M2-S9: SURRENDERING TO GOD IN THE MOMENT

SUMMARY

  • Don’t miss the depth for the simplicity: being aware of God, listening for his voice moment by moment, and obeying what we hear is as deep as the Christian life goes.
  • Blackaby: find where God is at work and join him there.
  • Sometimes the big stuff is hiding in the small stuff.
  • Staying aware of God’s presence is wonderful. Listening to and hearing from God regularly is transformative. But the really good stuff is in surrendering to what God is doing in the moment.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS

John 15:1-17

ACTING ON WHAT WE HEAR

If you went to graduate school to study the Bible, you may have learned a couple of words or phrases in German, like “Heilsgeschichte.”  Translated “salvation history,” Heilsgeschichte refers to a narration of history–of the telling of the story of history–in a way which emphasizes God’s saving acts as the central theme of the historical narrative, and which views Jesus Christ as central to the redemption of all things. This is why a large percentage of Holy Scripture is narrative; story. Sometimes–like in the parables–the story is undoubtedly meant for our direct learning. But at other times, the narrative is simply the story of God’s people, from which we can learn. Sometimes that learning is in the narrow sense of an obvious lesson or application; at other times in a broader sense of seeing what people look like when they are living as God’s people.

In short, we often learn from narrative; from story.  

My part this evening is just in large part, just that: a bunch of stories from my own point of view which will hopefully emphasize the notion of abiding in Jesus moment by moment  

Because the trouble is, we tend to read something in Scripture–like John 15, or dumb-down some theologicial concept-like grace by slapping a fairly simplistic and often well-worn interpretation on it, and move on without really giving it deeper thought.  “Grace is unmerited favor” is a good example of our gross oversimplifications which keep us from contemplating the depths and riches of grace, for example. 

Let’s not do this with John 15!  Let’s not define down “abiding with Jesus” to simply “read your Bible and pray every day” and move on too quickly.  Really getting what it means to “abide with Jesus” requires meditation and prayer and real contemplation.

If you are open to it, God is going to ask you to do stuff.  And that’s where the cool stuff is. God is going to ask, direct, invite. Blackaby and King wrote a book many years ago called Experiencing God, and the main point was: “find where God is working and then join him.” That’s never more true than in the present moment.

We say “the devil is in the details” by which, among other things, we mean a job well done can require meticulous attention, or a thorough investigation requires attention to the little things, but let me reverse that and suggest that when it comes to hearing God’s voice and obeying God’s voice, The Lord is in the details. Small stuff matters, that’s where the big stuff often hides. And that’s where we learn to do the big stuff. Sometimes the big stuff is the small stuff.  

Staying aware of God’s presence is wonderful. Listening to and hearing from God regularly is transformative. But the really good stuff is in surrendering to what God is doing in the moment—getting involved, acting on what he directs you to do, calls you to do, ways He invites us to participate in the Kingdom Work that He is up to all around us.

One of the daily habits I am trying to cultivate in my own life right now is starting my day in eager expectation for God’s Spirit to be at work, and for God to speak, direct, invite me into His Kingdom Purposes; and to empower me to step into what he tells me to do.

Obedience is the only pathway to a deeper walk with Jesus.