Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
   If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
   None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
By: Anonymous

Listen as you read.  This is a great gospel guitar version.

We swing the pendulum back to Just a Closer Walk with Thee and turn our focus to cultivating an awareness of God’s presence with us through all the different circumstances of life.  Because this stanza asks two huge questions which are both answered in the closing line, I want to begin with the latter half so we answer the question today and not allow it to linger from Tuesday to Thursday unanswered.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Burdens

First let us establish that we all have burdens.  They vary at different points in our lives, different stages, and change in their intensity and duration, but burdens are universal.  We all have them.

So the hymn strikes a chord with every honest soul.  We have all wondered what the answer to this question is at times.  There are seasons when we are confident that at least a few of the people closest to us would rally to our aid, but there are also times when each of us feels like the figure above.  At least a little hopeless.  Weary from the struggle of carrying our burden, we drop it to the ground and take a seat to rest and ask the question again.  Who will share this burden with me?

• 

  What does your burden look like today?

I imagine you do not have to think long or hard.  It probably is plain and simple.

• How are you managing that burden today?

Maybe you are muddling through.  Maybe you are handling it, sort of.  Maybe you are completely overwhelmed.

Jesus will help you.  Do you know that?  If you do, do you practice it?  That is to say, do you take your burdens to Jesus and ask for help?  If so, good.  If not, why not?

Maybe it is because you are not fully convinced that Jesus will actually help you with your burden.  Oh sure, you have faith enough to believe He would help others, but you remain unconvinced that He would help you.  So let’s take a few moments and put that to rest.  And there really is the key.  Rest.

Shared

You are not alone.  Jesus is with you and wants to help you with your burden.   Consider a couple Scriptures.

 Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.  Psalm 55:22 (ESV)

So your responsibility is simply to cast your burden on the Lord.  What does He do in return?  Sustains you.  Did you notice how the focus shifted first from the burden to the Lord, then to His work in you, not so much with the burden?  That is a very important realization.

Take a few moments and ask the Holy Spirit to help you cast your burden on Him.

Now get ready.  An incredible exchange is about to take place as we take Jesus at His word.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

Jesus invites all the weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest.  Sounds good so far right.  But wait, He then encourages us to take His burden, in the form of a yoke which represents His teaching, and encourages a life which reflects His, resulting in, yep, rest.

How does that work exactly? Well, most burdens look a lot like the ones the person is carrying here.   Even the ones we craft for ourselves are often unwieldy.  And when we let others add to them the situation quickly becomes unmanageable, even for he strongest among us.  His burden actually ushers in rest.  How so? His burden is light, as opposed to all others which are not.

And what does His burden look like?  Probably a whole lot like a cross.  Why do I say that?  Because that is how Jesus described the burden we should carry.

And he (Jesus) said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.   Luke 9:23 (ESV)

And He carried it first.  He set the example for us.  He carried the weight the Father had marked out for Him.  So we can with confidence do the same.

None But Thee

Who will share your burden? None but Thee.

Emphatic repetition.  None but Thee.

While this at first may seem like a bit of a downer. it is simply the honest truth of God’s faithfulness as it compares to the faithfulness of any and every other entity, well-intentioned or not.  God will help us bear our burden, and lift us when we falter, but more on the latter on Thursday.   I hope you will come back and tune with us again, but for today make certain to enjoy the resources below which are companions to these Tunings.

Restful Tuning!

Jesus, I know You will help me bear my burdens.  You have done it before and I am confident you will do it again.  You are faithful and so I entrust my life, burdens and all into your gracious care.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Below is content available only to Subscribers.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the Subscribers content, click here.

Subscribers enjoy this video! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 7.2 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
   If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
   None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

What an apt description of this weary word through which we wander.  What difficulties and traps are you facing today? Ask Jesus to reveal them, and help you through each one. 

I have a friend who likes to quip “Nobody cares”  when people ask “How are you doing?” While I generally take issue with him on this, the hymn writer seems to be agreeing with that sad assessment.  Ask God to help you be honest, especially when you are crying out to Him.

God can handle even the toughest questions.  He may not make His answer quick or obvious, but even asking Him the questions is a demonstration of your faith in action.  What tough questions do you need to ask God today?

