Soul Journey

We live in a busy world. People rushing from one thing to another. We ask a friend, How’s it going? The answer is typical, Busy. We tend to admire a person who has a lot to do. The active type. Always on the move. Always making things happen.

Do you ever feel the pace gets too fast for you? Too frenetic?  Would you like to slow down? Take a good break? We are in the middle of summer and we might feel this increasing desire to get away from it all and enjoy the outdoors in some quiet place.

David declares in Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name (NLT).

In John 10, Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd. David is really saying, Jesus is my shepherd and all I need in life is found in him. He is the one who can lead me into rest—a place of calmness and peace for my soul. King David was an active man, leading the nation of Israel. Yet he recognized the importance of taking time to rest in God’s presence so his soul could be refreshed.

That’s what rest does for us. My wife and I have gone a few times to a pond about an hour drive from our home. There are mountains all around. We walk, have a lunch, sit and read, enjoy good conversation. I feel an inner rest and tranquility. David’s description of green meadows and peaceful streams is a picture of the place of rest we can experience in our soul—a place to stop and enjoy the presence of Jesus; a place to affirm that our security and identity is found in Jesus, not in nonstop striving.

Jesus loves to lead us to these places of rest and renewal. In Matthew 11, he said, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (NLT). We can be in a very ordinary place or in a very hectic space and still experience an inner rest in our soul. This happens when we admit that we can’t handle life on our own and we ask Jesus to come close to us and lead us. Jesus will always come when he is invited. And he comes to renew our strength—physically, emotionally and especially spiritually. I encourage you to invite Jesus to lead you into this kind of rest.

Mercy. What emotions does that word trigger for you? A feeling of comfort? A sense of guilt? Joy?  Numbness?  Pity for millions of people starving overseas? Desire to show more mercy for people who need it?

What does it look like to enjoy the mercy of God? Do you feel gratitude for what you don’t deserve? Do you understand intellectually what it is but can’t say you appreciate it at a heart level? Is mercy a cheap excuse to take God for granted and live as you like? If we are not enjoying mercy, then maybe we are blocking it.

Jesus once told a story about two men who entered the temple to pray. The religious leader thanked God for what a good law abiding citizen he was. He didn’t live a corrupt and dishonest life like the tax collector he saw across the room. The tax collector, on the other hand, was looking down, beating his chest in deep sorrow as he prayed, O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.

Jesus went on to declare that mercy is for people who humble themselves and not for those who have a proud heart. It is for those who admit they are sinners and know there is no hope that they can help themselves. It is for those who confess their powerlessness and guilt and long for transformation. They know how easy it is to live selfishly; to put themselves forward while putting others down.

If we are Christ followers, then we have experienced his mercy. When we openly and honestly confessed our sins, Jesus responded by forgiving us and granting us new life and power to live for him. There was no doubt in our minds that we did not deserve mercy. Yet we still came to God as we were—in our weakness and sins and received his mercy and grace.

What are some ways we may still be blocking God’s mercy at some level? Our culture says that we can do anything we want to do as long as we set our minds on it and work hard. That is the opposite of the posture that’s necessary to receive God’s mercy. It is by admitting our spiritual weakness and inability that we are made strong by his power at work within us.

Another blockage is failing to keep coming to God for his mercy. I have found that I need to continue praying as the tax collector, Lord Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner. I need to pray this way every time I wander off the Jesus way. It may be a selfish act, a sinful thought, words that hurt or put myself forward. The way back is the way of confession. Jesus, I need your mercy again. Forgive me for my sin. He always does. Immediately. And I find myself back in full fellowship with my Lord.

We also block God’s mercy when we try and earn God’s love. We think that we need to change ourselves. We need to present a better version of ourselves to God so he will be inclined to accept us or love us more. We make efforts to eliminate bad habits, pray more diligently, be more kind to people. We have this false idea that we somehow need to impress God.

All good actions, for us as Christ followers, flow out of a life that has already received and experienced his mercy and grace. We are motivated by Jesus’ amazing love for us at the cross! Sharing his love with family and friends and strangers comes out of a heart transformed by God’s mercy and love. Receiving his mercy on a daily basis enables us to pass on that undeserved mercy. And that gives us inner joy and peace, knowing we are humbly doing what most matters to God—expressing the heart of Jesus to whoever comes across our path.                                                                                –Floyd Grunau

Learning to be attentive to Jesus and his ways is a process. It begins each morning as we rise and lift our heart to him. Then, during the experiences of the day we learn to connect to the Lord–asking for guidance, thanking him for his love, moving forward with faith.