Lent Day 14: Too Familiar

Thirteen days have already come and gone since you and I began this season of reflection and prayer as we look forward to Easter Sunday. May the Lord continue to be our compass and rudder as we continue on this journey together!

"We are travelers on a journey, fellow pilgrims on the road;

We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you in the nighttime of your fear;

I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh, I'll laugh with you;

I will share your joy and sorrow, till we've seen this journey thro'.

When we sing to God in heaven, we shall find such harmony,

Born of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony."

-- Extracted from The Servant Song, Richard Gillard

On this fourteenth lenten morning, my heart is overflowing with gratitude to think and know that I am not alone on this journey of faith -- not only do I have brothers and sisters walking alongside me, I have Immanuel extending His grace and lavishing His love onto me.

For many of us, it has been a long time since we began walking with Christ. As we accumulate more and more spiritual miles on the road of faith, the Holy Spirit invites us to be aware of a grave danger—growing more familiar with Christianese lingo and behavior than experiencing greater intimacy with Christ.

O Wondrous Lord,

Let us not merely talk the walk.

Grant that we sincerely walk the talk.

O Loving Redeemer,

Let us not merely be leaky buckets of knowledge.

Give us hearts that can retain the water of Your grace.

Friends, allow me to point our minds and hearts to the hand of God. The Lord is at work in our lives and is wooing us in a mighty way. It is simply a joy to watch Him reveal Himself to us even in the subtlest of ways. 

However, you and I often miss what God is doing because we allow our eyes to grow dull with familiarity—same old routine of prayer and praise, been-there-done-that approach to prayer and praise. And that kind of blasé familiarity leaves no room for intimacy with Christ or His bride.

In search of that kind of intimacy, songwriter Matt Redman talks about a time when the pastor of his church did an unusual thing -- he asked them to "stop using the PA and projectors, pack away their instruments for a while, and gather in an adjoining room with nothing but voices and Bibles and hearts." That initial giving up ushered the whole church into a season of "stripping away anything associated with style, preference, or performance," Redman recalls.

That's when God revealed Himself in a powerful way to His people.

"When the music fades,

All is stripped away.

And I simply come;

Longing just to bring

something that's of worth,

That will bless Your heart."

-- Extracted from The Heart of Worship, Matt Redman 

Lent beckons you and me to rend the familiarity that desensitizes us to the true heart of worship:

What is the music that needs to fade in our lives?

What are the garments that need to stripped away?

What are the entanglements we need to untie in order to simply come?

In order for our eyes to gain God’s fresh perspective, let us daily go to His Word, then pause, take stock, and evaluate what God has done, is doing, and promises to do for us in the future.

So, as we pray, might we go to the Word, asking God to give us fresh eyes? 

Might we humbly request Him to balance our prayers so that they do not sound like a grocery list? 

Might we say, “Father, Your word says that You are my shepherd and that I shall not be in want. You affirm that You are always with me and that You will restore my soul . . . (Psalm 23)"?

Might we admit to God the ways in which we have failed to live out the truth we have just quoted to Him from His own Word? 

Might we say, "Lord, we confess that we tend to act as though we were our own shepherds seeking to provide for our own selfish desires and wants . . . We often doubt Your presence when our souls are conflicted with issues at work, at home, or even at church"?

Might we thank God for the blessings His Word grants to our lives? 

Might we say, "Thank You, Jesus, for showing us how we have neglected to rely on You for all that we need. Thank You for providing us with a desire to work hard and thank You for placing people around us who can point us to You"?

Might we present our requests to Him—whatever they may be—all the while acknowledging His power, His love, and His interest in hearing what we have to say? 

Might we talk to Him, all the while remembering “He is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother”?

Might we trust that He is One who makes all things new? 

Indeed, this Christian life is not boring—as long as we rely on the power and presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords! There is no way we can truly be 'too familiar' with a God who delights in granting us new adventures, new delights, new challenges, new tests, new mercies every morning! May we bring our hearts to Him today, tomorrow, and forevermore!