Hi ladies!
Here are the summary notes from this week's class. Remember to add to the comments or start a new post. We had a teeny class this week, so be sure to pop in and let us know the HolySpirit-led contemplations in your heart and the verses He has given into your hands to work through. We missed you!
Ok, here we go:
The concept of Surrender is so incredibly multifaceted. Even the verses that we are discovering seem to dive into perspectives about Surrender that are rather unexpected and framework-bending, their applications so potentially far-reaching into the depths and complexities of our “everyday” thinking, encouraging/coaxing us to re-align our viewpoint so that we can see what God is trying to help us “see”, hear what God is trying to help us “hear”, respond as God is trying to help us respond.. How astonishing it is when we can grasp hold of even a teeny piece of GOD’s Truth-view that turns a “trial” into a “blessing” and a “wrong turn” into an “opportunity”. It’s that key moment of understanding that throws us into eucharisteo and we find our attitudes changing and our reactions perhaps calmer, our thoughts honed and a bit clearer, our decisions less shaky and filled with an understanding based upon the transformative work of love and compassion and mercy and Godly counsel...within ourselves. It’s definitely a work in progress, for sure...and, as I think a lot of us are experiencing through this self-reflective study, it’s a hard work that takes time and effort and lots and lots of RE-thinking!
From our discussion on Wednesday, it was interesting to note how this week’s study has been a poignant reminder of the ways in which HolySpirit-engaged scripture becomes HIS “living word”:
...a means of discerning Truth--in our hearts and intentions:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12 ESV)
...a powerful, hope-filled piece of our armor, allowing us a means of provision and protection in our times of trial and confusion:
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph 6:13-17)
...a pathway to re-alignment with and in God’s perspective and walk:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17 NIV)
We jumped into our sharing with the concept of how God uses our study in scripture to affirm and direct our otherwise scattered and unsure thoughts about ‘surrender’ in our faith walk.
Mark 10:26-28
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
Heb 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
We talked about how seeking God’s perspective on “Surrender” can lead us not so much into “giving up”, but rather into the “giving in”. Focusing less on “my constant worry and anxiety” and more on “trust and knowing that God IS in control.” This type of “giving in” necessarily requires me to RECOGNIZE:
WHO am I right now?
WHAT am I doing/focusing upon right now?
WHERE am I going with my thoughts, my acts?
HOW am I responding right now?
and intertwined throughout all of this:
WHAT is GOD telling me about each one of these questions? Am I aligned in every way with HIS answers…?
For the most part, we are all pretty much on board with that fact that God IS working within each one of us, so the question is more about our willingness to SURRENDER INTO His work within us.
Surrender => a voluntary attitude of
-giving in…
-cooperating…
-assuming responsibility
AND
-carrying a burden
But, what IS that work “within us”? Where am I to surrender? What am I to surrender into? How do I “give in to” “co-operate with or in” “assume responsibility for” “carry a burden” of something I can’t quite put my finger upon, for something I can’t quite grasp, name or identify concretely? As we have been discovering with the verses God has been placing into our hands this week, the word “surrender” does not even show up in the wording! However, after a little reflection, maybe even after a few days of contemplation (and looooong showers!!! lol), we finally begin to get a sense of another type of “surrender”, more of a sense of the significance of the depth of “leaning on” that He is asking of us. Instead of merely asking us to “lean on” Him, He has been speaking into us of that Trust required to “lean IN” to the work of God within us. It’s the “leaning INTO a Trust” that transforms our fears, calms our anxiety, strengthens our withering hopes AND...compels us to move, act, feel, love and forgive in ways we could not do on our own.
Gal 5:18-25
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
These are the manifestations of His work within us, overflowing into our lives, through our thoughts, directing our actions: the fruits of the Spirit. As we talked about in class, these fruits are a product of a long process of growth in God’s garden of life, light and love:
“Isn't the fruit listed here enticing? We all want more peace, patience, and self-control. But just as in nature, the fruit of the Spirit is the product of a long growth process. An orange ripens slowly, from flower to bud to mature citrus.
It takes time for the water, light, and heat to bring it to its fullest growth. So too with the fruit of the Spirit. Few people proceed directly from furious outbursts to unflappable self-control or from envy to the unshakeable peace of Christ. God knows that, and he is infinitely patient as his fruit in us matures.” (from The Word Among Us)
As written in this beautiful meditation shared by Pat, the growth of our faith walk requires that we allow ourselves to drink in the life-saving waters of His love upon the dusty and drought-caked soil of our heart, allow ourselves the time to bask in His life-giving Word and His life-changing rhema spoken into the darkened mis-understandings of our hurt-filled minds, and allow ourselves to be strengthened by the recognition and acceptance of His presence through the heat of our trials and sorrows and misgivings.
