God Encounters
2009-02-21

Good morning. Wait. Be right back. Must go get my coffee.

Thanks for waiting.

I've been reading this book, recently, called Time With God, by Richard J. Foster (with Kathryn A. Helmers...don't know her). I've long enjoyed Foster's take on the "spiritual disciplines" and matters such as prayer. He is a deeply devoted man.

This book discusses the technique that Eugene Peterson uses in The Message//Remix:Solo called Lectio Divina, or spiritual reading. Peterson also expounds on this technique in his book, Eat This Book, which I plan to read next.

Here is how Foster describes it. It has four elements (and different people use different words to define them, but they are, essentially, the same): lectio (reading with a listening spirit), meditatio (reflecting on what we are "hearing"), oratio (praying in response to this hearing), and contemplatio (contemplating what we will carry forward into our lives). He then refers to these four steps as listening, reflecting, praying, obeying.

Peterson names them read, think, pray, live. Basically means the same thing.

This is something that I plan to really work on in the future. I have already been practicing a little while using Remix, but now, having read a deeper explanation of it, I'm ready to try to get deeper into it. The subtitle of Foster's book pinpoints it, I think. It's Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation.

Ok, moving on.



Here's today's prayer for the President from the Praying Through the First 100 Days site.

For great blessing and harmony for the White House domestic staff as they serve the needs of the First Family
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
�I Peter 4:10(NIV)

Gracious God, how grateful we are today for the privilege You�ve given us to serve others. You�ve given each one of us special talents, abilities and insights that we, under Your direction, can use to glorify You as we help those around us. We worship You now, Lord, for choosing to use us in this incredible way.

You�ve also positioned specific people, O God, to serve President Obama and his family in the White House. What a privilege, Lord, to be able to minister to the needs of our president, his wife and children. Bring strength, joy and unity to every staff member today, and use those who know You as Savior to be Your voice and Your hands to the First Family. Operate through these people, Lord, and be magnified in the process. In the name of Your Son, Christ our Lord, we intercede, amen.



Psalm for Today: Psalm 18:7-20

Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of your nostrils.
He sent from on high, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

"...the object of the Psalmist is to show that the God who, as often as he pleses, causes all parts of the world to tremble by his power, when he intended to manifest himself as the deliverer of David, was known as openly and by signs as evident as if he had displayed his power in all the creatures both above and beneath."

(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)



Day 336 in The Message//Remix:Solo

Well, it's review day. So I'll look back at the last six devotions to see if God taught me anything. I hope he did...that was a rough week!

Day 330--Riches of Glory--Hebrews 2:6-10

God took Christ's suffering and made it his crown of glory. We should never be afraid or ashamed to suffer in the name of Christ.

Day 331--Sharp As A Surgeon's Scalpel--Hebrews 4:12-13

God's word cuts us open until all is laid bare. There are no secrets when we deal with God. At this point, there is nothing left to do but to hear and obey.

Day 332--Spiritual Lifeline--Hebrews 6:13-19

Our spiritual lifeline is the hope and promise of God. God cannot break his word (his promise). This hope is "an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God."

Day 333--Throwing Out the Old Plan--Hebrews 8:1-2,6-12

The "old plan" or "covenant" was never intended to be the finished work. I believe the Bible is very clear about that. So, in that respect, the "old plan" was intended to be "thrown out" right from the start. Jesus perfected it and created the "new plan." Which really wasn't a "new plan" at all, was it? Point is, we are forgiven and our slates are forever wiped clean!

Day 334--What We Can't See--Hebrews 11:1-3,39-40

The writer of Hebrews lists many "players" in the story of the Bible to teach us about faith. Faith is "our handle on what we can't see," he says. "By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see..." Faith eliminates the need for proof. Faith really doesn't need any explanation, either. If we have faith, it came from God, and we need to be eternally grateful for it.

Day 335--Well-Trained--Hebrews 12:7-11

God uses "trouble" in our lives to train us. We need to be more attentive to our circumstances to see what God might be trying to show us by things that we might consider to be "trouble." I've always felt that things that men call "bad" might not necessarily be in God's eyes, especially since he is said to "work all things for good to them that love him and are called according to his purpose."

Ok, that's it for today.

Grace and peace, friends.



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