Training Day 5 Just Being

January 28, 2022 by Christine Wood Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 139
Luke 5:15–16
Luke 6:12-16
Mark 1:35–39
Matthew 11:28–30

Training, Day 5

As disciples, we often learn about the works of Jesus. We study what He did.

We also notice the words of Jesus. Many of us have Bibles with His words in red, highlighting their importance.

In a recent discipleship seminar, I was encouraged to notice the ways of Jesus, learning not just from His public ministry and message, but also from the way Jesus lived His life. With this idea in mind as I read the gospels, I’ve discovered truth I hadn’t noticed before.

For instance, a little verse at the beginning of Matthew 13 caught my attention. The preceding verses describe Jesus teaching crowds of people and confronting the religious leaders. The following verses talk about Jesus teaching such a large crowd, He used a boat as a platform while the people listened from the shore. But between these big ministry moments, Jesus stole time to sit by the lake, alone. (Matthew 13:1)

In fact, Jesus often made time to be alone, even though He was busy and crowds constantly followed Him.
“Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)
It was His way. Jesus spent time in solitude.

When was the last time you sat alone, without distraction? The television off, the radio silent, the kids with a babysitter, your phone out of reach. Alone with God, to work through your thoughts, feelings, and memories. It can be a very uncomfortable place.

We don’t make space for solitude very often; life is too busy, right? There is always something to do: good, meaningful, and important things. As soon as the house is clean, the laundry done, and a meal prepared, someone has made a mess, gotten dirty, and is hungry again. Between home, work, and church, the responsibilities of life are relentless. But Jesus didn’t use this as an excuse.

I did.

Early last year I had a significant mental health event. That’s hard to admit. I think of myself as a strong, capable person. I was very busy, but I had everything under control. At least, I thought I did. I developed chest pain and was admitted to coronary care. After four days of uncomfortable tests, my heart was given a clean bill of health and I was diagnosed with vicarious trauma.

I worked in my church as a pastoral carer, supporting those who were sick and grieving. I spent my days visiting, making phone calls, and praying with people. It was a wonderful privilege to represent the comfort of Jesus to those who were walking through life’s most difficult circumstances. I was good at my job, and I loved it. Yet over time, as I was exposed to the trauma of others without giving myself the time to process what I was witnessing, I began to develop trauma symptoms myself.

My Christian counselor prescribed a powerful therapy for my recovery: solitude. Seriously, that was her recovery plan. She told me to spend time alone with Jesus. Not busy time “doing” my devotions. But “wasted” time, just sitting, being with Jesus. It was difficult.

As I sat in silence, the thoughts that emerged were ugly: memories of pain, feelings of guilt and regret, fear and anxiety. It was hard work. But, inviting Jesus to shine a light into the dark corners of my heart in the quietness of my pain was the best medicine. In time, the knot in my chest unraveled as I submitted all to Christ, and He healed my weary soul.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) What a wonderful invitation. If only we weren’t too busy to accept.

Solitude is a discipline. It doesn’t come easily to many of us. Our modern world is full of distractions and interruptions. We are constantly bombarded with cries for our attention. It honestly feels irresponsible to take time to sit quietly and appear to do nothing. Yet, this is where healing comes. This is where we find the rest our souls so desperately seek.

I now have a practice of having a morning coffee with Jesus. It takes around ten to fifteen minutes. Often, it is after I’ve read my Bible and prayed through my list, but sometimes, I sit with Jesus first.

I find it easier when I have a cup of coffee in my hands. I’m less likely to reach for my phone. I also try to be outside or by a window where I can see the sky and the beauty of creation so I don’t get distracted by dirty dishes or the dusty floor.

I often use the end of Psalm 139 as a prayer.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

I allow God to sift through my thoughts, good and bad. Somehow, I walk away from solitude lighter, more joyful, and with the best creative ideas.

I hope you are able to “waste” some time alone with Jesus today.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper! And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey! Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Training Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Training!

Training Day 4 Lovely Conversation: Digging Deeper

January 27, 2022 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Lovely Conversation!

