WE MERE HUMANS often suffer a sense of listlessness, and find ourselves both weary and bored simultaneously—a sluggishness of soul. Jesus was never like that; whatever the circumstances, scripture presents him as fully engaged in the moment. One of the most amazing statements in all of scripture is that he was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” (Heb. 4:15) Perhaps the most significant way that Jesus differed from us in the human sense was his clear understanding of his divine calling and mission. He always knew what he was doing, where he was going, and how he must interact with the people and the circumstances of the day.
The Father calls us close to himself and beyond to mission, but so often our perception of what we are to be doing becomes clouded by the vicissitudes of life. Some change, some unforeseen confluence of events, disrupts our routine, and we are suddenly on an unfamiliar path. It is vitally important to the well-being of our souls that we stay keenly aware that we are being called to the Father eternally; to remind ourselves that his mission for us during this life is our purpose as we journey onward to heaven. Jesus never lost sight of the fact that his path was leading him on to his Father, through travail, and on to glory. How he must have yearned for completion, and his return to the Father! We see this clearly in the scene at his last supper. “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15)
The psalms extoll the power of the inherent desire within each of us to be in the presence of the Father. The temple in Jerusalem is envisioned as his, and our, dwelling place, and the Psalmist says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psa. 84:2) He calls blessed “those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.” (Psa. 84:4) The writer of this particular psalm of ascendence (perhaps Jehoshaphat: 2 Chron. 20:26) is headed to Jerusalem, likely for Passover, and says “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” (Psa. 84:5) He is on his way through the desert, and comes to a seasonal oasis, the Valley of Baca, which is replenished by rain occasionally as God so favors. Those on pilgrimage, he says, “go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.” (Psa. 84:7) He sees God’s provision for his own life journey, and reflects on how God encourages, supports, and provides before and after the dry times in the desert. He ends the psalm in praise: “The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.” (Psa. 84:11a-12)
All of us have our own occasional times in the desert. All of us desperately need an oasis from time to time. We need the refreshing that only come from a time spent in the presence of the Father. It is he who reminds us that our journey is eternal, and that he is both our way and our destination. The desert times come sometimes from inattention, other occasions perhaps from an act of willful disobedience, and possibly at times by the will of God.
In the first case, the author of Hebrews advises, “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Heb. 2:1) In the second, Peter admonishes, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)
In either case, we must make aligning our will with the Father’s will our priority, and remain focused on our task. Our journey, after all, has eternal value; “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal. 6:9-10) Let this great hope fortify us in our own pilgrimage: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psa. 84:10)
The daily renewal of the inner man comes only from the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. “His divine power has given us everything we need so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.” (2 Pet. 1:3-4) It is first and foremost this essence of God which dwells within us and cries out for the divine connection that compels us to seek the Father’s presence, and it is from this that we have both vision and energy for our daily walk, tasks, and trials.
Q. What discipline must I begin to practice for spiritual renewal?
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