Instant gratification? No.

But God is compassionate, slow to get angry March 5, 2024

Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

Litany of Penitence 5

For our self-indulgent appetites and ways,

And our intemperate pursuit of worldly goods and comforts;

Lord, have mercy upon us:

For we have sinned against you.

The Lenten discipline of fasting is transferable: it can teach us self-control, equipping us to say no to temptations that can hurt us or others. We say no to physical satiation so we can be filled with God’s unfailing love. If you listened to Kevin Antlitz’s sermon from February 25, recommended in my last post, this statement will sound familiar to you.

The Lenten discipline of fasting is abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Not everyone can fast from food; perhaps you, like me, need to fast from something else. But here are guidelines for food fasting from Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (thanks, Kevin):

Don’t fast if you are in a hurry and are fasting for immediate results regarding some decision. Fasting is not magic.
Stay hydrated. Always drink plenty of water and fluids.
If you are new to fasting, begin by fasting for one meal. Spend the time with God that you would normally be using to eat.
Work up to longer fasts. Don’t attempt prolonged fasts without guidance.
If you decide to fast regularly, give your body time to adjust to new rhythms of eating. You may feel more tired on days you fast. Adjust your responsibilities appropriately.
Begin a fast after supper. Fast until supper the next day. This way you miss two meals rather than three.

Fasting benefits us, not God. We don’t do it to earn his approval or favor, but to grow in character like his. He’s not a mean, angry person just waiting to punish us. He wants our best, just like we desire for our own children. We reap the benefits over the long term. Spiritual disciplines are a marathon, not a sprint. In that way too they are counter-cultural. We need to train for them and build our tolerance and skills slowly, finding joy along the way.

Be still, my soul Shutterstock: Eva Pruchova

Be still

But God asks us to listen

Isaiah 50:4-5, 10 The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. … If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.

This will be a busy week. For you, too?

That’s why I had to lie in bed long enough this morning to be still and listen to the Lord, to reflect on the looong list of blessings he has poured into my life (including a wonderful trip to eastern PA and New Jersey to visit beloved friends–we got home last night). Long enough to verbalize that I want to walk through this week with joy and thankfulness instead of stress.

Focused listening isn’t always easy. The last post, I made two confessions. Here’s another:

Sometimes when my husband is talking to me at length about his day, the people he has talked with, the plans he has made with them, the conundrums he faces, I let my own thoughts and concerns distract me.

Later, when he references a prior conversation, I may have only a vague idea of what he’s talking about.

Does this matter? It certainly does when he is asking for my perspective on a situation he believes I already understand because of what he has explained to me before. If I’m to give him any kind of useful feedback, I have to admit my failure to listen and request another explanation—not optimal for him or for me. Or for finding a solution to whatever the current dilemma may be.

How often do I treat God the same way? Let my mind be so busy with my own “stuff” that I fail to hear what he wants to say to me.

A lovely counselor, teacher, and pray-er name Leanne Payne (you can find her books on the internet) used to say, “Listen to the word of love God is always speaking to you.”

My experience bears this out. God is always communicating with us. Are we stopping to listen? Have we learned to quiet our own thoughts enough to hear his still, small voice?

Lying in bed after I wake up in the morning, to hear God’s voice in the stillness, has become a habit. It anchors me into his love. It doesn’t take the place of my “quiet time,” when I read Scripture and pray. Rather, it allows me to benefit from what he has to say to me, without concern yet for what I want to say to him. This focused listening usually results in deep gratitude.

Granted, I have many advantages: an “empty nest”—no children needing my attention early in the morning. No job where I need to punch a clock. No longer the need to get up to check vital signs, administer IV antibiotics, TPN, and fluids, change dressings, attend to hygiene, and drive Karis to the hospital by 6:30 a.m. for clinic. And because I naturally wake up around 5:00, I feel the “right” to spend these moments in bed just listening.

You may not have any of these luxuries.

But unless we figure out some way to make space for stillness in our busy lives (driving to work? cleaning house? taking a walk? taking a few minutes after the kids are in bed?), we miss so much of what the Lord wants to say, to encourage us, to give us clarity about our struggles, to remind us that HE is sovereign, not us. He’s got the whole world in HIS hands. He can dispel anxiety and darkness in our souls with his rays of hope and peace and thankfulness—if we’re still in his presence long enough!

Be still, my soul. The Lord is on your side!

But Jesus was honored

Acts 19:15-20 One time when the seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, tried to cast out an evil spirit, it replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. The story spread through Ephesus … A solemn fear descended on the city and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices … So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.

John 3:34-35 Jesus speaks God’s words, for the Father gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands.

Have you ever longed to hear Jesus speak to you, just personally to you? During a time of trouble in Brazil, I shared this longing with an older missionary friend. She said, “Well, let’s ask him.” I’ll never forget that precious moment. It has strengthened me many times since.

The thing is, hearing him speak requires being still and listening. Leanne Payne, a woman of deep prayer, used to say, “Listen for the word of love the Father is always speaking to you.” How can we hear those words when we’re so flooded by other voices?

I resonated yesterday with the urging of Kevin, one of our pastors, to take a weekly sabbath from screens. I’ve done this before, with great benefit, but had let the habit slip away. I’m excited about so again, being quiet enough for a whole day weekly to hear God’s fortifying words of love—not in general for the world, but for me.

When God’s voice is strong and solid inside me, I can handle the other voices better. Isn’t that true for you, too? Want to try this challenge with me?

By doing so, like the Ephesians, we are honoring Jesus above everything else. We are allowing him to nourish our souls.

Kevin quoted for us Mary Oliver’s famous poem, “The Summer Day,” the one that ends with “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” The part that caught my attention yesterday was Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean-

After we got home from church, Dave helped me bag a huge pile of weeds I had pulled until dark the night before. He showed me a huge grasshopper-like creature attached to the brown bag he was stuffing with weeds:

*I don’t know what this is–haven’t found it online yet. It’s five inches long.*

This grasshopper … Thanks, Lord. Message received:

Be still. Be attentive. Let the Lord nourish your soul. Know Jesus and let him know you. Honor him by listening to his voice–his words of love for today.