Sermon: by Kara Moses on Spiritual Disciplines

Have you ever found yourself in a desert time in your relationship with God?  I mean a time where you just don’t feel connected to Jesus, you don’t sense the Holy Spirit guiding you?  Maybe you feel so dry spiritually that you wonder if God is disappointed in you.

I have been through desert seasons many times in my 43 years of following Jesus.  This latest one has been the most intense and lasted the longest of any I can remember.  I have had pockets of relief, oases of connection and intimacy with Jesus along the way, but it has been intense for sure.

I just recently came out of this desert time, and it happened when a friend and coach challenged me to go back to the rhythms of practice, the spiritual disciplines that helped me to deepen my relationship and experience that sense of connection and intimacy in the past.  I was encouraged to do so without guilt or worry over my failed efforts of the past, and you know what?  I have been experiencing rich times of connection with God recently.

I went to the Dwell App intending to do the daily devotional and use that as a springboard to write in my prayer journal and I was thrilled to see something I had experimented with many years ago:  Lectio Divina: which means ‘divine reading’ (a way of reading/listening to scripture and trusting that the Holy Spirit has a personal message for me as I look for what stands out to me), it’s a framework for reading and meditating on Scripture that I had really enjoyed.  I highly recommend you check it out.  There were only a few lessons on the Dwell app, so my mom found a book of 40 of them and gifted it to me.  That book is on your handout.

Perhaps it seems odd that a talk on spiritual disciplines would start out with a story of my struggles, with seasons of feeling distant and disconnected from Jesus.  I want to be sure that no one feels alone if they too struggle with spending time with Jesus and feeling that connection.  I don’t want anyone out there to be discouraged thinking that if you just could do this spiritual discipline thing right, you could have a vibrant connection with God that it seems everyone else is having.

I remember sitting in church listening to a sermon and feeling like I wasn’t experiencing what was promised though I did the things I was told to.  I can think of hearing people talk about their prayer life that sounded so vibrant and they hear from God and experience these tremendous things and I would think “why don’t I experience that?”  So I have come to realize that my way of relating to Jesus looks different and yours will too.  We have different personalities and just like all relationships with people aren’t the same, all relationships with Jesus are not the same.  Or we might just be in a different season than someone else.  Either way, I don’t want you to feel discouraged when practicing spiritual disciplines by thinking everyone should get the same results every time.

So why are we talking about spiritual disciplines?

One way to thrive spiritually with Jesus is to connect with him through various spiritual disciplines

And that begs the question: what are spiritual disciplines?  The simplest definition I found was from my dad’s head:

A spiritual discipline is anything that helps me connect to God  –  Randall Johnson

There are traditional, long standing, time tested spiritual disciplines like Scripture reading, prayer, fasting, confession, silence, solitude, worship, gratitude.  We have all these listed in your handout and some have a QR code for some helpful links.

I. Jesus’ practice of spiritual disciplines

I know one of my first thoughts as I prepared this lesson was: what spiritual disciplines did Jesus practice?

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

 So we see here the disciplines of solitude and prayer.  I imagine silence was also a part of this experience.

¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  (Matthew 4:1-2)

So we can see clearly here another example of solitude and likely silence, as well as fasting.

We know Jesus read scripture as he quite often quotes it.  We have a description in Luke 2:52  

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

 We know he spent time talking with the religious leaders in the temple about scripture earlier in Luke v.46-47 when Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem and were traveling home but realized he was missing.

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 

I think we can see him practice gratitude at the feeding of the 5000, before raising Lazarus from the dead, and before the first practice of communion.

Matthew 26: 26-27

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

²⁷ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 

The discipline of gratitude is an interesting one.  It seems likely Jesus had a habit of giving thanks at mealtimes.  Many of us have adopted that habit of gratitude.  I am part of a group that every time we meet, we start by going around and sharing gratitude stories.  I often share some meaningful moments I had with one of my kids or a special time I had with a group of friends.  But it forces me, no matter how I am feeling before the meeting to think of what I am grateful for and describe the circumstance and how I felt and it usually brings a smile to my face.  I also can’t help but smile when I hear their stories.  It reminds me of God’s goodness and faithfulness as well.

