“For Jesus, conversations with God began with desire, not discipline. He stayed close to God. Tethered.”- Sara Hagerty
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”- Luke 5:16 (NIV)
Today Sara Hagerty discusses thoughts three and four of ways to grow toward friendship with God (Chapter 8, Unseen).
3. Follow Jesus’ example of being tethered to God. Sara observes that often we approach prayer as mere discipline. Yes, approaching prayer as discipline provides a starting point for conversations with God. Also, discipline functions as a tool for those in need of structure. However, structure wasn’t Jesus’ foundation for talking with God.
Furthermore, we can chase the work of God, in and through us, with such fury we miss countless opportunities for friendship. For example, conversing with God on our journey. Also, we fail to allow for stillness in order to hear God’s whispers as we work.
Yet, God remains faithful. He continues to bring us back to friendship with Himself. In the process, He layers our understanding of the moments behind our pursuits.
4. Speak the Word of God. Out loud. When you being to speak the Word of God, Sara exhorts, your relationship to Scripture changes as well as deepens. Hence, you realize the words of Scripture as “living Truth, loving Truth, the Truth (emphasis Sara’s).
Therefore, God’s Word nourishes our roots in God’s love as it provides life-giving food. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible, “The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart.”
In conclusion, Sara underscores, God’s Word contains the only Truth enabling us to see beyond the limitations -sometimes even lies – of our circumstances. One minute at a time, we’re able to replace those limitations and lies with the spoken truth. Sara encourages:
“Win back your day one minute at a time with the truth of God’s Word, . . . and watch what happens to your heart as His truth begins to speak louder than all the other noise of the day.”
Today’s question: Are you tethered to God through discipline or desire? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The crazy, transforming power of adoration”
