Simmering

 

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;

—Colossians 4:2 RSV

How many pots do you have simmering at the moment? Oh, I don’t mean literal pots on your stove. I’m referring to the “spiritual pots” of your unanswered prayers. Cooking professional, James Peterson, says this about “simmering”: ¹

Unlike the French, who are gifted with a vocabulary that describes the stages of a liquid about to boil—(such asfremir, which means to tremble or shake)—we have no equivalent words to describe variations in simmering. But for most purposes, a “simmer” is the stage when the water is in motion but almost no bubbles break the surface; they’re trying to, but the water’s surface tension holds them in place.

Some days, when we spend time in prayer, we feel that God will break through with an answer at any time. We feel we can almost see the “bubbles” on the surface. Yet sometimes, when we have laid our petitions before the Lord for many weeks and months, there comes a time when our “simmering liquid of prayer” seems at the point of “boiling dry.” We become tired of praying for the same things and begin to feel as if we have lost our zeal. We find ourselves at the point of giving up. Yet God’s written Word encourages us to hold on and to not give up. Notice this instruction from Hebrews 6:12:

… imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

We simply cannot rush God’s sovereign plan for us, and His plan for those for whom we pray. He knows just how long the “simmering process” must continue.

The verse at the beginning of this blog post tells us to watch the “simmering pot of prayer”—and be thankful while doing so—believing that God will answer according to His will, and also because of His incredibly all-knowing love for us. He has a feast planned for us that requires the long, slow-cooking process.

When we are tempted to feel that God isn’t listening to our prayers, we must know that He watches over us with pleasure as we “watch” for His answers and wait on Him. He smells the fragrance of our prayers. He sees and knows the best time to bring that “dish” to completion. With great anticipation, let us thank Him for His amazingly wonderful answers, even before we see any indication of them!

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1 Peterson, James. Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making, Fourth Edition. Harvest Books/HarperCollins Publishers, 2017. Please note that in each case, whenever citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Meditate

 

May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

—Psalm 104:34

When we counsel fellow believers to spend time each day reading Scripture, we often use the additional encouragement to not only read but to “meditate” on God’s written Word. Have you ever wondered what we mean by the word “meditate”? The dictionary defines the word “meditate” as follows:

… to think deeply or carefully about something; to focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes, or as a method of relaxation.

So, when we encourage a fellow believer to spend time each day reading, studying, and meditating on God’s written Word, we intend to encourage that one to not only read very carefully and study intently the Scriptural text, we also seek to motivate that one to think deeply about what God desires to communicate with us through the text He has inspired the various biblical writers to share with us.

The Puritan writer, George Swinnock, has written often about the subject of what it means to “meditate.” For example, drawing from just one passage in the somewhat exhaustive five volume collection of Swinnock’s writings, we find this helpful passage: ¹

Meditation prepares the heart for prayer. Meditate on your sins and hunt them out of their lurking holes; this helps in our confession. Meditate on your needs, for God is fully able to supply them. Consider what you need—pardoning, mercy, strength for victory, power against sin—that you may entreat God to give them to you. Meditate upon His mercies to you from birth. Look at the dangers you have been delivered from, the journeys you have been protected in, the seasonable help He has sent you, the suitable support He has afforded you in distress, the counsel He has given you in doubts, and the comforts He has provided you in sorrow and darkness. These are present with you by meditation.

Every breath in your life is a gift of mercy. Do not forget the former favours bestowed on you and your family. An empty perfume bottle still smells when the perfume is gone. Then meditate upon your present mercies. How many do you enjoy—your house, family, body, and soul, are all fully of blessings! Think of them particularly. Spread them out like jewels to you view. Meditate on how freely they are bestowed, on their fullness and greatness.

But O, your soul’s mercies—the image of God, the blood of Christ, eternal life, and seasons of grace! Your whole life is a bundle of mercies. These stir us up to bless the Giver.

Then meditate on God to whom we pray. O how we are ashamed of our drops when we stand by this ocean! Meditate on His mercy and goodness. These like Moses’ strokes will fetch water our of a rock.

God delights to be sought and found. He delights to see men joyful in the house of prayer. God will not send you away sad. When you have by meditation put the wood in order upon the altar, you may by prayers set fire to it and offer up a sacrifice of sweet smelling savour.

As we move through the days ahead, let us determine to set aside time to read, to study, and to meditate on God’s precious written Word. As we allow the words of our God to wash over our beings, we will arise from our time with Him, finding that our minds and hearts have truly been refreshed and renewed.

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1 Swinnock, George. Works of George Swinnock. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1992. Volume 1, Pp. 111-117. Please note that, in each case whenever citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Re-formed by God

 

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

—Jeremiah 18:4

Imagine, in your mind, that you are watching a skilled potter as she throws a pot on a spinning potter’s wheel. Notice the strength, skill, delicacy, and purposefulness that flows from the hands of that potter, as a mere lump of clay is transformed into a beautiful clay pot. The potter must feel free when creating this art to know that if the pot comes out wrong, the potter can re-form it by simply adding a little water and starting over. However, the time to reshape and change the final look of the object does have a limit. Once the pot’s clay hardens, re-forming the pot becomes almost impossible.

