"Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19 (NASV).
"I can do nothing on my own initiative..." (John 5:30 NASV).
"Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." (John 11:41-42 NIV).
Is it possible, really, to be always being led by the Spirit of God? Lots of believers don't believe that this is possible. Just this past week I was following a discussion where an enthusiastic young believer was rather brashly asking why anyone should talk about "waiting on God," basically suggesting that we can and should just "git er done" for God. And although others may not be quite so blunt, many who claim to be followers of Jesus show less-than-convincing evidence that they are always so in tune with God's Spirit that they can honestly claim to be "led by His Spirit."
So is it possible to be "led by the Spirit," to be so in tune with Him, so quiet on the inside that you can catch His whispers, sense when His peace lets you know that you are off track? Jesus' life and Paul's writing and the lives of countless followers of Jesus down through the ages answer this question with a resounding, "Yes!" And I would add my vote and gently suggest that the "git er done" for God approach is one of the reasons the church has been so terribly ineffective at facilitating transformation in our culture and why the church is filled with so many miserable, still broken "Christians." If Jesus Himself spent His time following Father's leading, doing nothing on His own initiative, who are we to think that we can do otherwise?
Note, however, that Jesus' relationship with His Father was one of mutual communication. The quote above from John 11 gives us an amazing glimpse into the relationship between Father and Son (which is a model for our own relationship with Papa). The picture we see from John 11:41-42 is that of an incredibly free-flowing conversation between Father and Son, with Jesus watching Father because He so loved Father, and with Father listening to every word/thought of His beloved Son. Out of this intimate and continuing conversation life and love and power exploded all around Jesus. And this to me is what it means to be led by the Spirit: an ever more intimate conversation that on our part is characterized by tenderness to the Spirit's slightest nudges but with allowance for conversation along the way.
So why do so many choose the "git er done" approach? Perhaps because living loved and listening requires a level of surrender and inner stillness that is frightening. It takes time to become inwardly still enough to always hear Abba's Spirit (and I am not there yet!). It takes a level of "softness" in one's heart to catch and follow the gentle nudges of Holy Spirit. It takes lots of interaction with Abba to finally catch the shouted messages of His immeasurable love for us that free us to say, "Father, can we do something about that man who is hurting?"
I am not sure I am expressing this as well as I wish I could. Let me be blunt: It is possible and it is necessary to live a life that is increasingly and literally led by the Spirit. It isn't easy but it is simple (simple doesn't mean easy). The more we surrender to His love and His leading, the more we spend time with Him simply as our Abba, the more we discover that it is possible to hear His voice and live in response to His initiative rather than callously living almost entirely on our own initiative. History is filled with examples of ordinary people who discovered this: the lay brother we know as Brother Lawrence, the humble tailor named John Woolman, the plumber who rocked the world we know as Smith Wigglesworth, and countless others who lived this life so quietly that we will only know about them in heaven.
What about you? Remember one of my maxims: when Scripture and my experience collide and don't agree, it is my experience that must change. I dare not rewrite Scripture based on my experience! And I am one who more and more knows by experience that is is possible to live so still inside that the Spirit speaks clearly and also listens intently. Try it, please. It's not just for a few mystical types. According to Paul in Romans 8:14 it is the normal condition of each/all of God's children to be being led by His Spirit. We don't have to just "git er done" for God! We can partner with Him from a place of joyful intimacy that results in His power and love being released in ever-increasing measure upon those around us.
Living lost in His love, listening for His voice,
Tom, one of Abba's children
No comments:
Post a Comment