The Questions

1) What are the markers of prayers God does not accept? (verse 5)

2) What are the markers of prayers God does accept? (verses 6-7)

3) Why can we be confident our prayers will be received? (verse 8)

Matthew 6:5-8

“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ⁷When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. ⁸Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.

Original Intent

1) What are the markers of prayers God does not accept? (verse 5)
The most striking word the Lord Jesus chose for instruction and conviction of His hearers on how not to pray is the Greek word for hypocrites, transliterated phonetically as “hypokrínomai”. Trending at the time of Jesus’ teaching were the wildly popular Greek theatre troupes. With relatively nearby theatres across the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias and in Sepphoris, north of Nazareth, and, of course, the Roman theatre, stage acting and masks were just beginning to make their mark on culture. Of course, masks were required to depict one actor taking on a character role that wasn’t his real self in everyday life. This was hypokrínomai in action. The root word is defined by “taking up another’s statements in reference to what one has decided for one’s self; to feign, impersonate, and pretend.” One has decided who he is in himself, but then takes on another’s statements, impersonating their life, ideals, and beliefs as if they were their own. Jesus took the popular Greek trend and, flipping it on its head, applied it to the most elite of the Jewish sect, Scribes and Pharisees. (Matthew 23:13) Right there in the public streets, He called the religious ones spectacle actors for they were just as much putting on a show as Greek performers. They spoke loudly not out of bold confidence in relationship with God, but to be heard and seen. The whole point wasn’t to be heard and known by God, but by the onlooker, and perhaps, God would notice also and be astounded by their overt muchness. (verse 7)

2) What are the markers of prayers God does accept? (verses 6-7)
Arrogant, brassy, self- flaunting prayers are met with God’s rejection, but Jesus didn’t come to condemn, instead, He came to show us the fullest way of deep life. (John 10:10) Jesus loved using relevant topics and trends to teach people about the spiritual realm, for this was His purpose, to make the Father known. (John 17:26) With a little imagination, you can see Jesus walking village streets, nodding towards the loud, babbling scribe whom everyone took for granted, as His disciples began seeing their world through a different lens. His purpose was first to correct their perspective, and second to align their hearts toward full reliance on God. Jesus points out the babbler as an example of how not to pray, but then with a softer tone and invitational voice as if sharing the sweetest of secrets, begins to describe how to really pray in such a way as to be received, “Go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (verse 6) Prayers weren’t for the sight and sound of the many, but for the ears of the One who, remarkably, already knows all and sees all, for here, relationship flourishes in the context of singularly focused adoration. There are no distractions in a closed private room, which wouldn’t even have boasted a window. The slow, emphatic details of His teaching make us wonder if Jesus’ voice caught in His throat as He taught them of the tender act of praying to the Father in quiet worship, neither bothered by what others thought, nor consumed by self-love. What Lovely Conversation prayer truly is!

3) Why can we be confident our prayers will be received? (verse 8)
Most often in His common personal prayers, Jesus demonstrates His relationship by calling out, “Father”. Take a minute to read John 17, picturing Jesus in the Upper Room with His disciples having shared His final meal with His beloved ones just hours before His betrayal. He prays aloud in deepest of sweet intimacies to His Father. As you read, count the number of instances Jesus prays, “Father”, intonating intimate relationship. There is no need to address the Father as “God” for the two Beings are co-equal in divine title of God with the Holy Spirit, yet the title of Father reflects such rich depth and astounding shared beauty and adoring love. (John 5:20) Matthew’s record of Jesus’ teaching on prayer sets up a clear distinction, “…they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.” (verses 7-8) Puffed up arrogant pray-ers think they will be heard by God for their words, because of what they can do, but those who pray with genuine love for God are confident their prayers will be received because their Father already knows.

