Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 4 of 4)

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But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, John 16:13-14)

Some movies are meant to explore hidden meanings and deeper perspectives.  By analyzing the films, philosophies and ideas emerge from the dialog, from the settings or even from the camera angles.  Sometimes, directors come out and explain the subtext of their movie in hopes that their film becomes more than amusement, it transcends into our conscious and changes our outlook.  In a way, this is the role of the Holy Spirit and His movie is the Bible.  Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring an ancient reading system, and here we are at our final step.  This last step may sound like over spiritualized mumbo-jumbo; but it is at its core, hearing the voice of God speak through His word.

In week one, we listened.  Like a text message or email from a friend that we’ve wanted to hear from, we read the passage making sure to hear every written word.  We listen intentionally.   In week two, we used our mind’s eye to see the passage.  Words have meanings, and they can be used to paint a picture.  Here we let the text move from words to images.  Last week, we prayed.  Those images triggered our thoughts, and we reshaped those thoughts into a prayer to God.  Now, we let God’s response reshape us.

This time, the exercise is all on you.  In the past, we’ve explored a scripture together.  Now, you do it alone.  Perhaps, start with a familiar passage, one that has spoken to you before, even your life verse.  Like many other things, you’ll get out of this, what you put into it.

Find a quiet, comfortable spot and open to the passage of scripture.  Begin at step one and start to work your way through all the steps.  When you get to step four, hear the voice of God using the scripture to reform, transform, and renew you.

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. (James 1:22-24)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:2)

Written by Pastor Ozzy

 

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 3 of 4)

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He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Ps. 23:3)

But Hannah replied, “… I have poured out my soul before the Lord. (Ibid. 1 Sam. 1:15)

            One of the questions that the early church asked in recognizing which writings were Scripture [i.e., Bible] and which were not, was whether or not a text had life-transforming power (From God to Us How We God Our Bibles, Kindle location 1319).  In one sense, they were asking the texts, did they contain truth and did that truth set them free (John 8:23).  The next step in this ancient Bible reading practices involves this question; however, it is us asking the text or the truth of the text to set us free.  In other words, we shape our prayers to God through the freedom brought through the texts.

            In the first part of this series we listened to the text of Psalms 66:16, “Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul” (NASB).  If you went through step two, described in last week’s blog meditation, then you should go back and apply that lesson to Psalm 66:16 also.  Now we pray as we read the Scripture.  Ask the Holy Spirit to steer feelings that arise in your soul from the Scripture.  When they spring up, offer them back to God as the Spirit leads.

 

For example, Ps. 66:16 contains the words, “fear God”, what emotions or ideas do these words produce in your soul?  This can be a profound or powerful idea.  Remember the children of Israel at Mount Sini, in fear of God they cried for Moses alone to speak to them (Ex. 20:19).  In Deuteronomy, there is a command to, “… fear the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and love Him…” (10:12).  Jesus, who reconciles us to the Father and shows us the Father’s love also says to fear Him (Matt. 10:28).  Ask the Holy Spirit, what does it mean to fear God in the way the Scriptures teach?  Offer it as a prayer, asking Him to instruct your heart, your mind and, your soul to fear God in this way.  However, do not neglect the second part of the verse, where the Psalmist is excited to tell of what God has done in his soul.  What has God done in your soul?  Perhaps ask for the opportunity to tell someone what God has done in your soul.

Scripture is a powerful tool that God uses in our lives.  Praying and being attentive to how the Holy Spirit can lead you through the Scriptures can remind you of the power found in the Word of God.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Heb. 4:12)

[Next week: Hearing from God]

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Norman L. Geisler and William E Nix. 2013. From God to Us How We God Our Bibles. Matthews: Bastion Books.

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Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 2 of 4)

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“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Josh. 1:8).

“I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds” (Ibid. Ps. 77:12).

            Stop for a moment and picture someone you’d like to see, or something you’d like to have, or somewhere you’d like to be.  In your mind’s eye, can you truly “see” that someone, something or somewhere?  In truth, there is nothing substantive to the picture in your mind; however, what it represents to you could not be more real.  What you have done is mediated on that person, place or thing.  Before we explore the exercise of Bible meditation, it will be helpful to define the word meditation.  It should be understood as time spent in quite contemplation, often alone, to consider and think about God’s word and attempt to hear from Him (Manser, section 8662).  Therefore, this is not an emptying of the mind or an attempt to cease conscious thought, but a focusing of the mind on the words of scripture.  This can be done the same way that you just mediated on that person, place or thing.

