HOLY SLEEPLESSNESS

Sleep is such a wonderful gift from God.  Children grow while they sleep.  Sleep helps heal when sickness befalls us.  A good night’s sleep does wonders when we fall into bed exhausted.  When our eight-month-old grandson is grumpy, a good nap totally changes his mood and he returns to be the delightful little guy we love. Some executives have been known to power nap for 30 minutes in the middle of a busy schedule.  As I get older, an occasional afternoon nap does the same thing.  Just forty-five minutes of rest and “shut-eye” revitalizes me for the remainder of the day.

Sleep does not come easily to me through the night anymore due to arthritis so I’ve been thinking about it lately. The Bible has some interesting things to say about sleep and lack of sleep.  Psalm 16:7 says, “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”  I find this so true.  When I am awake in the middle of the night, I tend to dredge-up problems, past mistakes, other peoples offenses and unkindness.  Then the Holy Spirit counsels me.  God breaks through and reminds me of his grace and forgiveness.  He turns my heart to thanksgiving and praise and gently guides me back to sleep.

Psalm 17: 3 says that God probes our hearts and examines us at night to which the Psalmist says in verse 5, “though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin . . . My steps have held to your paths; my feet shall have not slipped.”  These are the words of a person who is mature in their walk with God.  Their life is devoted to His ways.  There is a hint of maturity and intimacy with God found in verse 8 where he says to God, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.”

In such an intimate relationship with God, we see holiness in the form of the Psalmist’s likeness to God.  He ends the song by saying, “And I – in righteousness will see your face when I awake.  I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” God does not slumber nor does he sleep.  He gives us rest and recovery each night, but even through the night he is there, present, loving us completely, counseling us, speaking into our hearts, testing us, affirming his love for us, and shaping us into His likeness.

Thanks be to God. When we awake, we discover that his mercies are new every morning.

FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS

Every vocation has a vocabulary.  A right of passage into a particular field includes learning the vocabulary.  The fields of psychology, medicine, law, engineering, ministry, auto mechanics, information technology, agriculture, pubic health all have their own vocabulary.  I have four brothers who are all physicians.  Family gatherings are like mini-medical conventions.  I quietly listen to the chatter and smile, but can’t access the conversation very meaningfully nor contribute much of value without a basic competence in the vocabulary. 

It occurred to me recently that this is the challenge in understanding scripture.  God gave us the remarkable gift of His Word and it's words that help us understand who He is and who we are and can be.  Take the idea of holiness for example.  The Hebrew word for holy, holiness, or sanctify is qadosh.  It is mentioned 830 times in the Old Testament.  In Greek in the New Testament the word is hagios.  It is mentioned 268 times with the same meanings as qadosh.  

Holiness is an overarching theme throughout the Bible.  It speaks to the moral character of God, His love, purity and selflessness.  It also is a command reflecting God’s desire that we share His moral character by being separated from sin and devoted entirely to Him.  By faith we are saved from our sin by Christ’s work on the cross.  Likewise, it is by faith that we receive a holy heart, a heart cleansed from sin and therefore sanctified.  Another way of saying this is that we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  Notice all the new words:  holy, holiness, sanctify, fullness of the Spirit.  There’s more.  There is the opportunity to grow in grace, to experience purity of heart, to hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Many years ago, Edward L. R. Elson was the chaplain of the U.S. Senate.  He wrote a beautiful essay entitled “Life’s Single Vocation.”  In it he says, “There are many callings and professions, but for the Christian there is only one vocation – to love the Lord with all the heart and mind and soul, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself.”  These are the Great Commandments (Matthew 22”37-39).  They reflect inward and outward holiness.  They are impossible to do consistently without the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.  Dr. Elson is right.  Whether you are a teacher, doctor, plumber, IT technician, psychologist, auto mechanic, lawyer, homemaker, or student, there is only one vocation.  That vocation requires a vocabulary. 

Like the vocabulary of one’s profession, we need the vocabulary of our single vocation.  Where do we learn that vocabulary in order to understand and communicate with God and with others?  The vocabulary of holiness is found in the Word of God.  We do well to read, study, learn, and exercise the language of heaven passed down to us through the millennia.  It helps us connect with the heart of God and his remarkable desire to make Himself known, understood, and intimate with us.  It is in the vocabulary of holiness that we discover the mystery of a whole other world, the world of consecration, devotion, and life’s complete fulfillment in holiness.  Holiness unto the Lord can come alive in the life of a Christ follower.  In Christ, the Word became flesh so that He, the living God, might live in us.

HEALING BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS

A broken relationship is a problem that faces everyone at some time.  We are fallen creatures.  We disappoint and are let down by others.  We betray and others are likewise unfaithful to us.  Trust and mistrust are difficult to juggle when the relationship becomes uncertain.  By the time it is clear that the relationship has gone on the rocks or over the cliff, the harm has been reciprocal.  The relationship crashes and one or more persons are wounded.  The hurt goes deep and lasts a long time, sometimes a lifetime.  Bitterness sets in and festers. Memories become painful and nagging.  The tape of wrong doing is played over and over.  Guilt or bitterness lingers and peace seems impossible.  Is peace and healing of the memories possible?

