Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn. Isaiah 51:1
How do I engage with God as my storyteller? 2.) Consider the worst of the worst.
When Jesus talked with the woman at the well in Samaria, He took intentional steps to prepare her to receive Truth. They began by talking of the mundane; water, thirst, and drinking. He made a segueway to its spiritual counterpart; spiritual water, spiritual thirst, and the possibility of a drink that would forever quench thirst. Jesus conversed about all of this because it needed to precede the revelation of Himself. Thirst needed to overtake her and wake up her heart ~ for she had stopped dreaming of a Savior long ago.
She came alive as Jesus talked. She rose to engage Him in animated conversation. Thirsty, she finally voiced a desire to what He was offering. “Give me this drink,” she said. But Jesus didn’t answer…. “I’m speaking of myself and this is how you drink of me.” He immediately brought up the subject of her husband which unearthed the most painful of any possible admissions she might have to make. She had been married five times and lived with a sixth man. I often wondered why Jesus’ strategy was to change the subject. Perhaps it was to put His finger on the most painful place in her life. By doing so, the message was this ~ If you want the most profound encounter possible with Me, you must drink of Me where you need Me the most. Because she didn’t shy away, she received new life.
What is the worst part of your story? Have you dared unearth the need associated with the memory? Where does it feel risky to trust God? What would Jesus say if He sat on the edge of the well with you. “I saw you at twenty four when you wanted to give up.” Or, “When you were little, scared and hiding, thinking no one cared, did you know that I was there?” In these crises of faith, in the darkest places of unbelief, Jesus calls us to a new awareness that there is such a thing as Living Water. If we drink of Him, we will never need look again to fickle sources to give us what we think we need to feel whole. We will find Him to be enough.
The Christian life begins when I learn the truth about God, when I learn the truth about myself, and apply the truth about God to the truth about me. The Gospel is life changing only when it starts with great spiritual need.
Lord, I want to know the hope to which You have called me and Your incomparably great power for me if I believe in You. Amen
The concepts of meditation and prayer are so much a part of our everyday Christian language that they risk becoming cliches. It’s hard to feel their great significance. We say, ‘Read the bible and pray’ like we might say, ‘Don’t forget to say please and thank you.’ The impact is lost unless we spend our lives practicing them.
Perhaps the iceberg that fatally wounded the Titanic in the Spring of 1912 looked much like this one. By the time Murdoch spotted it, there wasn’t enough time to turn sharply enough to avoid it. When they hit, a jagged piece of iceberg, under the water, ripped part of the hull.
Whose version of your story do you believe? There are so many from which to choose. 1.) People are quick to tell us about ourselves whether we ask them to or not. 2.) We have our own version of life’s events. 3.) Satan has a version and is all too eager to interpret life’s events for us. “This happened to you because God didn’t take care of you.” But most importantly, 4.) God has a version.
After reviewing this beautiful parable, my intense desire is stirred up again for fertile soil. Yet, I know I can’t make it happen without God’s help. I must admit my inability to grow righteousness through self-effort. The sins of my flesh, resulting in bad soil, are never overcome without the Spirit. With hardened soil, my flesh bends toward unbelief. With stony soil, my flesh emotionally reacts passionately to the Gospel but can’t sustain it long enough to engage in the Spirit-driven lifestyle. With weeds in my soil, my flesh worries and then take matters into my own hands.
This parable has spoken to me so powerfully for the past several years that the truth of the soil types is on my mind constantly. I’ve almost become obsessed by the fourth soil type and I’ve grown to covet its germinating environment. Let’s take our time with each part of the story.
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