Posted on May 22, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
MindFull: Praying Your Nots
By Chris Woodward
This week I had the opportunity to interact with someone in conflict at work.The ideas of "not" and lament came to mind. The person was having an internal struggle with themselves. An inner conflict and conversation asking, "Is help coming and where is it coming from?” There have been many times in life that inner questions became so strong and powerful that I felt anxious, lost, and alone.
For my wife and I, one of the darkest, most silent times full of lament was our journey with infertility. Our relationship had been done by the book, we had kissed dating goodbye, allowed God to be the center of our relationship. We had not dated around and been faithful to God’s design for marriage. When it came time in our marriage to try for kids, we were ready, yet had no results, God was not blessing us with a child. Months went by, we prayed daily, involved others in prayer chains, and took our fear and worry to God. Still, no child. We sought out medical advice. We did all the tests. Took medications, had a plan, and still no child. This cycle went on for years. We came though the tests and found that biological children were almost a near impossibility for us. Then God moved us to adoption. Our road of adoption also had many bends and breaks, silent times and trials, many nights spent in prayer and lament. We had to grieve our goals for our family. In all of this, God never left. Yesterday we celebrated our son’s fifth birthday.
For me, this is what David was feeling in the Psalm. Why would a loving God choose to be silent? I think one possible reason is that inner conflict pushes us out of where we are to where we need to be. That tension that pushes out all of our own thoughts, the self-help books, and jsearching . . . and puts us on the path that God needs us on to work in us and work for us. If we allow, that inner conflict, tension, lament will cause growth. Think of the seed planted in the dark, deep in the soil, feeling the pressure and weight of the earth, drowned with water, all alone. This is how I felt after the passing of my Father. Left alone in the dark, pressed and waiting. When the seed is ready to grow, it’s growth causes the seed to crack open, and push into the soil, growing roots, pushing deeper out into the dark, moving through the soil and finally finding the light. Our lives are much like that seed. Buried, trampled, but eventually taking form, maturing, and bearing fruit.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: How in your life are you conversing with God about your needs, your feelings of being alone, your dreams, your lost hopes, your transgressions? How can you push out in the dark in order to let Jesus shine a light on your circumstances? Consider writing your own version of a lament, wrestling with God and naming where you struggle, inviting him in to your thoughts and emotions. Use Psalm 13 as a guide if needed.
{heartland mental health and care resources}
Join us this month and next for Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. This 8 week course will help us all explore how to puruse emotional health in our relationship with God, our understanding of ourselves, and our relationship with others. You can sign up for the in-person course starting in May, or the online (zoom) course starting in June. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Need an assist from a member of our care team? Contact us at care@heartlandchurch.org, and our team will reach out to connect you to the best resource for your need or interest.
{bible reading plan: psalms spirituality}
For the next few months we will be exploring the Psalms. For an overview of the Psalms, watch this 9 minute video from our friends at The Bible Project. To learn more about how to read the Psalms, check out this video resource.
We live in a world of comparisons. We look across the privacy fence to the weeds in our neighbors’ yards and sigh, we see how shiny the new car is in the driveway and choke back the exhaust as we start working on our 2000’s dream. It becomes easy for us to damage our confidence and mental health with comparisons. I enjoy how Psalm 115 compares the other Idols, god’s to THE God of Israel who is active and powerful, speaks and feels with us. Take a moment today to read the verse and know that our God is beyond comparison, therefore, we can have faith that he feels every note of emotion and is with us all the days of our lives. What would God say about our small comparisons to each other in this life?
Many times, our identity comes down to who we serve and what power we give others over our thoughts and feelings. Today, read Psalm 116 with the backdrop of God hearing you just as he heard the writher of these words. Having an all-powerful father that listens to our cries for mercy and salvation is an identity that we can build a foundation on. How would your inner thought life change if you allowed yourself to trust that you are heard and understood by God?
For me worship, is a way to engage with God that puts me in a place where I can be open and honest about my feelings and thoughts. It is a curious event were God draws me in closer to him in order to communicate his heart. I find this much like the art projects that my child brings home. When he receives the praises of someone that loves him he is lifted higher in his self-worth and sees himself as valuable. He also sees his hard work and effort as worthy. Attempt to practice worship today.Repeat this short verse as you play with your kids, go for a walk, complete that spreadsheet, or drive in the car.
When I was a child we would go for walks around the neighbor almost every night. One night we came across an aggressive dog that we had not seen before. The dog charged us and I panicked. Dad was able to deter the animal from attacking me swiftly and effectively. The only action I had in the moment was to cling to my dad. I knew that he was going to do something to protect me. Psalm 118 invites us to take refuge in God, much like I did that night. All too often we are in the fight all by ourselves, taking on the charges and attacks of everyone without God. What fight do you need to disengage from and seek refuge on this week?
Reading such a Psalm of encouragement as 119, always puts me in a good mood. Keeping God’s word as a guiding part of my day-to-day always keeps me on the right side of hard situations. Knowing that God brings “a lamp for my feet and a light for my path,” brings confidence to my daily struggles. If there is a plan and path to each day, my job is following that path. What thoughts and comforts does Psalm 119 bring out in you today?
As we watch the world each day it appears that truth and peace are things that we cannot ever achieve in community. One person’s truth appears to be another person’s lie. In my work in addiction treatment the hardest struggle is to be honest with ourselves and others. Making the inner life as close to the exterior as possible. In that I can be part of community and open to internal renewal and external change. Psalm 120 speaks to that for me– peace internally and externally. In what way can you be about peace, and against dishonesty today?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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