This is the question that must be asked if there is to be any change for the better.  Three Rs in rebuilding the relationship are necessary.  First is the difficult but essential act of Repentance for one’s part in the failure.  This is not just saying I’m sorry.  Regret may be real, but regret is not enough.  Repentance is saying I was headed in the wrong direction in the relationship.  I turn, change from the wrong way and pursue the right one.  It may be a 180 degree turn, but it is essential.  The old way must be surrendered. 

The second step is Reconciliation.  When two things or people are reconciled they are brought back together.  The relationship is restored to its former self before the break.  There is a renewal of the relationship as it was intended in the first place.  Things are set right between the two to each one’s benefit and satisfaction.  Peace once again reigns and healing is made possible.

The third step is a greater Restoration to righteousness.  Righteousness is right living.  The door of restoration is opened by reconciliation.  The potential originally possible from the relationship is now possible again.  The restoration of hope and progress is beyond what was realized before the break.  It is a restoration of actualizing something greater.  The healing and recovery is a process of perfecting the relationship, of growing together beyond what was possible in the past.

These three steps are difficult to take with others when we are harmed and hurting, when there has been unfaithfulness and good reason for loss of trust.  But for deep restoration, someone must act.  That’s exactly what Christ did for us on the cross.  He took the first step by taking on our sin so we might be reconciled to God and restored to our ultimate potential.  That is the restoration of the image of God in us,  to be like him in holiness and purity of heart.  It is a process of repentance, reconciliation, and restoration to righteousness, then being perfected by the Holy Spirit more and more each day.

HOLINESS: ULTIMATELY, INTIMACY WITH GOD

Irene and Jonathan, Dec. 1969

We build relationships with others through two “variables”:  proximity and frequency of contact.  In social psychology it's called the acquaintance process. Proximity and frequency of contact are the powerful ingredients in the process of becoming acquainted with someone, building rapport, trust, friendship, and eventually intimacy.

  When I was courting my wife in college, I worked at getting to know her and her to know me by getting close and connecting with her throughout the day.  I would meet her after class, walk her to the next class, arrange my schedule around hers, and make little dates like eating lunch and dinner together in the college dining commons.  Each day I could hardly wait to see her again.  Back then it was about theory and practice. I read about the acquaintance process in my first social psychology class and decided to live the theory by practicing the acquaintance process. I engaged proximity and frequency of contact.  I became increasingly in touch with the girl of my dreams and married her toward the end of our college days together.  That was 44 years ago.

Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road . . . Luke 24:32

When’s the last time you woke up and said to yourself, “I need to be with God today”?   While we may anticipate an important meeting or date with someone,  as Jesus's followers, we struggle with anticipating opportunities to meet with God.   We don’t think  about our proximity and frequent contact with Him throughout the day.  Before the legs swing over the bed and the feet hit the floor, very few people say,  “I can’t wait to spend time with you, Lord”.  I could be wrong, but it is rarely at the top of our list of things we look forward to when we awake.  Isn’t the Christian life potentially a daily walk with Christ and an increasing acquaintance with him?  Our close relationship and frequent opportunities for interaction with Him are paramount to everything we do going forward into the day.   At the heart of our relationship with God is the opportunity to draw near and encounter Him as he waits to encounter us.

The challenge is beyond having occasional hits of contact with God.  It is more than a spontaneous call for help when a crisis arises, more than the flash of memory to pray for someone we promised.  It is more than dependence on someone else’s walk with Christ to provide an awareness of His love and presence.  The challenge is a matter of continual awareness.  We sense that He is present.  We know that He wants a growing relationship. He longs for us to continually walk with him (Micah 6:8 – “walk humbly with your God.”)  He wants us to not only grow in the grace he provides.   He longs for residence, infilling our hearts and lives.  He wants us to be productive and fruitful in the life we live.  Jesus makes it very clear -

If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.  Apart from me you can do nothing.”  -John 15:5

"I give . . . water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

You can’t get a closer encounter with Christ than to remain in Him.  We remain by  “habits of the heart” (Bellah, et. al.) in the “spirit of the disciplines” (Dallas Willard). John Wesley would say we remain in him through means of grace including immersion in the Word of God, an active prayer life (personal and communal), public and private worship, and the sharing testimonies with others.  Other means of grace are wholesome reading, music, and fellowship with other Christians, giving thanks and praise to God and to others, and being intentionally engaged in acts of mercy, charity, and doing good to others, especially the marginalized, oppressed and poor. These means help remind us that Christ is present.  They help us understand his essence.

The journey of proximity to Christ and daily, frequent contact with him leads to greater things.  As we seek to remain in Him, He makes us His dwelling.  The acquaintance process occasions intimacy with God.  He transforms us into persons of holiness and means of grace for others.  In a growing acquaintance with Christ, we find the power of proximity and daily contact.  Ultimately we find intimacy with God.  May it be ever so!