(This is day thirteen of the Rediscovering the Christmas Season Advent Study that can be found here. You don’t have to start at the beginning. In fact, you can jump in any time or go in any order. Care to join?)
Read Psalm 150.
Attend a Christmas concert of play. “Oddly” enough, ours is tonight. Interesting.
What part of the concert or play meant most to you? What did you learn from the setting and people you watched it with?
How is God like a director? How can you apply the discipline of rehearsal to your relationship with Him. From being backstage in theater, I know this much… A good director does not just shove people around where he wants them. A good director brings out the best in the actors. He plays to their strengths. Oh, they stay on script/plot/character, but the best of them comes through to make each performance unique. How much like life is THAT? As far as discipline? Rehearsals are at set times and, if they are to be productive, they don’t deviate from the task at hand. God time should be like that. Not regimented, but definitely deliberate, with the focus on Him.
When was a time in your life when you were completely in tune with what God wanted for your life? What are some spiritual disciplines you need to rehearse to get back in sync with God? When I first started writing, I was exactly where He wanted me doing what He wanted me doing. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life. There are a lot of uncertain seasons in life, but in that one, I knew. And one of the things that happened in that season was that I started every single day in concentrated time with Him, not looking at the clock, but focusing on Him. Whether the two of us were together for ten minutes or two hours, it was good, real, God time. Oh, how I miss that. I need to focus a lot more on quality.
-JB
1. I don’t know a lot about directors, but the way I believe God is like a director is that directors inspire, guide, motivate and correct their actors. They have high demands and expectations, but help their group to meet those demands and reach those expectations. Directors are available to their actors and are willing to help them to be the best they can be.
I think the discipline of rehearsal goes more closely than many of us think it does in our walk with God. I think that rehearsal and repetition are important. I think routine helps us to stay on track and set our hearts and minds right. We need to practice how we want to walk with God so that when it really matters, our walk becomes natural and not forced. I think sometimes this gets mistaken by too many as being legalistic. At first we may have to mark our calendars and set our alarm to get up early to spend time with God, like we are scheduling it in. But in the beginning that is what we may need to do until it becomes an automatic part of our life. It is important that we memorize (rehearse our lines) scripture so that it is in our heart and can be brought to the forefront of our mind and lips when we need it.
2. I don’t know that I was necessarily in tune with what God wanted for my life, but I have never remembered feeling closer to God than I did while I trained for my half marathon. I have written about this a lot, but it was an amazing place for me to be. During my runs I prayed and meditated on God and His word and His goodness. I was able to really focus and feel His presence in my body. I was able to physically feel His closeness many days. I know it was because I was spending very focused time with Him. I need a ton of work on all my spiritual disciplines, but I really want to attack memorizing scripture again. I am horrible at that and I want to work on it. Last year I really wanted to try to memorize the book of James. I was doing well with the first chapter but kept getting tripped up. That book has so much packed into it that I could draw on in most circumstances. That tiny book has is an amazing place to draw on when communicating faith with others, but counseling others, and for really keeping my on track with my walk. I am writing it down here, so I will have to make an effort to do it, but I am going to get back to work and try to get that book memorized over the next several months. Maybe that will be my New Year’s resolution, to get it memorized over the next year.