Water

God as a Father

One Thing

Unfulfilled Dreams and Undivided Hearts

I was catching up with my brother Steve last week and we got onto the subject of our dreams. In many ways, we're in similar places: pursuing our dreams yet living with the reality that those dreams are as yet unfulfilled. He's pursuing the dream of getting signed to a major record label (with his band Last Go), whilst Bee and I are pursuing the dream of church-planting. As far as Steve and I can tell, we both believe the dreams are God-given, and both revolve around extending his kingdom in the world. Yet pursuing these dreams and trusting that God is in charge is a rocky road.

When things feel out of control our instinct is to grab hold of whatever we can in attempt to gain control again. Such an instinct has two ramifications: firstly we turn from looking to God as the one who fulfills dreams (looking internally instead), and secondly we begin to micromanage. We fascinate ourselves with the small (and often inconsequential) details in an attempt to find security in the midst of our panic and anxiety. Trust me, neither option bears any fruit.

The Psalmist has an altogether different approach of meeting God in the place of anxiety. He simply prays: Lord give me an undivided heart (Psalm 86:7). The greek word for anxiety (used for example in Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything...) literally means to be divided. It's as if there is a war within to either trust God or to take control ourselves, and such a battle creates tension. So the Psalmist prays for an undivided heart. In other words, 'help me to trust that you are my provider, the one who brings about the dreams you deposit in peoples hearts (Phil 1:6) and the one who works all things for good (Rom 8:28).'

Learning to trust God is a battle of the mind, but the battle is equally fought elsewhere. As Luther suggested, trust is about leaning on the promises and character of God. Put simply, trust is about acting in the light of what we know of God. It's not simply about believing, but about acting on those beliefs. So if we truly believe he is loving, good and all-powerful, we act accordingly. Which raises the potentially painful question: what do we really believe about God? We need to provide an honest answer to that question (rather than the answer we know we should provide): for only then can we ask God to dismantle our distorted perceptions and to reveal himself as he truly is. This initiates the journey of learning to lean and trust in God, the fruit of which Paul goes on to explain as inner peace in the place of panic: 'And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).'

The road of trusting God with our dreams will no doubt still remain rocky. The transformation that comes about through trust isn't to do with the road and how rocky it is. It's to do with our hearts and how undivided they are. So like the Psalmist, Steve and I are learning to pray 'Lord give me an undivided heart' whilst we travel on the rocky road towards our dreams.

By the way, to check out Steve's music, visit www.myspace.com/lastgo

Divine Opportunities

Home Sweet Home

Jesus' primary message was the announcement of the arrival of God's kingdom. Much of the church's teaching these days regarding the kingdom of God focusses on the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. In quoting Jesus' kingdom manifesto in Luke 4 (which in turn borrows language from Isaiah 61), we speak about preaching to the poor, healing the sick, comforting the broken and liberating the oppressed. These are all important manifestations of the kingdom, but in focussing our attention on these signs we perhaps forget that for first century Jews, to speak of God's kingdom finally arriving was primarily to speak of their full return from exile: they may have returned from Babylon, but they were still under Roman oppression and therefore still in a state of semi-exile, awaiting rescue.

This rescue and return from exile was not just about a return to their home in Jerusalem: it was a return to all that God called them to be and to all that God had called them to do. It was a return to their true 'home'. Jesus' kingdom ministry was therefore a ministry of restoration, with his acts of healing and deliverance (which restored individuals to how God had called them to be) serving as a symbol for what he was doing for Israel as a whole.

This got me thinking: if the ministry of the church is to continue Jesus' kingdom ministry, then perhaps we would do well to recapture this language of 'homecoming'. Our mission is simply to invite people to return to their Father in heaven, through the work of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit. This return is a return to both their true identities (as God's image-bearers in the world) and to their true calling (to extend God's blessing to the world).

It's interesting that numerous people describe coming to faith in Christ as a homecoming experience. I've often overseen how true to the gospel that image is. At his birth (the incarnation) Jesus entered Israel's exile in order to put an end to it (the cross), so that freedom and new life may emerge (the resurrection). Put simply, Jesus entered Israel's pain to heal her and bring her home. And I believe he asks (and empowers) us to do the same: to enter the exile of those around us (their addictions, pain and brokenness) so that by the help of God, we can lead them home!

Heavenward