We can cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us.  He will never turn us away. Even when we are not faithful, He is.  Give your burdens to Him right now and be confident He will share them with you.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Burdens – https://pixabay.com/photos/holzfigur-stones-hopeless-stranded-980802/
What’s Inside? – https://pixabay.com/vectors/bag-sack-jute-brown-goods-156120/
Weary – https://pixabay.com/photos/boxes-cardboard-carrying-overload-2624231/
Take Up Your Cross – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-christ-cross-cross-carry-1248835/

I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in
   And then a little light from heaven filled my soul
He bathed my heart in love and He wrote my name above
   And just a little talk with Jesus makes me whole.

Just a Little Talk with Jesus
By: Cleavant Derricks (1909-1977)

Listen as you read.  This is an updated version of this old hymn.

As promised we begin being to explore the second of our two alternating hymns this week, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, and Just a Little Talk with Jesus.  As we begin that journey today looking into the heart of the matter with the first two lines of the latter, I am excited to announce that Wednesday Wanderings begins tomorrow with a different look into this text under the guidance of Dr. Sherri Woods.  If you are on our list, watch your email tomorrow for that first installment.  If you are not on our list, sign-up today in the box to the right.

Let’s tune our hearts!

A Different Path

Last week our opening image was of two people walking and talking along a colorful path enjoying each other.  Today’s image is meant to evoke a very different feeling.  It looks like a few individuals walking alone on a dark street.  It looks a little dangerous, even mysterious.  What thoughts come to mind as you look at that image?

Maybe the caption I added gives it away, but there is trouble lurking on that path.  In the shadows all sorts of mischief are brewing, things which one the one hard may seem intriguing even temping, but cause us a world of pain.  We all know that path because we have walked it far too many times.  It is way that quickly takes us far from a life of honoring God.  What sins dot your path?  Doesn’t take much introspection to recall the difficulties into which we wandered, does it?

Take just a few moments to recount some of the things which demonstrated just how lost you were.  You will need that mental list in a minute.

But Jesus

Fortunately for us, Jesus knew we could not find our way back to the light, so He came looking for us.  That is what He did on the cross.  He made a way for us to come back to our Father, the One from whom our sins had separated us, causing us to be swept along a powerful stream of self-indulgence.

Can you remember that moment when you accepted the grace of Jesus?  I can.  It felt very much like what this image depicts.  I realized that I was far from God, but that Jesus not only had made a way back, He was the Way.

There is quite a contrast between these two images, just like there is between the first and second part of that first line. Lost, accepted.  Alone, together. Darkness, light.  Jesus has done all that for us, but I fear we are too quick to forget.  That little talk we have with Jesus at the beginning of our relationship changes everything, eternally.  Hallelujah!  But we need to keep talking to Him.  At a loss for what to say, start here.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”  Luke 7:47

Have a little talk with to Jesus right now.  I asked you to recount some of the ways your life demonstrated how lost you were.  Thank Jesus for delivering you from each of them.

Can You Still See It?

The light that is.  You saw it when you took Jesus up on His offer of forgiveness.  You have seen it in those moments you chose to love Him, and others, much.  Maybe you saw it just now as you expressed your gratitude once again for the deliverance Christ has brought into your life.  You can see it, that light from heaven that filled your soul, every time you remember how Jesus took you in, drawing you away from that life of sin.

And what a beautiful, inspiring light it is.  We face all kinds of darkness in our lives, every day.  But that light from heaven still illuminates our path even when, especially when, the darkness closes in on us.

You invite that light every time you have a little talk with Jesus.  Does it leave entirely?  Sometimes yes.  Sometimes no.  Like the image here, sometimes it is pushed to the side, still present, but not overwhelming.

So remember to welcome the light.  Remember to talk to Jesus.  There will be times when you simply sit and enjoy His presence.  Other times, you will pour your heart our in tears.  But sometimes, many times, throughout the course of every day, just have a little talk with Jesus.  Why?  Because those talk make you whole.

Invite Jesus right now to flood your soul with the light of heaven.  Look to the cross.  Welcome His embrace.  Revel in His love.

