Change and Present Greatness

"To come into the living presence of God is to change!" -- Richard Foster.

How can God "walk with me / and talk with me / and tell me I am his own" if I never have five minutes for him? How can I expect to hear his voice when Snoop vs. Eminem is blasting my stereo, MTV is flickering in the corner of my eye (MTV2 too, if I have picture in a picture) and I am chatting to my friends on my cell phone & AIM? Doesn't sound too probable...

Sure, God can use a big voice, but if he did he would probably blow your mind. Most of the time, God communicates with us the way he spoke to Elijah in the midst of his despair. Not with the thunder and lightning we THINK we need, not with the fire from heaven to consume our enemies that we THINK we want--God comes to us in a whisper, in a small voice to set us back on the path. He gives us counsel and comfort, he reminds us of everything we have been taught. He guides us in HIS right way.

And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 1 Kings 19:9-13

When Elijah even though the ground was still shaking, the trees were still crackling with fire, and the wind was rustling the leaves, Elijah was attentive for the voice of the LORD. When he heard the voice of the LORD. That takes discipline, it takes knowing what to listen for, and it takes knowing God intimately.

God designed us with intimacy in mind. Back in the day before we messed things up, God and Adam would walk together in the garden and enjoy the cool of the afternoon. Then Satan did his thing, humans followed suit, and the rest is history. From that point on only a very select few were able to enjoy such an intimacy with God. Moses comes to mind more than any other (he was said to be friends with God) and to get that relationship he had to be the most humble man ever! (Num 12:3)

I am the good shepherd. My sheep follow me because they know my voice. John 10

Jesus is the good shepherd, but if we do not know his voice, how will we know where to go and how will we be able to follow him? Knowing his voice requires training the ear. Can you recognize a singer without recognizing the song? I can pick David Bowie 99 times out of 100. When your parents or your best friend call you, do you know them by voice? How much time do you spend listening to that voice?...probably a lot more than you spend listening to the voice of God.

Sure, it might be a different voice, but you just have to practice listening differently. That is what meditation is all about. It is about blocking out the distractions, the things of life and the things of this world--the screens that Satan throws in your path--so that you can focus on God. It is not an Eastern detachment and escapism that the Christian meditator seeks, but simply an unobstructed view of God. It is certainly not enough to just empty yourself when meditating. Jesus says that if all you do is empty the evil spirits, they will leave for a while but come back with interest. (Lk 11) No, you have to empty yourself of the bad and fill yourself up with the good...and there is only one righteousness superstore in town. G.O.D. Inc.

So what is the difference between prayer and meditation then? The answer is, not a great deal. Specifically, prayer is the part where you are talking with God. Meditation is less formal, perhaps more rambling, relies more on the guidance of the Spirit, is involved with emotion and introspection, and is actively seeking the presence of God. The margin between meditation and prayer is so narrow, that I think 1 Th 5:17 & Eph 6:18 are probably talking about meditation rather than strictly prayer. The really great thing about meditation is that it can be both formal and informal, both scheduled and impromptu, both finite and ongoing. One can have micro-meditations while working (though they will be insufficient) and one can have mega-meditations on Memorial Day weekend (though it requires the micro-meditations which put you in the right frame of mind). However you do it and whenever you do it, you can do it always...continually.

And the purpose of meditation? To prepare your soil for God's work. Meditation helps you to make your heart and mind a fertile ground for the seed of righteousness which God has planted in you. It does so by making God's presence felt in your life and by training you to hear his Spirit's counselling guidance. Once you come into the presence of God, once you become his sheep who knows his voice, you cannot help but be changed by his majesty and his great love.

My challenge to you: take the time to meditate. Look for God in Creation, look inside for ways to be closer to God, look for God in a scripture, or look for God's work in the events of your life. Speak to God with your heart. Lay your burdens at his feet and take as many blessings as you can carry.