I find it intriguing how the spiritual disciplines we are encouraged to practice in Scripture are not only helpful to deepen our relationship with Jesus and become more like Him, but they are also just good for our mental and physical health as well.  There are so many times I hear people outside of the church encouraging the practice of gratitude because of brain science and the benefits people have discovered.  Meditation is obviously valued by many and there are clear benefits.  Fasting can have health benefits.  The list goes on.  It seems just like God to teach us to do something, and we find the benefits are not only spiritual, but they are habits and rhythms that benefit us in multiple ways and on many levels.

II. Practicing new spiritual disciplines

There are also rhythms or habits that might help you connect with Jesus that we don’t always think of immediately.  Jason spoke last week about the three things that help him abide in Jesus: scripture, prayer and silence.  Scripture reading and prayer are definitely my “go to” spiritual disciplines, but I have found at times if I want to jumpstart my connection with Jesus I might need to experiment with different spiritual disciplines.

I remember a time in the past when a friend helped me to listen and hear from Jesus, praying that Jesus would speak to me and listening with me as we asked how Jesus felt about being with us and how he felt about a circumstance I was going through.  We paid attention to anything that came to mind:  scripture, a phrase, an image.  Then we discerned whether or not that was something true and fit with Scripture and what we know of Him.  Would Jesus say this?  I think time in the Word is so crucial to being able to fully participate in all the spiritual disciplines available to us because we always want to make sure we are not contradicting the Word in anything we say or do.  If we sense Jesus speak to us, it should not contradict what we know is true from scripture.  I know for me, I often can tell something is Him and not my own thoughts because I would never come up with that thought or it’s definitely not what I thought I wanted to hear.

One time when I was really begging Jesus for a promise I could hang my hope on, and I had not been able to find one in my concordance or my google search, I got quiet and just asked what promise he could show me in scripture to hold on to during this uncertain time.  The answer I sensed from Him was:  I don’t have a promise for you to hold on to but you can hold on to me.  That was definitely not the answer I wanted but it felt powerful and true, and I thought “that is so like Him”.

III. Delicate lines to walk when practicing spiritual disciplines

There are 3 delicate lines we walk when we think about spiritual disciplines.  There are competing ideas we have to hold in tension as we approach these habits that help us to grow spiritually.  The first delicate line is this:

1. Spiritual disciplines are a path to connect with Jesus, but they aren’t a formula.

If we A) read the Bible consistently plus B) pray daily, then C) we will always feel connected to Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but that has not been my experience.

There are many times when the Word is so alive to me.  I have some problem I am facing, and I just read the next passage in my daily reading and the answer leaps off the page and I feel deep conviction about how I need to show up in that situation.  There are times that are so rich and I learn something new or tears come to my eyes because I am so amazed or inspired by who God is.

Other times my time in the Word feels kind of lifeless, nothing feels like it’s connecting with me and I just feel numb.  I tell God this feels like work, like slogging through mud, would you please make this come alive for me?  Sometimes he doesn’t answer that prayer with a yes right away.  Sometimes it’s weeks or months even.

So what do we do in times like these?  I think we experiment with something new.  Maybe I talk out loud with Jesus walking around my backyard, or I sit in silence and solitude, allowing space to hear from him.  One time I found some conference online and listened to some teaching and an inspiring story from someone who had been through great trials and talk about how they journeyed with Jesus through them.  Maybe I go to a spiritual counselor or coach, process with a friend, lean into a time of worship, do something I haven’t done.  I put myself in a space and mindset to encounter Jesus.

If I am feeling disconnected from my husband or kids, I will first try to do the things that have fostered connection in the past:  date night with jp, one on one time with my kids, playing a game together or going for a walk.  I have found that if I can go with jp on a business trip it’s going to help us connect in a different way.  If those things aren’t working though, I am going to try something new or different, something that has been helpful for others.  Maybe I will buy a set of quality questions to ask at the dinner table or find out what has helped a friend or lean into one of those oh so easy google searches for new ideas.

But the tension here is this is a relationship, not a formula.  We certainly need to do the things that help us be with Jesus and have a relationship with him just like we do the things that help us have a relationship with our family and friends.  We spend time, talk, and listen.  But we don’t always get the same results and our relationship doesn’t always feel the same.