We will continue to warm our hearts with these truths as we step deeper into this old hymn on Thursday and subsequent weeks, but be sure to take a few minutes and cultivate that heart to converse with Jesus through the video log and transcript below the prayer.  The video is available only to our Subscribers and Free Members, but the transcript is available to everyone.  Become a Free Member today.  Simply click here.

Bright Tuning!

Jesus, I was lost in sin.  But that did not stop You from demonstrating Your love for me, on the contrary in motivated You to do so, out of obedience to the Father.  When I surrendered to Your love, light filled my soul.  Help me to surrender today and every day, and to walk in that light. In Jesus name.  Amen.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Below is content available only to Subscribers.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the Subscribers content, click here.

Subscribers and Free Members enjoy this podcast! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 8.1 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in
   And then a little light from heaven filled my soul
He bathed my heart in love and He wrote my name above
   And just a little talk with Jesus makes me whole.

It all begins here, with a heart of repentance, turning away from sin and into the loving arms of Jesus.  Do you remember when you first realized He willingly accepts as we are? Reflect on that and thank Him for leading you to repentance and taking you in.

I remember exactly where I was that moment the light of heaven filled my soul.  I remember what that felt like to turn from the darkness of doubt. Do you? Thank Jesus for the work He has down in your soul.

I felt His love for me and embraced the wonder of it with my whole heart.  I was overcome with emotion, my eyes filled with tears. Still my mind had little idea of the wonder that had just occurred, my name written in the book of life.  Bless His name!

Each of the sections of this old song ends with the powerful declaration I first realized that night, a little talk with Jesus changes things.  It changes me, my perspective, my circumstances. Sometimes all three. Thank Jesus for the difference a little talk with Him makes.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Lost in Sin – https://pixabay.com/photos/lost-hell-limbo-night-dark-forest-474124/
Jesus Took Me In – http://onayemiinspiration.blogspot.com/2015/08/jesus.html
Light from Heaven Filled Me Soul – https://pixabay.com/photos/inspiration-heaven-spirituality-2706594/

I am weak but Thou art strong;
  Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
  As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
By: Anonymous

Listen as you read.  This is a great old dixie jazz version.  Don’t be startled when it picks up around 2:49.

Over the next seven weeks we are going to alternate between two different hymns, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, and Just a Little Talk with Jesus.  We will explore these ideas of walking and talking with Jesus and how essential there are to our journey toward greater spiritual resonance.  Learning to live with a greater awareness of God’s presence with us is what we at Resonant 7 want to help you do.

Along the way, we will also be welcoming a dear friend of mine to join us on that journey.  Dr. Sherri Woods will begin contributing to Resonant 7 with a new series of blogs and companions under the heading Wednesday Wanderings beginning next week.  I have experienced a taste of these offerings and I know you will be blessed as you spend time walking along with her as I have been.  Welcome Sherri!

Weak/Strong

As we begin this part of the journey of walking along with Jesus, the writer starts with an interesting acknowledgement, our weakness and God’s strength.  Both are important foundational concepts to our faith that few followers would deny, yet we too often live like the opposite is true on both counts.  We act like we are stronger than we really are, and God is weaker than He actually is.

This acknowledgement allows us to begin our journey with a measure of honesty that will help us along the way.  We are talking of course about a lot more than just physical strength, though even that is a part of it.  I like this image because it represents how we often think of ourselves, with an overestimation of our strength.  But I think it also can convey the reality that we can tap into a strength much greater than what it appears on the surface we may possess when we rely on the strength of God.

And we desperately need that strength as we consider the journey before us.  Walking along with Jesus is not easy, as anyone who has done it for any length of time will be able to identify.  Honestly, it would be impossible if it were not for the strength of Christ in us helping us at every single step in the road.

There is a marvelous song that addresses this truth.  All I Have is Christ makes the statement that Jesus is everything.  He is all I have, but it goes on to paint an incredible story of why that is a good thing.  At the point of commitment and surrender the song says in the third stanza, “Now Lord I would be Yours alone, and live so all might see the strength to follow Your commands could never come from me.”

