make God smile much more than feeding my human need for human applause. Now, I’m learning that the very real, but important, things like encouraging someone or doing a lesson plan for teaching my adult Sunday School class, can be used by God a lot more than seeking out the flashy applause or doing the stuff which give ME pleasure, rather than glory to God.
Perhaps in my later years of life, I’m finally learning what made God smile about David when he was a teenaged shepherd boy and what drew our Lord to the heart for God whom He could anoint as His King.
My Prayer for Today: Lord help me seek out the quiet in life to help me be shaped into Your image. Amen
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