One of the lessons I've been learning as a pastor is how impossible it is to preach without a connection to God.
Seems obvious, right? And yet it is so easy to get consumed with the "work" of ministry [preparing Bible studies, getting people and programs organized, meeting and counseling people] that I find myself with little time to just sit down and be in God's presence. I can spend all day encouraging people I meet with to reopen God's word, reassuring them that they will not regret spending time with him, telling them how important it is for us to be reminded that we are unconditionally loved and accepted by God through Jesus Christ, and hypocrtically not practice these things myself.
All of the great preachers, however, have also been known as great "prayer-ers". Though they certainly put in the work of researching both the Scripture and the cultural context that they preach to, though they take the time heavily investing in and loving the people that they preach to, their number one characteristic is that they, first and foremost, spend time with God. They meditate on his word not to glean some insight for their sermon or their blog, but because it is His word to them. They pray to him not so that their ministry gets bigger or more popular, but because quality time with someone is a key factor in any relationship, and their relationship with God is the most important one in their lives. And, because this time with him grounds them back in the Good News of Jesus Christ: that they are loved and accepted by God not because of their success, but because he has chosen to love us, they are primed to serve God [an unconditional choice, by the way, is in my understanding the only place true love can spring from].
Knowing this, why is it so hard for me to take the time to spend time with God? Why does the Bible seem so disconnected to me and God sometimes? Why is it that some days prayer just doesn't want to happen?
My guess is I'm not the only one out there with these questions.
As I've been wrestling with this, I've come up with a few thoughts, many of which I'm putting into practice and testing out. Over the next few blog posts I'd like to share some of these, especially the ones that have helped me to get back on the right track, with anyone who's asking the same questions I am. Let me close this post with one:
#1a "Spiritual Plateaus" can be a gift
I don't know too many followers of Christ who enjoy "hitting a wall" when it comes to their spiritual life. Spiritual plateaus [i.e. times in our lives when our prayers feel lifeless or empty, when our bibles feel like they have covers that just don't want to be opened] feel like attacks on our faith, the complete opposite of those seasons of passion, excitement, and hope in what God is doing.
Yet I think hitting these plateaus actually can expose two major wedges between us and God. One such wedge that we can go for a long time without noticing is letting a method get in between us and God. Methods like following a particular bible reading plan or list of ways to pray can help us push away distractions and focus instead on what God is saying to us, but pretty soon our natural tendency is to start depending on the methods and not God. Our natural tendency is to start trying to control, and so when a method doesn't "deliver" like we're expecting it to, when we begin to feel ourselves hitting a spiritual plateau, we get frustrated.
Instead of getting frustrated, though, these are great moments for us to stop, look at what we're doing, and then ask God if maybe he's getting tired of us treating him like a spiritual candy machine, approaching him only in order to push buttons and get results: blessings, feelings of peace, even spiritual insights. Of course he wants us to receive those things, but those things should never become goals or gods in themselves, lest we forget where they come from. At these moments we have a great opportunity to repent of letting those wedges get in between us and God, throw them away, and confess to him once again that He, not the methods he gives us, is all that we need.
With all that said, it's important to remember that the second possible wedge is almost the opposite...
this is getting a bit long for this week. I'll post #1b next week. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts and responses. Are you in a spiritual plateau? What do you do when you get there? What is your devotional life like these days?
3 comments:
reading through the description of a spiritual plateau, im reminded of a quote from the 'last lecture' by the CMU professor. i honestly dont recall the quote [some context is required] but the general idea was centered around the fact that criticism and hurdles in your life generated by other people [in this case, God] demonstrates that they [He] hasn't given up on you.
response:
i consider my devotionals to be more therapeutic not in nature, but in practice. to clarify, i am not addressing the theraputic nature of devotionals, but rather, the practice of devotionals is like therapy. my initial state longs to end up at the final product, and to get there [or to regain some function] i require therapy. devotionals aid and are vital to my progress. with that stated, i am regressing from my intermediate state and am entering a position where i have found myself in a lethargic state trying to pass off my lack of effort with cynicism.
however, when i have been disciplined enough to continuously spend time in devotionals to have reached a plateau, i tend to regress, but pretend that its not happening. its not out of pride [i dont think] but rather out of ignorance. by the time i hit a plateau, in retrospect, i find that i am on autopilot and have automated answers for the similar questions on spirituality that have been tossed my way. i loose sensation, unwillingly perhaps, but still can not feel the lessening of the grip that i previously had.
well, that was sort of a rambling, but once again, great post. im actually really surprised by your consistency and longevity. 'cheers' in a non-alcoholic way. haha
i enjoyed the read, thanks pastor
ninjitsu...nice
@seunglee - thank you sir!
@jonathankang - I appreciate your response, as always. cheers indeed, and I'm looking forward to hiking up the side of a mountain with you when you get back in town.
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