It was day 156 of me reading the Bible consistently everyday. I can assure you that this has never happened in my life, ever.
On day 156 I read 2 Samuel 22. “The Victory song of David.” In this chapter of praise, David thanks God for his victory in battle. As I read over his words of gratitude, I paused and thought how oddly placed this chapter was because up until that point David had been pretty susceptible to defeat. Though he had reached this final defeat against the Philistines, he had lost many battles previous to this chapter as well as losing 2 of his sons.
As I reflected on my own past experiences, I can’t remember too many times that this was the case for me. I am the type of person who, despite a victory, I dwell on the struggle and strife leading up to the moment. Rarely do I take the time to express gratitude.
On day 156 I prayed the bold prayer to ask God to teach me to be more like David. I wrote about how I wanted to be grateful on the mountains as well as in the valleys.
This month God has been teaching me a lot about discipline. At our ministry, we have a bookshelf full of gems, to which “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster caught my eye.
I started reading the first chapter about meditation. Words like “communion,” “friendship,” and “intimacy” jumped out at me. For the first time I realized I had reached the point where these words were no longer weird and creepy, but an actual reflection of my relationship with God.
I thought about how the last 11 months I have gradually progressed and come to the place where I read the Bible everyday. Pray everyday. Listen everyday.
Before you write me off, I understand that that sounds a lot like the boring, condemning request of your youth group pastor from 7th grade summer camp. But after 156 days, I’m telling you they are on to something.
Pre-race- even a few months into my race, I was the girl that called it a day after a Jesus calling without taking the time to look up all those verses at the end. I figured that Sarah Young chick knew what she was talking about so I would take her word for it. I eventually progressed to resources like “She Reads Truth” where I would read the message and get a little convicted. I would take the 5 minutes to read and an extra 5 to think about how it applied to me and if I was feeling really spiritual I might have even journaled about it.
I lived life starving and I didn’t even know it.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Jesus Calling, She Reads Truth, and the many other resources- it’s all great. But if that’s all that’s feeding you, you’re probably starving too.
If you’ve ever stepped foot in a church, or even been within a 10 mile radius, you have probably heard the verse “I (God) stand at the door and knock..”
Like me, you’ve probably heard that verse in context to “unbelievers.” I recall the many sermons at those youth camps envisioning my pastor standing on the bright lit stage with the fog misting around his ankles for some weird effect, begging our group to “open that door to God” and “accept Him into our hearts” that it will be “the best decision of our lives.”
That verse actually pertains to believers. In that piece of scripture, God is talking to the people who sit in pews every Sunday. He’s talking to the woman who is well versed. He’s talking to the man who was raised in a Christian home.
“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come and eat with him, and he with me. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.”
Revelation. 3:20-22
It’s a verse about faithfulness, on both ends. It’s a call to intimacy.
For most of my life I claimed to know God, yet when I heard of others claiming to hear His voice, I was skeptical. Intimacy was always this distant thing that I craved but held it at arms length with cynicism.
Now, on day 156 I pray to my Papa about how I want to be like David. Here is His response to my prayer, taken straight from my journal:
“My beloved,
David thanked Me and remembered to praise Me because he was a meditator. He was disciplined. He knew Me and My character well, so not only did it come easy, but it came naturally because he was a man after My own heart. He listened and wanted to listen. He knew that in My voice was truth and life. He made mistakes, but He searched for Me in desperation to stay on My path, because he knew it was good.
Be a woman of discipline.
Love,
Your Papa”
So this is my call to the church. Be disciplined. Don’t be content with a secondhand message. Don’t be a passive observer.
Become a disciplined, active participant.
Maybe it will take you less than 156 days.
