Post #8 -- Immersion in God's Word

One of the most life-giving practices in which I engage on this journey from surviving to thriving is regularly spending intentional time with Jesus and His Word. I could not thrive without it!  

I look forward to my morning time alone with the Lord where I visualize Jesus waiting for me at my usual spot.  And when I miss that “appointment”, I feel it on the inside.  It’s not a feeling of guilt — instead it’s more a deep feeling of emptiness and disconnectedness.  I meet with God like this not because “I’m supposed to” or because I’m completing a “program” of some kind, but because I want to meet with Him and feel a deep need for it.  When this doesn’t happen, the day simply does not go right.

It’s during this time with the Lord in His Word that I get a sense of being calmly centered in God (at least that’s what I call it).  I get oriented for what lies ahead as I grow more passionate about my relationship with Him.  And I sense a calm peace in knowing that my inner self is being renewed regardless of how I might be feeling on the outside.

I wish I could say it’s always been this way.  But that would not be the truth.

My Story

As a young captain in the Air Force, a friend at work put his arm around me one day and asked, “Don, how’s your time in the Word?”  I knew what he meant and also knew I did not have a good answer for him.  I responded with something like, “Well, it could be better”.  (That’s what you say when something is not going well!😀)  Anyway Dan (not his real name) responded with, “How would you like to meet before work on Monday for some time reading the Bible together?”  

That Monday morning before work, Dan and I started reading from Proverbs and Psalms — and that began for me a learning curve that I’m still on today.  During those weekly discussions we read and prayed through the scriptures and discussed how they applied to our lives.  We talked about the good and the bad.  We talked about my argument with my wife the night before and my attitude toward my boss at work.  This went on week after week for nearly a year.  We talked and prayed about everything.  Near the end of that year, Dan said, “Don, let’s pray that God leads you to someone who would want to learn what I shared with you.”  We prayed … but I admit it was getting a bit more scary.

I’ll continue that story in a future post.

Since then I’ve been helping numerous men on their journey of learning to enjoy the exultation of meeting regularly with God.  One of my observations, though, is that for many men, getting into the meaningful habit of spending this regular time with God is a very big struggle.  I sometimes characterize this journey as running into a big, thick brick wall across the pathway of life.  If we break through that wall, we keep on going and growing.  But if we do not break through it, we simply grow no further.  That brick wall, of course, is the good habit of intentionally spending regular time with God and His Word.  As you read this, I pray you’ll be one of those who indeed break through this brick wall with me!

A critically important practice 

Chuck Swindoll makes the point — “The single most important thing for you this year, the number one thing that more than anything else will result in a life of victory is meeting regularly with Almighty God.” (From Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication)

Stephen Olford also drives home that same point — “Whatever your sphere of service – as a pastor, Sunday School teacher, missionary, or Christian in the office or home – I give you little hope of living victoriously unless you are successful in maintaining your quiet-time.” (From Manna in the Morning)

David, the psalmist, one of my biblical mentors, apparently thoroughly valued his time with God and His Word. 

“For I delight in your commands because I love them.”  (Psalm 119:47, NIV)

“The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” (Psalm 119:72, NIV)

“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” (Psalm 119:97, NIV)

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103, NIV)

“My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.” (Psalm 119:148, NIV)

David sets an example worth following.

Simple but Meaningful

I continue to find it meaningful to set aside a few minutes each day to read God’s Word with pen and journal in hand and meditate on what He impresses on my heart.

My good friend and Navigator colleague, Steve Gilmore, has fashioned a simple but very helpful format for listening to God during this time alone with Him: STOP — LOOK — LISTEN — RESPOND.  

In STOP I simply pause a moment to prepare my heart for meeting with God.  Personally, it helps me to approach this time expectantly by quoting back to the Lord, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Ps 119:18).  

LOOK involves reading a passage of Scripture (maybe only a single verse) and writing down a key thought from that Scripture in my journal.  

I then LISTEN to God by meditating on that key thought and writing in my journal anything that the Holy Spirit brings to mind.  Remember, at this point we are simply “listening” for God to impress His thoughts on us. Thoughts that come at this point, I believe, are from God.

Finally, I RESPOND to God by praying back to God in response to what He has shown me and record that simple prayer in my journal.  

This simple practice, which may take only a few minutes each day, has changed many lives. If you are new to this process, a recent example from my journal shown below might be helpful.

Date: June 1, 2022

STOP:   I Meditated on Ps 119;18 — Lord open my eyes to see your truth for me in your Word and ears to hear your voice.

LOOK:  What I read and my best thought:

Proverbs 1:1-33  “Fools are destroyed by their own complacency” (vs 32) 

LISTEN: How this impressed me:  Ouch! I don’t like to think of myself as being “complacent”, but the current drift in that direction is greater than I like.  I’m especially concerned about becoming lax, rather than always being on a learning curve and growing, especially while I cope with this IPF.  I want to never let ip on reading, being stretched and trying new things.   

RESPOND:  My prayer back to God:   God, please help me to never stop learning and growing. In advance, Lord, I say, Thanks! 

Journaling …

For me, recording in my journal what I think I’m hearing from the Lord during these times with Him is extremely valuable and helpful.  It’s how I unpack and unravel what I believe God is saying to me.  Some days my LISTEN portion of this process runs for a page or two in my journal.

I earlier shared this quote in Post #1, but it bears repeating to emphasize the point I’m trying to make here.  Henri Nouwen in his Reflecting on Theological Education writes: "To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know.  Thus (writing) requires a real act of trust. We have to say to ourselves, I do not yet know what I carry in my heart, but I trust that it will emerge as I write.  Once we dare to 'give away' on paper the few thoughts that come to us, we start discovering how much is hidden underneath ... and eventually come in touch with our own riches."

I frequently experience this discovery process and marvel at the fact that it’s often near the bottom of my journal page that the most startling thoughts emerge -- thoughts I had certainly not considered as I started to write.  That, I believe, is God speaking to me as I meditatively allow thoughts to flow from the tip of my pen.  Had I not journaled that morning, I probably would have missed hearing God’s voice.

Dear Reader, God is faithful and eager to share an intimacy with us as we devote ourselves to spending regular time with God and His Word.  I trust I’ll never let up on this kind of engagement with God!  For me, as I journey with this lung issue that God is allowing me to experience, it’s the key to moving from simply surviving to really thriving!