God’s word, when heard, becomes a transformative power within us. Mark Buchanan explains: “If this stuff gets in you, down in your guts, it is going to shape you in ways beyond your asking or imagination.”[i] The more we heed God’s voice in Scripture, the more it gets down in our guts and shapes us in ways beyond our imagination.
I’ve seen this stuff at work. My friends Nathan and Karen were teachers in local Memphis public schools. They were also voracious consumers of Scripture and intent on listening to God. One day they asked to meet with the staff and elders of our congregation. With great courage and conviction they announced “We believe God has called us to move to the Philippines to become missionaries.” Nathan’s mother and father had been laboring for decades in the Philippines starting churches and establishing a highly respected school in the city of Bacolod. Nathan and Karen discerned that God wanted them to pack up their home, their two boys, and move thousands of miles to partner with the older Luthers in this work. As we prayed about it, we reached the same conclusion. We sent Nathan and Karen to get additional training and then watched them fly away to a completely different life. I recently returned from visiting them and their work in the Philippines. Churches were thriving. Their school was overflowing. Life after life was changing. How did this all happen? I believe it started when that word got down inside Nathan and Karen and shaped them beyond their asking or imagination. Because they heard (and heeded) they, and the lives of many others, were forever changed.
Jesus affirms the power of the Word in his Sermon on the Mount. As a concluding exhortation, Jesus describes what happens to the person “who hears these words of mine and does them” (Jesus believes real hearing always leads to heeding) (Matt. 7:24 ESV). That person is changed into something akin to a house resting on a solid foundation that cannot be shaken despite the strongest storms (Matt. 7:24-25). Today you may feel like a shack likely to fall at the first sign of showers. You may see yourself as a hut about to collapse from a single clap of thunder. But if you learn to listen to Jesus, you will be transformed into a solidly constructed and firmly founded home that remains immovable and impenetrable even in the wildest weather.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is the ancient method of hearing the renovating and revolutionary word of God. It is a method for gaining our lost ears so we may once again listen to the ever-speaking Father, Son and Spirit.
First, choose a brief text of Scripture and read it. Read as if you are reading a letter from someone you deeply love. Read as if you are reading these words for the very first time. As you read, ask, “God, what do you wish to say to me today?” Listen for a word or phrase that seems to get stuck in your mind or impressed on your heart.
Second, begin to reflect on that word or phrase. Repeat it. Write it down. Draw something which represents it. Interrogate it: “What’s going on in my life that would cause this word to stick out today? What sin am I wrestling with that this word addresses? What blindspot to I possess which this word illuminates? What comfort and I seeking or courage am I needing that this word brings? What is it about who I am right now that needs this word?
Third, respond to God in prayer based on what you’ve heard. Give a shout of praise. Kneel in humble repentance. Thank Him for the insight. Ask him further questions.
Finally, rest in the presence of God. Spend a few moments in quiet and calming silence with the Father who’s shared so intimately with you today.
Take Ten
Set aside just ten minutes today to experience this powerful practice. Don’t put it off. Do it right now if you can. Listen carefully. Let that word get down inside of you and change you in ways you never even dreamed of.
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[i] Mark Buchanan, Your God is Too Safe (Multnomah 2001), 204.