In the passage of Scripture at the beginning of this blog post, the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah used the image of the potter, and of the clay that God gave the potter from the ground, as a narrative to warn the nation of Israel about the danger prescribed by their hardened and rebellious hearts. Through Jeremiah, the Lord literally cried out to His people to allow Him to re-form them as He pleased, in order to make them a nation that He could use for His glory.

If you use your English dictionary to look up the meaning of the word “re-form,” you will find descriptive words like:

“… to form again or in a new configuration; to come back together as a group …”

How does a potter take a clay object and re-form it? First, and most importantly, the clay must remain soft and pliable. To correct the flaws in a piece of pottery, the potter can rub out the mistakes. The potter can even change the originally planned object for a use other than the use the potter first intended. This re-formation takes place within the potter’s hands. But, to truly re-form clay into something wholly worthwhile, it most often takes an artistic and a creative touch by a skilled potter, who takes special care. If the clay pot hardens before the process has finished, the potter can no longer re-form it. Instead the potter has to break it into pieces and begin again with a new slab of workable clay.

Similarly, the Prophet Jeremiah knew the hardness of the hearts of the people of Israel. In Chapter 19 of the Book that bears Jeremiah’s name, the Lord tells him to use as an illustration a new clay jar. God instructs Jeremiah to break it into pieces while the people watch. And then, warn them that He will smash the nation of Israel in such a way that it simply cannot be repaired.

As followers of Jesus, God serves we “Christ-ones” in the role of our Potter. We become the clay in His creative and artistic hand. If we allow Him to hold us lovingly in His hands and to then mold us into whatever shape He desires, God can more readily use us for His divine purposes. But, in contrast, if we allow our hearts to harden, and if we turn away from the Potter, He can only use us if He first breaks us. How much more easily the course of our lives will unfold, if we willingly allow the re-forming process by our Potter, the Greatest of All Artists.

I am reminded of the words to the hymn, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” by Adelaide Pollard. ¹

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

As you consider these thoughts I’ve shared, I invite you to please pray this prayer with me:

Heavenly Potter, please mold us into the people You wish us to become. Re-form those of us who have pliable hearts and make us into useful vessels. Re-form our gifts and our energies for Your glory. Re-form our churches, re-form our desires, and re-form our plans. Help us to willingly submit to You and allow You to have the freedom to re-form us anew, according to Your good purpose and grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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1 Pollard, Adelaide. “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” A hymn in the Public Domain. This Hymn is included in various Hymnals that are copyrighted by the publisher of the Hymnal. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of someone claiming Copyright protection of this material, please note that in each case, whenever citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Everlasting Abba

 

And he will be called … Everlasting Father.

—Isaiah 9:6

God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

—Galatians 4:6

What’s in a name? In the Bible, names take on a specific meaning for the individual. A person’s name offered a unique label for the person to whom it was given. This is much more true for the names given by God for Himself. The lovely name, “Abba,” holds a special place in Scripture, as one of the very few Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic terms that scholars have not translated for us into English.

In 21st century Israel, the appellation “Abba” still holds much the same place as it did in ancient usage. This directly relates in the same way the word “Daddy” does in our current American milieu. Little ones in ancient times also related to their fathers in this lovingly familiar way.

However, in New Testament times when referring to their fathers, the term “Abba” was used by adults equally as much as the term was used by children. In the spiritual world, the term “Abba” contained the sense of God as the Holy One, Revealer of Mysteries, Creator, and more—yet one who had a relationship with a devoted, obedient son or daughter. Thus, “Abba” became a more grown-up term of deep respect and honor with the affection of a personal relationship added into the meaning.

In her book, The Scars That Have Shaped Me, Vaneetha Rendall Risner ¹ writes a chapter titled: “How to Pray When Life Falls Apart.” In this chapter, she looks at Jesus in His most agonizing moments and the way He teaches us to pray in our worst dilemmas. She quotes the verse from Mark 14:36:

“‘Abba,’ Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Here Jesus used the most intimate of familiar names for His Heavenly Father and called Him “Abba.” In this one word, Jesus testified, not only of His love for the Father, but of the love the Father had for Him.

When we come to God in prayer during our times of greatest anguish and pain, using the name “Abba” for our Father reminds us of the relationship we have with Him, as His dearly loved children. During these times of difficulty and distress, we need that relationship the most. In many cases, fear accompanies the days when we experience trouble. In Romans 8:15, the Apostle Paul reminds Christians of an important fact:

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.”

In our pain, we must go to God. If we hold an intimate relationship with Him, we have every right to call Him “Abba.” Remember, that even Jesus, in His fear and agony, needed His “Abba,” too.

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1 Risner, Vaneetha Rendall, The Scars That Have Shaped Me. Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2016. Pp.57-58. Please note that whenever a citation of Copyrighted material is made on a post of this blog, such a citation is given strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.