We do not begin this journey without the help of the Holy Spirit revealing to us our need for a Savior, and Christ’s willingness to be that, but we also can not even follow through with our commitment to live for Him unless He gives us the strength to do so.  But praise His Name, He does so, and gladly!

Keep Me From All Wrong

There is a great movement implied in this.  Not just let me stay safe in one place, but as I walk along keep me from all wrong.  That which I might bring on myself as well as that which others might invite me to join.  And I suppose there are two aspects of this prayer.

1. Deliver me from evil
2. Keep me from it in the first place

The first is an important prayer which Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:14).  When we find ourselves in a wrong place, doing a wrong thing, we cry out to be delivered from that place and activity.  But I like this prayer because it is proactive.  Keep me from that wrong place and thing so I do not even go there.

It is a further acknowledgement of our weakness as well as this truth in James.

“each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  James 1:14-15

When we see it this plainly, making the choice for right which leads to life, seems simple, but it does not always present itself so clearly.  That is then compounded by the fact that we are longing to be satisfied, and that pursuit sometimes leads us astray, but we will look into that on Thursday.

Think of it this way.  We can make much better music, be more resonant, when we are in tune.  We acknowledge we are weak, prone to get out of tune, and that we need to routinely tune our hearts.  We come to the One who is strong, evidenced by the fact that He is always in tune.  We ask Him to keep us in tune, from all wrongs, and that puts us in a position to allow His song to resonate in us.  Here’s to getting, and staying, in tune.

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, I am weak.  Though I would rather not admit that at times, I revel in it here and now as I simultaneously declare You are not.  On the contrary, You are strong.  Your strength can keep me from all wrong, and so I ask You right now to do just that, all to the glory of Your name, that I may walk closer to You today. In Jesus name.  Amen.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Below is content available only to Subscribers.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the Subscribers content, click here.

Subscribers enjoy this podcast! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 7.1 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

I am weak but Thou art strong;
  Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
  As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

This is a great place to begin, acknowledging our weakness and His strength.  Are you familiar with your weakness. That’s a start? Admit it to God, then thank Him for His strength.

Here is the ancient prayer Jesus taught His disciples, “Deliver us from evil.”  In addition to the wrong without, this is also a prayer that we would be kept from the wrong within.  Ask Jesus to keep you from all wrong.  

Satisfaction.  So elusive. Think of one thing that you want today.  You imagine you will be satisfied when you receive it, but if you have longed for anything before and received it, you know our longing often turns to the next thing.  Ask God to show you what you are longing for today, then surrender it?

When we long for God, instead of trying to satisfy that longing with something else, we can be truly satisfied.  Why? Because He is the One for whom we were created to long. When we learn how to walk along daily close to Jesus we find the secret to satisfaction.  Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to walk with Jesus.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Walking and Talking – https://pixabay.com/photos/human-friends-men-portrait-forest-3729591/
Weak/Strong – https://pixabay.com/photos/man-board-drawing-muscles-strong-2037255/
Keep Me From All Wrong – https://pixabay.com/photos/ethics-right-wrong-ethical-moral-2991600/

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
 One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heav’n-descended Dove,
 My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart
By: George Croly, 1780-1860

Listen as you read.  This is a very simple flute and harp version.

This final stanza calls the Holy Spirit to teach us two more images, equally powerful and compelling, and beyond our grasp.  Today we will consider the holy passion of the angels who ever circle the throne praising God.  Thursday we will think about a very powerful image of God’s love as a fire.  We need the Spirit to understand and practice each of them so let’s ask Him to teach us this week.  Let’s tune our hearts.

As Angels Love

Now there is a tall order.  We will definitely need the Holy Spirit to teach us this one for it is eternal and other-worldly.  To love as angels love requires us to consider who they are and how they love.

Angels are God’s messengers.  They represent Him some times and speak for Him at other times.  Scripture tells us a lot about them and yet there is a great deal of mystery regarding these heavenly beings.

One of the powerful passages illustrating angels and their relationship to God is the beginning of Isaiah 6, particularly 6:1-3.  Their adoration is

1. relational
2. continual, and
3. hallowed

Relational

They are together somehow standing “above” God.  Not sure exactly what that means, but I imagine they are circling the throne.  I love how Isaiah records that they call one to another.   They all know He is holy, but they keep declaring it to each other.  There is some communal dimension to their affection.