Everyday Application

1) What are the markers of prayers God does not accept? (verse 5)
Paul writes to the Corinthians, whose culture had become even more embedded with the popularity of stage performances and hypokrínomai, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it.” (1 Corinthians 8:1-2) With this unmasking of heart motivations to display the stark distinction between “show off knowledge” and genuine, affirming love, Paul cuts to the quick of Jesus’ teaching. The religious elite felt they were truly special, garnishing the applause of men, and surely God, by their loud speech, many words, and ornate garments, but they were merely puffing themselves up, proving they actually understood nothing. Paul continues with the antidote, “But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” (1 Corinthians 8:3) Arrogant, puffed-up hearts are not always easy to recognize in ourselves, but regardless of our self-perception, the Lord clearly sees our hearts; we cannot put in a mask for Him! (1 Samuel 16:7) We can be assured that prayers marked with arrogant, self-exaltation, and inflated views of ourselves and our understanding will not be received by God. While we all would love to say we steer clear of these kinds of prayers, it’s easier to be arrogant than we would like to admit. As I reflected on this (in prayer!), the Spirit revealed how my attempt to humbly surrender to His ways tonight wasn’t genuine surrender; I was secretly holding onto my ways as superior. I was wearing a mask and thinking I could sneak past the God who sees all and knows all. Thankfully, Paul’s words remind me of the right heart-motivation in prayer, simply loving God for Who He is. When I pray with love for God instead of self, He aligns my heart with His own!

2) What are the markers of prayers God does accept? (verses 6-7)
Single focused worship is hard when there are a hundred distractions on all sides. I’m mama to 7 Treasures who live on earth (1 sweet love already worshipping in glory!); finding quiet time without distraction to pray is laughable. Someone is always asking for a snack, calling or texting me, building a fort, complaining about not having more food, or bragging about the giant mess of food they created in my once-clean kitchen. Even when I manage to bar the door of my bedroom, toss out electronic devices as bribes, and lock the bathroom door, and lock the closet door to sit in the dark, a hundred distracting thoughts plague me still. Did I start the washer? Was I supposed to make that dentist appointment today? Do we have ingredients for dinner? It requires discipline and consistent practice to follow the command of single-focused worship by closing the door on all other competing loves. Whether we close ourselves within a physical room, are making dinner in a noisy kitchen, or stuck in busy traffic, we always have the opportunity to enter the secret place with God and pray deeply. The more we practice shutting out distractions, the easier it becomes to relish deep communion with God no matter what’s happening around us. Anyone can begin practicing now in this very moment; what’s holding you back?

3) Why can we be confident our prayers will be received? (verse 8)
It’s like the little boy, waking up sleepy-eyed from his nap, toddling to his mama, and stretching out his short arms in request for the snuggling hug he desires. Mama will give the hug for she knows his wanting desire. Mama will give the hug for she values the relationship with her son. His love is fixed on her, and she responds with gracious warm love because she knows him. So it is when we approach our deeply personal Father in Heaven with hearts bent on adoring love for Him and trust of His love already outstretched for us, as evidenced by the invitation to even call Him Father. (Luke 11:13) Responding to His disciples’ request to be schooled in authentic prayer (Luke 11:1), Jesus begins in the same way He Himself has always begun His prayers, warmly inviting His disciples to do the same. It’s as if He grins with delight, His eyes warm with richness, and says, “You want to come in? To share with the Father as you’ve seen me do? (Revelation 3:20) Come then, come, and don’t be shy, call Him, ‘Father’, for He will adopt you through Me (Romans 8:15-16) when I lay down my life for you, paying the penalty for your sins that have always kept you separated from Him. (John 10:17-18) Come, share the Father with Me as co-heirs alongside Me. (Romans 8:17, Revelation 3:21)” Such richness is far beyond our reckoning! Yet, Scripture teaches its truth over and over. So, come, won’t you? Call Him, Father, and enter the Lovely Conversation!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Lovely Conversation!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Training Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Training Day 3 Lovely Conversation

January 26, 2022 by Rebecca 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Training, Day 3

Luke 11:1-13
Philippians 4:2-7
Ephesians 6:18-20
Matthew 6:5-8
1 Kings 18:20-46

“Prayer is just talking with God.”
If you grew up in church, you likely heard this phrase.
What IS prayer, actually?

A mystery?
A spiritual connection?
A conversation?
A school?

Talking to God is part of prayer, but it’s not nearly the whole, not according to people who truly prayed prayers that made their mark in the heart of God.

Wouldn’t we all want that?
For our prayers to assuredly hit the mark on God’s heart?

I do.

