Tag: deeper

Posted in faith

A deeper trust in God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Bobbi Wu on Unsplash

A few weeks ago at a men’s bible study, the guys around my table were sharing prayer requests. One of the guys at my table, I’ll call him Tom, said, “I just want to be in deeper communion with Christ.” He had been paying attention to Sunday morning preaching, in which the pastor had encouraged everyone, no matter where we were in our walk with Christ, to take a step deeper. Tom has been a believer for a long time, teaches our men’s group, and has a daily devotional discipline.

So I asked, “What do you mean by that?” (BTW, that’s always a good first response. Get them to tell more of the story.)

Tom replied, “I want a deeper connection. I want a conscious connection with the Lord all day long. I read and pray in the morning, and then I get to work, not really thinking much about him. I want to do better.”

That’s a noble goal. But is it possible? Is it possible to consciously have God on the front burner of your heart, mind and soul twenty-four seven? Isn’t what monks attempted to do? Didn’t they removed themselves from all worldly distractions so that they could pray throughout their waking hours?

Well, I’ll tell you right now, I can’t do it. And neither can you. And that’s okay. Really it is. Let me explain why.

Let’s use the model of sheep and a shepherd. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd and follow him. They follow him to pasture, to water, and back to the sheep pen before evening. In the meantime, they eat. They bleat. They wander around the pasture. They make lambs. And through it all, I’ll bet they don’t think much about the shepherd.

But the shepherd thinks about them. The shepherd leads them, watches them, and protects them. He’s the shepherd. That’s his job. And if he’s doing his job, then the sheep can be…sheep.

Get it? If God is on duty twenty-four seven, if God never slumbers nor sleeps, if the Lord is our shepherd, then we can be his sheep. We can trust him so deeply that we can eat, drink, and enjoy our work without a care in the world. (Ecclesiastes 5:18).

You know what? That’s deep.

Posted in Grace, Life

Deeper

Posted on by William Douthwaite

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA“My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
Don’t lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart” (Proverbs 4:21 NLT).

When I read these words this morning, I began to wonder just how deeply God’s Word penetrates our hearts. My immediate thought was, “Not very. Not very deep at all.” If that’s true, then my spirituality is embarrassingly superficial. God’s Word just skims the surface of my life. I may do what He says, but one doesn’t have to give much thought to obedience. I may trust His promises, but I can go for an entire day without them coming to mind. I can dig deep and find all kinds of fears, doubts and regrets inside myself. How can God get a foothold in there, deep in my heart?

As I pondered this question, a few images came to mind. One was from Ezekiel, where the Lord declares that He will replace hearts of stone with hearts of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). I can understand the need for that. It’s very hard to penetrate stone. I’ve tried. Even with a masonry bit and a large drill, it takes time to make a hole for an anchor to hang up a shelf in the garage. I can penetrate flesh much easier. I’ve done that, too, as the assortment of cuts on my hands attest. When God’s Spirit brings us to life, our hearts become penetrable once again.

Next, there is the promise from Jeremiah of a new covenant God make with his people, writing His law on their hearts (Jer. 31:33). That new covenant comes when God forgives, a promise fulfilled by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, the blood of a new covenant. Our Lord’s words no longer skim the surface when we eat and drink His body and blood. The reality of His grace indeed find room within us, replacing the fears, doubts and regrets with forgiveness, life and salvation.

As I thought of and wrote about the above, I’m amazed and thankful that these images surfaced. Obviously God got through to me somewhere and somehow. I guess I’m still learning just how deep His love is (Eph. 3:18).