Continual

They never stop.  Over and over again.  I have said for years of our worship that we should not grow so easily weary of declaring to one another things that are true of God, particularly because we need to be reminded, unlike the seraphim who are ever in His presence.

Hallowed

I wanted to use an unusual word for this last one to represent just how different the love of angel’s is from ours.  Our love can be relational, expressed in the company of others.   It is not continual, in some measure because we have to stop to sleep, but even still our waking moments are commandiered by other intentions.  These least of these by far is this last one though.  Their worship is hallowed or sacred, regarded as holy because it is an all-consuming passion.

Holiness at its core means integrated, or the opposite of disintegrated or undone, which Isaiah confessed was his state in the presence of the integrated, whole, or holy One.  The love of the seraphim reflects the holiness of the One they adore.  Only the Holy Spirit can give un insight into this reality, and any hope at all of approximating it, even at our best moments.

One Holy Passion

It is this kind of integration that is our aspiration.

The seraphim could use all six wings to fly, but they do not.  I have heard different explanations but I like this the best.  Two cover their eyes acknowledging they can not look directly at God.  Two cover their feet acknowledging they are not worthy to be fully seen by God.  Two are used for their assumed purpose, flight, moving them to love.

Might we learn something from them?  We must use all of our capacities to express love to God, but maybe not as we might think.    One-third used to make less of us and more of Him.  One-third used to acknowledge our unworthiness and extol His worth.   One-third used according to their assumed purpose.   These thirds working together in seamless tandem as an integrated, sacred compelling desire.  One holy passion filling all my frame.

The seraphim seem consumed.  Look at the image.  All wings?  All bent to one purpose.

Integrated Tuning!

Spirit of God, teach me to love as the seraphim love.  One holy passion filling all my frame.  When parts of me get out of sync with it, help me to identify it and adjust accordingly so I can maintain that consuming desire.  Thank You for the imagery of the angelic adoration.  Help me reflect it today.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Below is content available only to Subscribers.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the Subscribers content, click here.

Subscribers enjoy this podcast! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 6.5 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
 One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heav’n-descended Dove,
 My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

This stanza uses some beautiful imagery.  Oh, to love God as His heavenly messengers do.  And how is that? Continually. They never stop their “Holy, holy, holy”, constantly offering praise to God.  Consider the example of those who are ever circling His throne.   

A singular, holy and intense desire and enthusiasm for our Lord.  An all-consuming fire that burns within our entire souls. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with such a passion.

In this imagery, the material that burns is the very presence of the Holy Spirit, the heaven-descended Dove.  He is the kindling that gets that fire burning. Welcome Him to come and be that quickening fire-starter in you.

Our hearts are the place where fire burns. God’s love is the flame.  My heart the altar, the Holy Spirit the kindling, the love of God the flame.  Oh Spirit light that fire within me and teach me how to care for it.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Angels love – Image by Karin Henseler from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/illustrations/heart-angel-wing-love-mourning-669552/
Isaiah 6 – https://lindasbiblestudy.wordpress.com/2016/11/16/seraphim/
Seraphim – https://revivenations.org/blog/2015/04/15/worshiping-god-like-the-seraphim/

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
 Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
 Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart
By: George Croly, 1780-1860

Listen as you read.  This is a nice string quartet version.

This week our stanza calls on the role of the Holy Spirit as our Teacher.  Every line asks for Him to teach us different things, including even the third one which carries over from line 2.  In our Tuning today we will focus on the first two lines, saving the last two for our Thoughts on Thursday.  Let’s tune our hearts.

You Are Near

Some stanzas tell a story, using all four lines to slowly craft a single poetic thought or illustrate a solitary image.  While others build to a climax as they develop, increasing in intensity as the lines build one on another.  Some stanzas are a list of things about a singular topic, like two weeks ago, but not this one.  It is a list of sorts of things we want to be taught but I actually think they are all taught within the context of the first one, an awareness of God’s presence.