There is another delicate line we walk with spiritual disciplines.

2. While spiritual disciplines are an important avenue for connecting with Jesus and deepening our walk with Him, we can’t get mired down in guilt when we fail to do them.

The tension is: it’s hard to have a relationship with Jesus if we don’t spend time with Him in spiritual disciplines but we don’t earn a relationship with God by practicing these rhythms.

I can’t be afraid to approach the throne of grace with confidence because I didn’t practice my spiritual disciplines this week.  I can so easily fall into this trap of guilt, so I stopped writing the date in my prayer journal.  I don’t want to be focused on how long it’s been since the last time I practiced this habit and start out discouraged.  Prayer journaling has been such a helpful habit for me, but my motivation should not be to keep up with the habit or discipline for its own sake.  My motivation should be putting myself in a posture to connect with Jesus, to be relational.  Jesus has earned my right to be in relationship with God by his sacrifice, not my efforts.

Just like eating a meal together as a family is a habit that can promote relational closeness, it’s not that I win my family’s approval by hitting the goal of daily meals together.  “Mom’s really killing it with the meal habit, I really love her more this week.”

Don’t let guilt over the past keep you from getting back into being with Jesus in Scripture, prayer, worship, silence, or some other discipline.  Jump back in quickly and keep moving forward.

The last delicate line we walk is

3. There is a tension between our responsibility and God’s sovereignty.

If I am in a relationship with someone, I don’t just sit around and do nothing expecting to grow closer to them and feel connected to them.  I need to be responsible to spend time with them, pick up the phone, and include them in my schedule.  In that way we have a responsibility to be in relationship with Jesus and include Him in our lives.  But just as we don’t have total control in our relationships, we don’t have total control in how we feel and grow in our relationship with Jesus.  We put in effort, but we also depend on Him to work and move in our hearts to enable us to grow and connect with Him.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

I can’t make myself feel a certain way or grow, but I can be in the best position to experience those things by my practice of spiritual disciplines. But then I also must trust God with the process.  The Holy Spirit is going to help me to connect with the Word and hear from Jesus and grow.  And sometimes that growth or those feelings don’t look the way I would prefer they look or feel.  But I trust there is a purpose and a reason.  Sometimes I trust better than other times.  But aren’t relationships that way?  Sometimes I feel incredibly in tune with my husband and close and connected for seemingly no good reason and other times despite making an effort things just seem clunky.

The cool thing is God is so much wiser and sees the whole big picture and I know He is trustworthy with the process.  I know He uses hard things and hard seasons to help me grow.  We talked about the discipline of gratitude earlier.  I also have the opportunity to practice that discipline in hard seasons.  I can trust God with hard times and be grateful even, because I learn humility.  I see that things aren’t as black and white as I thought they were.  I learn to have more compassion for others.  I get to see, for example, that I don’t have it all together as a parent so I don’t need to be judging others whose kids are struggling and think if only they could do what I do.  (Not that I ever thought that, just a totally random example, ha ha)

So, if you want to be with Jesus, develop spiritual habits or disciplines.  Our habits show what we care about and shape who we will become.  If you want to be physically fit, your habits are a huge piece of that puzzle.  More than your beliefs and your mindset, your habits will make or break whether you make progress in physical fitness.  Your beliefs and your mindset will shape your habits, but you can just start the habits and often your mindset will catch up.  I think the same can be said for spiritual habits.  We may not feel put together or worthy or any number of things, but we can just start practicing and experimenting with spiritual disciplines and we will likely see our heart and mind follow.

If we don’t feel connected and we don’t see growth, are we doing it wrong?  Is that the measure of success?  Obviously, we do these things to connect and grow, to see fruit.  But a tree does not bloom in every season.  It can still be healthy and on the verge of blooming.  Maybe there are things taking place below the surface we can’t see.

Maybe you are in a winter season, but spring is coming.  So keep on working out your salvation, keep practicing those habits.  God will be found when you seek Him, you will grow and connect.  Trust the process and believe that spring is coming!  Jesus is pursuing you!  Keep asking Him to help you connect, to grow, to sense Him in your life.  Don’t give up!  I know He will answer you.