Hold On!
“For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths.”
—Prov. 5:21
One of my favorite hymns from childhood is "Blessed Assurance," a beautiful hymn with an awesome testimony. It is a song that calms and soothes in times of stress. However, when I get to the part that speaks of “perfect submission,” it causes me some consternation. One of my pet peeves is when I am singing a song, worshipping the Lord, and I come across a line in the song or a statement that just doesn't ring true with me (e.g., "I surrender all." Sure I do.). I find it really difficult to continue to sing the song with a straight face.
Oh, how I wish it were true. D. L. Moody was noted to have said, “The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him.”16 I am certainly not that man, but I am striving to be that man. Paul Anderson wrote in Following Jesus: The Heart of Faith and Practice,17 “One great need of the church today is to experience the dynamic leadership of Christ as its head...If Christ is alive He desires to lead His church. If Christ desires to lead His church, His will should be sought. If His will can be sought, it can be discerned; and if it can be discerned, it deserves to be obeyed."
Sometimes it is difficult to keep going. A young pastor shared with me how discouraged he felt because he didn’t feel God, didn’t sense God’s approval, or God’s love. There are those “dark nights” when we don’t see what God is doing and it does feel as though He is nowhere near to us. At times like this, we need to remember, He who began this work in you will be faithful to complete it.
We need to hold on. Throughout Scripture, we are encouraged to remain, to abide, to hold fast, to keep our focus upon Christ and His Word.
Let me challenge you, at your more difficult times, when things aren't too clear, when God's will isn't real obvious, when God doesn't seem to be listening, don't give up. Continue to believe, to trust, and to seek His will. But, don't just think of this as a holding pattern. At times like this, I think we need to continue to be on the offensive. In addition to what we have been doing, we may choose to do more.
Along with our usual disciplines, we may choose to spend more time studying the Word, or in prayer, fasting, or in solitude and silence. Paul wrote, “In a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize, so run that you may obtain it.” To Paul that meant he had to discipline his body and keep it under control. That seems to be good advice for all of us.
St. Benedict devised what he referred to as a Rule of Life. Essentially it was a covenant between him and God that he would practice a particular set of rhythms and practices that would order his life around listening and discerning God’s direction in his life. It wasn’t just a New Year’s resolution, but a covenant. A covenant is sometimes described as a sacred agreement between God and a person or group of people.
In your own words, write a covenant, a pledge to God that you will remain faithful, that you will follow certain activities and practices that will put you in a place to better understand God’s will and purpose for your life.
Take time to pray about what God would have you to commit to in order to become better at listening, hearing, and knowing God’s will and purpose.
(Note: A rule of life includes such things as attending worship on a Sunday, daily devotions that would include Bible study and prayer, perhaps meeting with a mentor or spiritual director, other times of prayer throughout the day, fasting or use of one of the other spiritual disciplines, time of solitude and silence, etc.)
Resources that you may find helpful:
Macchia, Stephen A. (2012). “Crafting a Rule of Life,” IVP Books, Downers Grove
Rule of Life; www.cslewisinstitute.org