We want to be heard. We want to know that what we say matters.
More so, we want to know we’ve been warmly received, heard, known.

The prophet Elijah stood on a mountain before a crowd of haters and, against all odds, prayed aloud for the Lord to consume an offering dripping in water with fire. The Lord answered by sending a flame that consumed not only the offering, but also the water.

His prayer hit the mark.
How do we pray like this?

Have you ever tried to buy a gift for someone you don’t know?
Or for the person who seems to have everything?
H A R D

Instead, consider preparing a gift for someone you dearly love.
It may take time, but likely, clarity will come and, ultimately, the gift carries significant relational weight. It no longer becomes about the gift, but about the depth of love conveyed by the gift.

So it is with prayer.

The goal is to know the heart of God.
To live and pray from this place of knowing Him.

This deep, personal knowing is why Elijah could face his enemies with boldness.
He knew the heart of His God.
This kind of praying requires something often missed, yet quietly found, inside the loveliness of conversation.

Conversation conjures up images of coffee mugs, tea cups, and warm bread. It looks like hearty laughter, eyes glistening with delight or brimming with tears. It’s shoulders lunging forward in eagerness, and fingers curled around another’s hand when words are choked by tears. Conversation is open, safe sharing; it’s listening, hearing and being heard, knowing and being known. It’s sacred loveliness.

Herein is the invitation of the Almighty for each of us.
“When you pray, go into your private room, shut your door,
and pray to your Father who is in secret.” (Matthew 6:6)

Found in the messy, scary, and vulnerable is the secret place of authentic prayer.

Not long ago, I began to understand prayer is actually a school, a training ground, for learning how to deeply converse with the God of the Universe. We simply cannot come into prayer expecting to understand all nuances and effective means for striking God’s heart. The twelve disciples, who saw Jesus wake up every morning, stretch His arms, yawn, eat bread, teach, become exhausted, and wake early the next day to pray, asked Him how to pray.

“He was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray[…]” (Luke 11:1, emphasis mine)

I’ve been praying since I was a toddler, and in this moment, I feel as if I’m quite certainly on the shallow end of learning to pray. Yet, how wonderfully my Savior has already taught me! The more I learn, practice, and train in this magnificently tender discipline of prayer, the more I am wondrously delighted to discover an infinite amount of closeness yet to be uncovered in the secret place of lovely conversation.

As Jesus finished His ministry of teaching His disciples to pray, He declared an unfathomable truth, “The one who believes in Me […] will do even greater works than these.” (John 14:12) He was returning to His throne of all power and authority with the Father. From this place, He would endow all believers, through His indwelling Spirit, to accomplish even more through prayer than He had! (John 14:13-14)

When we grasp this truth, breathing it into our everyday moments, then we begin to converse differently, deeper, with the Almighty. In understanding that the Lord truly meant His instruction, “In everything, through prayer […]” (Philippians 4:6), the importance of every minutia is elevated. All things encompass the parking spot request, praise for the last box of food, prayer for the grieving heart, the cancer patient, the broken washing machine, the sorrow we feel, the anger inside, the gratitude flooding us: All Of It. In the normalcy of intentionally choosing to pray about all things, at all times (Ephesians 6:18), we find we are actively uncovering the riches of the Father’s heart to a greater degree with every single prayer.

For me, and many believers through the ages, a little “holy imagination” assists us in visualizing the reality of lovely conversation with God. (St. Teresa of Avila) My favorite imaginative scenes for conversing include walking through a field as a child, with face upturned to the Savior who holds my hand, listens, and speaks. I love to sit on the front porch, coffee mug in hand, speaking with the Christ and breathing in the majesty of this God who chose to be fully human and fully divine that He might pay the death penalty we owed because of our own arrogant, prideful sin. Perhaps, like me, you might breathe out your pain between sobs, grasping His wrists and feeling His scars as you look into eyes that share your pain, because He knows what you feel. (Hebrews 4:15) Do you sense His arms encircling you, holding you up, lifting Your face to see His glory, reminding you this lovely conversation is exactly what His heart desires? (Psalm 3:3)

All things.
All times.
Pour out your heart to Him. (Psalm 62:5-8)

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Training Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Training!