Some touchstones for us during this time — almost companions on our travels given the amount of time we have spent with them — have been our regular reading materials: Building With God, My Utmost For His Highest and the Bible.
With the abundance of time we currently have, it has been good for us to be intentional in how we spend that time. It can far too easily be whiled away. For example, early in our time here, Emma mentioned that she would like to spend more time reading the New Testament and specifically to read Paul’s epistles together, and instead of that remaining a desire which we would try to squeeze in at some point, we realised we could act on it immediately. There is so much in Paul’s writing which is convicting and challenging and expresses the simple truth of Christian living.
For a number of years now, we have both received Oswald Chambers’ daily devotional, My Utmost For His Highest (a.k.a. ‘MUFHH’), into our inboxes. We have been variously diligent at reading it as it comes in — sometimes feeling more inclined to read it than other times. But now, with our days often fairly empty, we can take the time to read and dwell on Oswald’s words. For those who haven’t read MUFHH, we highly recommend it as a devotional which constantly centres you to the true call of Jesus to us, His followers — to abandon ourselves to God. (And if you are interested in reading more about Oswald Chambers’ life, the biography Abandoned to God by David McCasland gives a good overview and is an inspiring read).
The last piece on the list of our current literary companions is Building With God, a series written by Alex’s grandfather in 1984 which draws on the Biblical book of Nehemiah and applies it to Christians and churches today. We both felt God used the story of Nehemiah’s choice to go to Jerusalem, as narrated through Book 1 of the Building With God series, to speak to our hearts about stepping out in faith. The way that Nehemiah was attuned to God’s heart and then made himself available to do God’s will, at great personal cost, really spoke to us. But going through it while we are here has been so touching all over again, as what is written is still so relevant today. Here is an excerpt of a part we particularly liked about intercessory prayer:
“We have already seen how Nehemiah identified with God but now he went a step further and began to intercede. But what does that actually mean? Such terms as ‘intercessor’ and ‘intercessory ministry’ are shrouded in mystery for many. Often they conjure up pictures of self-denying saints agonising in prayer and fasting for days or weeks on end. Though that sometimes is the case, there is nothing essentially heavy or ‘super-spiritual’ about intercession. An intercessor is simply someone who sees a needy situation, identifies with the way God feels about it, and then brings to Him both his own desire and his availability. He says in effect: ‘I may not know what to do God, but I want you to know that I feel as you do about this situation and I place myself at your disposal to use me in whatever way you want.” (emphases added)
This clarified for us how to pray to God about situations that we come across or are made aware of: first we need to find out what God feels about that situation (and not be distracted by our own thoughts and opinions) and only then should we bring to God our desires about that situation (in a way which aligns with God’s heart) if we are willing to also make ourselves available to be God’s instrument in that situation (at His prerogative). This is reflective of how Jesus approached ‘doing His father’s will’ — in total focus on the Father instead of the situations around Him, and with a willingness to make Himself available in whatever way best suited the Father’s plans. This is very different from taking a wish-list of things we think should happen to God, which only serves to make ourselves feel better; and it is also very different from blindly charging in to ‘help’ in situations without first discerning how God would like to use us, or whether it is God’s will for us to be involved in that situation at all.
However, far more than just enjoying the time to dwell on these written words, what is important is that we respond to them in the way God wants. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is dead, but God is constantly working to draw us to Himself. As per the MUFHH devotional for 29 February:
“...be so closely identified with the Lord that there is literally nothing of your old life remaining. God will do it if you will ask Him. But you have to come to the point of believing Him to be almighty. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but, even more, by trusting Jesus Himself. If we only look at what He says, we will never believe.” (emphasis added)