The past while I’ve been drawn more deeply into God’s heart. I’m aware of a profound intimacy with God, and also a few principles surrounding that. I’d like to share them with you.
I’ll probably do a series on this soon, but for now let me say that drawing the primary cues for your spiritual life from the Psalms is a big mistake unless you do major theological adjustment as you go. The Psalms were written by passionate God seekers living on the other side of the cross. They didn’t have all the things Jesus’ death and resurrection has made available, and their spirituality reflects that on every single page they write.
In my opinion, the very best place to take cues for your spiritual life is the book of John. For several reasons.
1. John actually walked with Jesus for a couple of years. Watched him pray. Sleep. Eat. Deal with life. You name it.
2. John, more than any other writer in scripture, seems compelled to paint an accurate, inside picture of Jesus spiritual life and how we can live that life by the Spirit. He understands the heartbeat of God and how intimacy with God works.
To summarize John’s findings, the radically irreligious approach to faith that Jesus lived out himself was this:
Only decide, say, or do what God inspires you to decide, say, or do — all through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.
Huge, I know. I’ll try and unpack it sometime in the future. Suffice it to say that I’ve been trying to live this life, and have noticed two major issues that knock me off the path.
1. Noise. And here I don’t mean traffic, other people, work, or hustle-and-bustle. That’s part of life and you’d need to be a hermit to avoid it. I mean my own noise, the stuff I choose to impose on myself. Music. Radio. My own muttering or speaking. Noise. For me, choosing quiet is huge. When I choose noise, my sense of God’s nearness fades almost immediately. Cause there’s only so much info my brain can hold. It’s like choosing serenity amidst the din. It’s possible.
2. Indulgent idolatry. Getting wrapped up in anything but God, and I mean ANYTHING, to the point where it becomes first in my heart. For more on this, see my post called “A Bell Curve for the Soul.”
Believe it or not, being attentive to just those two things has opened up a whole new world for me.