Simple and Predictable

I love food and I love to enjoy it!  The funny thing is, I always have.  In high school a friend brought me two or three dozen of my favorite homemade cookies.  Because they were “all mine” I sat in front of the TV watching my favorite shows and ate all of them in one sitting!  Where was my mom!?  I lost control! 

Tastes and flavors are important to me, thus the reason I don’t venture off into new tastes very often because I don’t want to be disappointed.  I love my old favorites so much so that I repeat them often.  Some people think this shows a lack of adventure.  I would rather like to think I am consistent.  There’s nothing wrong with being predictable in my eating habits, right?  Don’t answer that. 

Like I savor the moments I spend with delicious food, I also savor the moments I spend pursuing God (no, I don’t worship food . . . hopefully anyway).  I long for moments in prayer when I feel connected to God's presence; He is always near waiting for me to talk with Him.  When singing worship songs, I am comfortable resting and trusting in His presence and don’t want to leave, so the song in my heart ripples into my day.  Being challenged by the Truth of God's Word guides me to desire more of Him, thus the deeper pursuit of what Truth means. 

I have started to reread one of my favorite classic Christian living books, The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer. His writing is very rich, and I can’t get past the preface!  I have even been stumped by a quote on the back of the book!  “During a train trip from Chicago to Texas in the late 1940’s, Tozer began to write The Pursuit of God.  He wrote all night, the words coming to him as fast as he could put them down.  When the train pulled into McAllen, the rough draft was done.  Although written in such a remarkably short period of time, the depth, clarity and completeness of Tozer’s message has made (this book) an enduring favorite.”  I enjoy writing, but I wonder if there is enough in my heart to spill onto pages for a complete night.  Would the words come so profoundly as Tozer’s?  I think not!  Consequently, I marvel at his depth of insight into what it really means to live pursuing God. 

What I’ve learned from his writing in the preface is the remedy for revival in our hearts is a thirst and hunger after God.  We need to be eager for spiritual Truth and pursue it above all else.  As seasoned hearts are renewed in faith in Christ, the wonder of our relationship with Him is "recaptured."  For others, their pursuit of Christ will begin and their lives will be forever transformed.  Our pursuit of God should be what we live for!  Tasting the sweet presence of the love of Christ should compel us further, deeper to investigate that love and truly taste Him.

The simple and predictable longing of my heart is to love God, know Him, and make Him known.  This I hunger and thirst for.  God is my favorite person!  When people observe my life, I want them to notice that I am consistent and, yes, predictable in my pursuit of God, no matter what comes my way.  True enjoyment in life is a treasure, and I want to savor the joy I have in my relationship with the One who loves me most.  

I’ve tasted God, and He is good, but there’s more to sample and trust.  This is life's greatest adventure! 

Jesus Prays for Me and You

Have you read John 17 lately?  If not, do so, and reflect with me here.  Picture it.

Before his betrayal and arrest, Jesus prayed his longest recorded prayer.  He first briefly prayed for himself.  His eyes penetrated the sky above in unassuming authority, the disciples nearby observed; Jesus raised his voice and reminded the Father of his imminent purpose.  Christ’s humble mission was about to be fulfilled.  Through Jesus’ death, all believers would gain eternal life.   His work on earth was soon to be completed. 

Jesus’ prayer then centered on those who would benefit from His purpose, those whom the Father had given him, his disciples.  They were the Father’s gift to the Son.  The disciples had been equipped, they had accepted God’s words, and they believed in Jesus’ divinity.  They finally understood the Father was at work.  And Jesus says, “I pray for them…” (Verse 9)  They were to remain in the world and Jesus’ plea is for their protection and unity.  As Jesus had been sent by the Father, Jesus now sent them into the world.  It is on earth that our work is done for the cause of Christ, and the disciples were commissioned to chart the course that would transform the world. 

Submissively poised, Jesus continued, reaching deeper into eternity’s purpose.  He prayed for me and you.  As his eyes seemed lost in the expanse above, generations beyond his present surroundings became crystal clear.  Multitudes would eternally benefit and gain the holy inheritance of salvation.  Jesus’ eyes became fixed and determined.  Our lives were in full view.      

 “My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (Verses 20-21) 

I wonder if Jesus’s voice broke with emotion as he thought of the generations to come.  Or possibly, a tender smile and twinkle in his eyes revealed his loving countenance.  Maybe he thought of me and pictured my worship at the throne of grace. Maybe he saw the pain I would endure on the earth, yet observed his glory shining through my life as I trusted him in the pain.  His mission on earth had come to an end, yet eternity’s conversion was just beginning, and we were on his heart.

I am thankful today that I have been a beneficiary of an ancient prayer, an eternal purpose, and a divine encounter with the One whose thoughts dwell on my life every moment.  May I have such purpose in life as to pray as Jesus prayed; for God’s purposes to be proclaimed in me and to generations to come.  May my gaze into heaven be steady, resolved, unwavering, and meek.  May I see as Jesus sees; generations needy of a loving Savior.

Thank you, Jesus, for praying for me.  I have always been and will always be your treasure.  May I continue to cultivate trust in your tender, loving, faithful, and penetrating gaze upon me.

 

Beginning

I'm on a mission in this life . . . to love and trust God in every circumstance, every decision, every question and concern, and every victory this side of heaven.  Sharing what God does in my heart comes easily on paper.  I've been told that I should write.  Well, I love to write!  So, this is the beginning of a simple person's attempt at sharing her heart's treasures, struggles, questions, and revelations with those that may share in the same mission.  Is trusting God easy?  I must admit that I have to answer "No!"  But, it is my privilege and joy!  Cultivating trust is a process, it is continual, and it is fruitful and fulfilling.  The mission continues . . . to God be the glory for the great things He has done, is doing, and will do.