Thursday, August 3, 2017 The Inner Tabernacle – the Preparation for Meditation (Meditation, Part 6) (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Thursday, August 3, 2017

The Inner Tabernacle – the Preparation for Meditation (Meditation, Part 6)

(Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Scripture:

Revelation 21:2-4

² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Psalm 84:1-2

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord…

John 15:5

’I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'

Psalm 91:1-2

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”

Isaiah 66:1-2

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word…”

Acts 7:48-50

⁴⁸ “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:

⁴⁹ “‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
    Or where will my resting place be?
⁵⁰ Has not my hand made all these things?...”

Acts 17:24-25

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Hebrews 10:19-22

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Devotional:

My heart is full today as I prepare to share with you on the preparation for meditation. In the passage on preparing to meditate, Mr. Foster gives important tips for finding a quiet place, embracing nature if possible, being physically comfortable, and being in solitude (another discipline we will talk about in the near future). The most important component, however, to preparing to meditate is the place of inner quiet that God wants us to have. This isn’t something to achieve, but truly a place of abiding. We are the tabernacle, the dwelling place of the Most High God. This dwelling and abiding place prepares us to meditate and be changed from within as we are able to set aside the time with intention.

My grandfather is the best and most consistent example in real time that I know of for the practice of meditation. He is in his 90s, and for the past 40 years of his life as a believer he has practiced the presence of God daily. His most important time of the day is first thing in the morning, in his private chair in solitude, with a cup of impossibly strong coffee and no distractions. He even covers his eyes with a stocking cap to keep himself focused on the Lord. I stayed with my grandparents for a season when I returned to the Lord, and this practice left a truly lasting impression on me. If I do not have a full hour to dedicate to study each day, finding some form of this practice is the thing that centers me on the Lord and heals me. It is finding the place of rest in His Presence that truly fuels the life of believers.

The place of dwelling with the Lord prepares us to walk calmly and peacefully through the storms of life, and also prepares us for more focused times of meditation. Tomorrow, we will talk about different types of meditation. However, the most important part of meditation is cultivating the place of the inner tabernacle. If I spend my life in pursuit of a deeper place of allowing God to dwell in me, keeping the place of His dwelling sacred, it will be the most important thing I do—I do believe this.

Like God, this is both very simple and fully complex. It is very worth taking the time to dig in this way, so that we can find that simple and clean place of abiding and allowing Him to dwell fully in us that we might find a richer understanding of Him.

Prayer:
Lord, I pray today that You would give me a deeper understanding of dwelling with You. Thank You that You have chosen to live within me and that I do not have to seek to find You elsewhere.

I pray that You would meet me exactly where I am. I desire to abide in You and for You to live fully within me. I surrender my heart to You in a new way today and offer myself to You anew as Your tabernacle.

Intercession:

I lift my children to You today. Teach us as a family to learn to dwell in Your Presence. Let this flow through and among us so that Your Presence would be a constant reality. (Lift up specific needs. Make note of God’s hand in your life. Take the time to do this—it is so encouraging to look back! I can’t always do this every day, but around three times a week gives me the opportunity to keep track of how God is moving, and also to remember to focus on bringing our concerns to the Lord instead of going into Mommy Fix-It mode!)

I thank You for Your goodness, and Your generous heart toward my children, my family and me. We bless You today.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

Tuesday, August 1 2017

Turn Your Eyes: The Imagination-The Place of Meditation (Meditation, Part 5)

(Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:17-18

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

2 Corinthians 10:5

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Isaiah 6:1

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Revelation 22

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Devotional:

The imagination is one of my favorite topics. In his passage in Celebration of Discipline, Mr. Foster wisely warns us to be vigilant to allow the imagination to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Gratefully, he also then embraces and encourages us as believers to submit our God-given imaginations to the Holy Spirit to show us Who God is. Throughout my life as a believer I have found the greatest comfort in the images of God formed within my imagination. In worship, my deepest times are experienced when I most fix my imagination on the Throneroom of Heaven. The practice of forming this image over time has helped me to be transported in some dim form into His presence and allowed me to reset my heart. In the words of the hymn:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

This isn’t a call to conjure up any idea we wish, but as Scripture shows us there is a real God, a real Throneroom, and the description of it is a wonderful jumping off point. He is high and lifted up. The elders surround Him. We can join in the song of Heaven as we put ourselves there in our imaginations. It is a beautiful place of conception and a wonderful tool for coming face to face with God while we are yet on this earth.

Prayer:

Lord, today I turn my eyes upon You. Show me in my heart the reality of You. I want to be captured by your real-ness, and amazed at Your splendor.

Intercession:

I bring my children to this great and glorious throne, and lay them at the foot of the Cross for Your intervention. (Review your journal or prayer list, make note of new needs, point out progress and answered prayer.)

This day is Yours, Lord. I bow and humble myself in acknowledgement that You are the One True God, and the only Answer to our daily needs. I bless You and love You and honor You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.