In this too-much-information age, it seems that people aren’t writing things down as much as they used to. Because you can always watch it/listen to it again later on social media or YouTube. But what Mark Murphy says is exactly why I choose to go against the grain. Admittedly, my journaling habits have become more sporadic in recent years, but maybe that’s a good thing. Because as I look back over the past few months especially, among all the stuff and noise and life that doesn’t really matter, what’s been written down has hit home in some way and has been fuel for steadfastly-but-far-from-perfectly walking this Walk. And better still, it’s always there as a reminder.
What follows are some of the “things I’ve found” and jotted down since before the holidays. I hope they encourage you to go against the grain, too, and jot down your own “truly important stuff” to refer to again and again for your own journey in the new year. (Theologian and author James Packer’s nuggets are prominent since I used his devotional “Your Father Loves You” throughout 2021.) …
ON FINDING PEACE…The answer to this is yes: “Do I need to rearrange my day so that I can be unhurriedly quiet before God?”—J.I. Packer
ON FINDING JOY…A daily roadmap: “I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.”—Psalm 119:14…”What brings joy is finding God’s way, God’s grace, and God’s fellowship throughout the bible, even though again and again what God tells us in the bible knocks us flat!”—J.I. Packer
ON FINDING PURPOSE…More timely words were never spoken: “Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others.”—1 Corinthians 10:24…Modern translation:
“We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.”
(The Message)
ON FINDING A REASON TO PRAY…During a time of prayer: “Let this be THE season, not A season, for turning and returning.”
ON FINDING A REASON TO PRAISE… Why thanksgiving is a year-round holiday: “…that we may give thanks unto Thy holy name and to triumph in Thy praise.”—Psalm 106:47…"[In ancient times] a triumph was not the winning of a victory. It was the celebration of a victory that had already been won. And so, when we really praise God, we’re not asking Him for victory, we’re celebrating the fact the victory has already been won.”—Derek Prince
ON FINDING THE REASON TO KEEP IT SIMPLE…Stay away from Jesus-plus. Stick to living the simple gospel. “For in Christ, ALL the fullness of the Deity dwells.”—Colossians 2:9…"Nobody needs more than Christ gives!”—J.I. Packer
ON FINDING THE RIGHT POSTURE…"I’ll fight on my knees with my hands lifted high, O God—the battle belongs to You.”—Phil Wickham…Follow Jehoshaphat’s lead every day: “For we are powerless against this great multitude [of stuff, issues, people, situations, etc.] which is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”—2 Chronicles 20:12
ON FINDING VISION FOR THE NEW YEAR…I hate waiting. Who doesn’t? Except that when I sought the Lord for an anchor verse for the new year on January 1, this is what I opened to:
“I wait longingly for Adonai; I put my hope in His word.”
(Psalm 130:5, Complete Jewish Bible)
It made me ask again the important question about something that seems to be very important to God: “What does waiting for the Lord really mean? I hope it doesn't mean what I think it does.” And I found I had written down something important many years ago, something I quickly forget over and over again: Waiting for God is not about sitting around and doing nothing. It is an expectant trust, hope and reliance. Waiting is an action verb, not passive do-nothingness.
And I found more words written down years ago that brought even more hope and action to this vision for the new year…
..."Think of waiting for a train. When you wait you may be still, standing or sitting, but you are not passive. You are watching, listening. Your eyes follow the parallel lines of the tracks into the distance looking for the train to come chugging in. You listen for the roar of the engine, the clanking of the cars, and the tones of the train’s whistle. Even as your body rests on the platform your senses are alert and your mind active. This is what it should be like to wait on the Lord, too. Sometimes it is stillness, but in the stillness there is alertness and heightened sensitivity."—Barnabas Piper, from "Patience Isn't Passive”
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