While we will take some time to consider each of these requests, overcoming soul struggles, doubt, rebellion, while acquiring patience, when we are confident that God is with us, ever nearer than we can even perceive, we are able to handle all the other ones.  This is one of the most basic doctrinal truths, and a foundational one as well.  God is omnipresent, or present everywhere at the same time.

“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 23:23-24 ESV

I love it when God asks a rhetorical question.  Whether close at hand or far away, God is there, seeing us even in what we think are secret places.  He fills heaven and earth. When we embrace this fundamental reality of God’s presence it alters our ability to deal with everything we face, and even has the effect of keeping us out of behaviors that create problems for us.  So why would we not long for this more?

I dare say it is because there are things we would rather God did not know were true about us.  Why else would the man of the verse above attempt to hide himself in a “secret place”?  What things about your thinking, speaking and doing would you rather hide?  If you are willing to sincerely ask for God to teach you He is always near, you are effectively asking Him to shine His light into even the darkest recesses of you soul.  Which, by the way, is a great idea, and simultaneously a wonderful segue to the next prayer.

Soul Struggles

We all have them.  Times when our soul feels a weight that is difficult for words to express.  Sometimes these are of our our doing, and sometimes the doing of others.  Sometimes they pass, and other times they linger for long periods.

In those especially long seasons we experience what Saint John of the Cross termed the “dark night of the soul”.  That feeling that it is 3 o’clock in the morning all the time, inescapable darkness.  We know the darkness will not last, for the sun always rises, but even so they are painful seasons.  As it says in Psalm 30:5b, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”  The darkness is always darkest before the dawn.

What weight is your soul struggling with today?  I figure you probably do not have to think very hard about that.  Have you asked the Holy Spirit to help you with that struggle in particular?  Have you named it before the Lord and asked Him to help you bear it?

We often ask first for the struggle to be removed and find ourselves quickly discouraged when it is not.  Maybe God has another purpose for your struggle than just to remind you of your need for Him.  Maybe He wants to use it to develop something in you.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 ESV

The Spirit is waiting to give us the power we need to bear the weight of every struggle our soul will face.  If this test has the purpose of developing your spiritual strength, will you ask the Holy Spirit to help you demonstrate your love for God by remaining resolutely firm and unwavering in the midst of it?

Crown of Life

Now while I did not counsel you to ask for a crown of life, I am sure you noticed that promise in the midst of that verse.  And what an amazing one!  As if the strength to remain steadfast were not a treasure enough, when we use it to show our faithful love to God in the trial He promises a crown of life.

While rightly viewed as the promise of life after death, there is also another promise here.  It is the promise of life as God intended here and now, an intimate and personal relationship with God in love, a product of the development of fortitude through repeated victory in every test.  Only the Holy Spirit can accomplish this in the life of even the most resolute follower of Jesus, but His teaching is available to all who will ask.  So ask today!

Resolute Tuning!

Spirit of God, be my Teacher.  Teach me to feel God’s presence always near, for it makes the difference in every circumstance.  Flowing from that confidence teach me how to develop the fortitude to bear the struggle of every trial of my soul, that I may gain a more intimate relationship with my Savior, the crown of life.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

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Subscribers enjoy this podcast! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 6.4

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
 Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
 Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Though God is always near, I dare say closer than our breath, we often fail to live with an ongoing awareness of such. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to live with a constant sensitivity to His presence.

Is your soul struggling today?  If not, you can probably recall a season not long ago when it was.  Either way, it is only a matter of time before it does again. Ask the Holy Spirit for the strength to bear those soul struggles.

When we face difficulties, our minds find doubt rising.  When we are reminded of God’s ways, our rebellious flesh balks.  Ask the Holy Spirit to check, to stop or slow the progress of these attitudes.

On first glance this last line seems like a prayer for the patience required to wait until God answers prayer.  With more careful examination, I think it may be a request for the same patience God exhibits between our prayer and His eventual answer. Ask the Holy Spirit for that patience.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
God is Near – https://wilshireave.com/sermons/god-is-near/#
Dark Night of the Soul – https://billmuehlenberg.com/2015/09/20/the-dark-night-of-the-soul/
Crown of LIfe – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/watercolour-watercolor-paint-ink-1768925/