When I'm Empty

Ever wake up in the morning feeling like your gauge is on empty? I'll be the first to raise my hand. I do.

The more I read and study God's Words for us, the more convinced I am that one of the primary ways we refill our tanks is to gather with "the body of Christ" (those people who have chosen to follow Jesus as their forgiver and leader for life).

Yes, solitude time is vital.

Daily time in prayer and digesting the Bible is irreplaceable.

But...there is something that happens when we gather together...

When we worship in song together...

When we explore God's Words together...

When we, yes, serve, together...

It is one of the primary ways that my heart is refilled, rebuilt, reformed, renewed, reshaped, redirected and redeemed.

Listen to just one, of many, teachings on this from the Bible: In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit. (Eph. 2:21-22)

The challenge is, the natural direction for most of us, when we are experiencing emptiness, is to stay away. 

We isolate ourselves. 

We think, "I need to feel something more in order to engage with other people who follow Jesus." 

We think, "I can't serve if my tanks are empty. I'll flame out. I'm not good enough."

That is precisely the time when we should press into God's Truth and engage more deeply.

That is the time when worship is most needed for the survival of our souls.

I can't neglect getting together with followers of Jesus each week.

My soul won't survive without it.

On Silence and Solitude

I've been reading on the life of the Apostle Paul lately. This morning's study was on the time just after his conversion. He had been a man who was driven by the approval of others. He had been a man who was relentless in the pursuit of his career and what he felt was right.

So, when he met Christ on the road, everything changed, and, as he describes in Galatians 1, he shifted down. He removed himself from the place of seeking human approval and allowed himself time to unplug...for three years.

Here's some snapshots of what I read this morning that are impacting what I'm thinking and praying for for this summer's sabbatical:

If you're not careful [about your time away with God], you'll quickly fill those days with things to do, places to go, and people to see. Resist that temptation to crowd out the Lord. What a perfect opportunity to carve out time to be alone, just you, the family, and the Lord. Computer off. Fax unplugged. Cell phone tossed in the ocean. So your voicemail fills up. You know what? People will survive. Believe this: They don't need you or me to make it through their day. They don't need you nearly as much as you need the relief. You say, "That's pretty radical stuff." Radical? Perhaps. Unreasonable? Absolutely not. Radical change is essential if we're going to become deeper, more effective servants [bold added is mine].

Three strategies that will help you make some sense of those radical, but essential adjustments:

First, instead of speeding up, slow down and rethink.
Taking time to discovoer what really matters is essential if we're going to lift the curse of superficiality that shadows our lives. Once Saul left Damascus and slipped into Arabia, he began taking inventory. He was alone. He walked slower. He watched sand swirl over stones. He thought deeply about his past. He relived what he had done. He considered each new dawn a gift from the Lord....time spent in solitude prepares us for the inevitable challenges that come at us from the splintered age in which we live.

Second, instead of talking more, be quiet and reflect.
Some of us talk so much we can't even remember what we've said. We've formulated answers to questions nobody asks. We put worlds on parade. [My prayer is that I would talk less this summer and learn again how to hear my Father's voice - it's distant right now and I desperately want to hear it more clearly].

Third, instead of seeking a place of power, be still and release.
What is it going to take for us to give up this idea that we've got to be somebody? Everyone joins the race for the top. Richard Foster addressed this...

"Today we have forgotten the importance of the hidden work of god. As a result (and remember this), we immediately thrust people into notoriety, bestowing on them unbelievable power, and then we wonder why they are corrupted. Unless we are ready for it, power will destroy us. This is not small matter for the Church today. Because of our wholesale ignorance of the importance of hidden preparation, we have thrust untold numbers of workers into the limelight before they were ready."
(Quotes from Chuck Swindoll's book "Paul")

As I review my Bible history, I find that nearly every man or woman whom God used to influence his or her world had their character and their relationship forged in obscure solitude.

May it be so with me.