I have never loved the term “spiritual disciplines.” It makes me feel like I am back in school and am being forced to perfect some knowledge or skill. Of course we know that things like prayer and Bible reading are essential activities of the Christian life, but that phrase feels far removed from the heart of our passages for today. “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” is the cry of Psalm 34! That doesn’t sound like duty! It sounds like delight! Maybe you remember Tom’s sermon series in the fall called, “Sacred Rhythms.” That feels like a much better name for the practices of our faith!      

Spiritual disciplines, or sacred rhythms, are not ends in themselves. They are a means to an end. We use them to experience God. The purpose of Bible reading is not to know your Bible, it is to know your God, and to allow him to transform you as you encounter him! Think of the Pharisees in the New Testament. They knew the scriptures better than anyone, and yet they completely missed the Savior when he was standing right in front of them (and showing them miraculous signs!). We need to approach all of the disciplines or rhythms with the mindset of seeking the presence of God, or these practices, or rhythms, will simply become religious activities that we are checking off a list. Seeking (and finding) God is life-giving! Practicing a religion is not. 

As we learned during the “Sacred Rhythms” series, there are many ways of seeking and encountering God (solitude and silence, prayer, scripture, self-examination, sabbath, etc.). Our Personal Worship employs the Lectio Divina (or “sacred reading”) method of entering into the scriptures that we discussed in that study. This method of bible study allows us to slow down pondering God’s word and listening for what he may be saying to us through it. By reading a passage 3 times and listening for his voice within it, we give God time to speak to us through it and allow him access into our hearts and lives. Our Personal Worship also includes sample prayers to prompt our own prayers, as we seek a greater level of intimacy with God. It also encourages silence in prayer. Yes, we can come to God with our requests, both for ourselves and others (and we are told to do that!), but we can also practice times of stillness in which we simply listen. Self examination at the end of the day, where you ask God to show you where he was present in your day and to reveal any sins that you need to repent of and, hopefully, to learn from, is yet another way to align ourselves with God and learn to discern (and watch for) how he is moving in our lives. 

We are all made differently and the practice that speaks to you most can be different from someone else’s practice! But through them, we are trying to hone our spiritual senses, to practice seeking God and his presence, and learn to connect with him and listen for him throughout our day! I love the example of how you can walk through the woods and not even notice the many animals and birds there. But if you study the animals and birds, their behaviors and their calls, and go into the woods looking for them, then you see them almost everywhere you look! (And, if you have the right phone app, plus cel service, you can name them). In that example, the woods didn’t change (and neither did the animals), you just became more knowledgeable about and attentive to their presence. This is the goal of the spiritual rhythms: to seek our Father (who is always there), to find and enjoy him, and then to be transformed in his presence!