            In our last blog we listened to the words of Psalms 66:16 and because of the poetic nature of the Psalms, it’s easy to begin this exercise there also.  So first, listen to the words of Psalms 71:17-19:

O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?  (NASB)

Like last week’s passage, we don’t know who the original author was; therefore, let your mind choose the author.  Perhaps you can see an aged Samuel, whose soul was saddened by Eli and his son’s cavalier attitude towards the God of Israel.  Then he also witnessed Saul’s failings and now before he dies, he is reflecting on making sure the knowledge of the God of Israel is passed on.  In your mind, go to Ramah and sit outside of Samuel’s house as he speaks.  Hear these words and remember the story of Samuel meeting God in the tabernacle at Shiloh (1 Sam. 3).  Now he is old and gray, but it has been his heart’s desire to instruct the sons of Israel to obey God.  Just like before, become the speaker.  Read these words the way you’d say them.

            Now, reflect on the meaning of the passage.  Perhaps focus on them line by line.  The first states that God is a teacher from the author’s childhood.  How did that happen in ancient Israel?  How does it happen today?  How did it happen for you?  Where you born in a Christian family and therefore learned scriptural truths from a young age?  Keep in mind that even out of heartache and tragedy, God can teach[1].  Why is this image of God as teacher in the Bible?  How does that affect your picture of God?  These are some good questions that arise when we stop and reflect on Scripture.

[Jesus said] “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”  Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures… They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Luke 24:26-27 & 32)

[Next week: Prayer]

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Manser, Martin H. 2009. Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Logos Ed.

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[1] Consider a child born to unreligious parents or parents who were Christian in name only.  Before he went to school, they divorced and remarried.  What can God teach out of that situation?  That there are real consequences for sin and sometimes those consequences are passed on to the next generation.  Maybe, that child will be reached by God and see His plan, one husband and one wife in a covenant relationship.  Perhaps then the cycle will be broken, he won’t treat love like a four-letter-word.



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Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 1 of 4)

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“This is my daily bread, your very word, spoken to me” (Barnett 2002)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

(Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Psalms 119:105)

… Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures…” (ibid. Matt. 22:29)

           Every believer knows that they should read the Bible; however, it is a sad fact that many Christians do not have a daily routine of reading through God’s word. This is not meant to be a guilt trip. Being guilted can often lead to a begrudging habit, and that does not sound like a productive action in one’s spiritual formation. Therefore, you do not need to build up a defense against the feeling of guilt. Instead, why don’t we begin to explore some ancient Christian practices that were developed for productive time in God’s word. When you gain something from a habit, you’re more likely to do it without a sense of guilt.

            Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who isn’t really listening to what you’re saying?  They may be hearing your words but before you’ve finished your thought, they have already formulated a response.  Perhaps, they are the type who takes one part of your speech and goes off in a personal story that has nothing to do with what you’re saying.  They dominate the conversation and you’re not even sure it should be called a conversation, maybe it is more like a monolog.  We’ve all been in situations like this and therefore, we can relate to the frustration that comes from not being heard.  Now ask yourself, how often do you listen to God’s word?

            Hearing could be described as a passive activity, but you cannot passively listen to anything.  Many of us have received an email or text message and only glanced at its content.  Our eyes quickly scan the words only looking for a generalized understanding.  The same can be said about reading the Bible, a person can read the words without engaging the text.  Other times, we stop and read each word, seeing the whole sentence and gaging its meaning.  Therefore, starting with a short passage or section of scripture, begin by reading and imagining the text.

            For example: “Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul” (Ps. 66:16 NASB).  This Psalm is not attributed to any person, so start by imagining yourself within an Old Testament scene.  Perhaps you’re with the children of Israel listening to Moses at Sinai, or you’re there when David leads the Ark of God to Jerusalem, or sometime after Solomon’s temple has been dedicated.  The reader reads these words of Psalms 66:16, and let your imagination go, picture the biblical scenes that touch your soul.  Let this go on for as long as you can.

            Then when you’re ready, become the speaker and say, “Come and hear, all you who fear God and let me tell you what Jesus has done in my soul.”  Again, let your imagination run and remember what Jesus has done in your life.  Imagine telling people about how you met Jesus.  Think about telling someone about a troubled time you’ve been through and how now you can see the hand of God leading you through that time.  This is a way to live the scriptures and make them a personal part of your very being.

            “…But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints… 

[God] whispered, "…When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you” (Stevenson n.d.)

[Next week: Meditation]

Written by Pastor Ozzy

2002."Breathe." The Air I Breathe . B0000UWE04.

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Stevenson, Mary. n.d. "Footprints in the Sand."

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