We talked about how every word that we share, every verse that we throw on the table to contemplate, every moment of thought that we give over to the HolySpirit for His unveiling, His application, His teaching...is yet another moment spent drinking in the waters of His love, basking in the light of His desire, strengthened in the provision and promise of growth in His presence.
But it takes my “voluntary attitude of”...giving in. Hypotasso...Surrender.
1 Sam 3:7-11
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle."
We talked about how one of the surprising ways that God will speak into us about “something” He desires us to walk in, partner in with Him, cooperate in with Him, is literally a “word” spoken into our consciousness seemingly at random. Persistent, recurrent, mostly quietly and peacefully, sometimes loudly, always undeniably. When the HolySpirit places a “word” into our minds, upon our hearts, how do we respond?
Do we give it a too-brief moment of mere passing thought:
“Now why did THAT pop into my head? How odd! Huh...so, what am I going to do for dinner tonight…?”
Or do we go further into prayer about it, anticipating the HOW and WHERE and WHEN of God’s request to me to partner with Him/assume a responsibility/carry a burden alongside…?
“Now why did THAT pop into my head, Lord? How do YOU want me to pray into it? SPEAK Lord, for your servant is listening!!” (1 Sam 3:7-11)
We talked for awhile about how the HolySpirit is constantly speaking to us, into us, through us and through others into us, but how our “busy-ness” makes it difficult for us to hear through the cacophony in our lives, to see and recognize the little “gifts” that God hands to us in our every moment, for our every need, to fill our every place of “lack”...whether we know it or not. Just because we do not yet know Him, do not yet hear Him, do not yet see Him does NOT negate the fact that HE IS THERE--constantly, steadfastly, faithfully speaking, loving, embracing, providing for, filling, redeeming, healing us at every moment of our every day.
How can I hear You better, Lord? Is there something YOU want me to hear? Something You want me to...do? to...say? When to do it? When to say it? When...to be still, to stay silent and pray and learn ONLY?
or even more importantly:
What/how/where/when do YOU want me to BE through this circumstance?
How can I hear You, Lord, SO THAT I can willingly move to lean INTO Your desires? What obstacles do YOU want to reveal to me--the ones that prevent me from seeing, knowing, hearing, wanting...YOUR will and not mine…?
Matt 7:1-5
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
We ended our discussion with the amazing recognition that there is definitely a connection between all of the verses that the HolySpirit has been handing to each one of us--in our individual study, in our quiet-time prayers, in our little conversations and long discussions. We were reminded how the best way of learning is through first-hand experience. But the closest next best way of learning is through second-hand witnessing. Sharing how the HolySpirit is working within each of us confirms, edifies, solidifies in all of us His handiwork for and in His entire Body, through His entire church. I loved the visual that Helen gave of how each word, every pearl that is shared is like another butterfly I am trying to catch, to hold on to, to grasp and understand and bring into my own life and learning and walk of faith.
And that was pretty much it, ladies. We are staying on the deep and transformative step of Surrender for now. Our goal this week is to CHOOSE one concept/facet of Surrender to focus upon--one concept that God is asking us to “give in” to Him, to “partner” with Him, to “cooperate, assume responsibility for/carry a burden of” with and in Him. Some of the things we considered in class were:
-Discernment--clarity, knowing HIS voice well enough to heed fully and confidently
-Trust--and steadfast patience and joy in that trust
-Prayer--bold, specific, directed, effectual and powerful
-Perspectives--misconstrued, preconceived, hard-hearted opening to Truth, acceptance of Truth and changed attitude
-Unity--peace-making, comfort and consolation, vulnerability in honesty and sacrifice of self
God could be working on something else within your life too. But CHOOSE ONLY ONE butterfly to catch this week!!
Find verses that speak into your concept. Write them down in your journal and work through them with the Devotional Method of Scripture Study. PONDER God’s Word and His rhema into your walk this week.
Comment or post as you feel urged. We would love to hear from you wherever you are!
Circle your every moment in prayer, sweet sisters--for each other and for ourselves. Let’s keep building those powerful hedges of love and thorns around our families, our communities, our nations and our world.
Oh, and let's remember to remember! We were born for just such a moment as this. Pray. Hard and often!
love
maggie (and Lorraine)
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