Blog: Glimmers in the Fog by Kim Stiver

Are you a Distant Observer?

7/31/2019

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Jesus wants participants not distant observers. Supercharge your faith with this.

Jesus wants participants, not distant observers. Supercharge your faith with intercessory prayer.

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There’s nothing like a little distance to put things into perspective. And while we’ve all heard the cliche that, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” I love Charles Lindbergh’s quote the most. “Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it, but [you] can describe it only from the vantage point of distance.” How his words so aptly describe the effect of distance on almost any feeling or circumstance in life. When we live in close proximity to those we cherish, we are more likely to take them for granted. Just as when we are too deeply embedded in a problem, we are unable to see the solution right in front of us. Like a pair of glasses for a nearsighted person, distance has a way of bringing life into focus that cannot be achieved through any other means.

With my recent relocation across the country, my awareness of distance and its effects on my life has been rolling through my heart like waves on a seashore. With each new wave of realization, a freshly unfamiliar landscape appears, forcing me to think about how far away are so many of the people who have shaped my heart, enriched my life, and impacted my day-to-day existence for more than a decade. As if my affected emotions weren’t enough, distance is also altering my memories. Like repainting a wall, the structure remains unchanged, but it is awash in a new color scheme.

This morning, my distance reminder came in the form of a text from a friend in need of prayer. Yet another reminder that more than 3,500 miles exist between us, but that God intends for me to love her just as completely as if I were there right beside her. The Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “Distance can become your excuse, or it can be My catalyst. Be a participant, not just an observer from afar.” As this thought rolled around in my mind, Jesus’ words in John 15:12 quickly followed: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” I may be halfway around the world from my friend (well, it feels like it anyway), but God placed me in her life, and she in mine, to take an active role.

Never in Scripture do we see Jesus advocating for passivity when it comes to relationships. Even more impressive is that He clearly reveals that active, life-giving relationships with each other are central to what it means to loving God Himself. In that same passage in John, we read: “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” It is simply not possible to separate Jesus’ command to love others from fruit-bearing activities.

Prayer is at the top of the list of fruit-bearing activities for all believers. So much so that Scripture tells us to do it continually, without ceasing, in all circumstances, and for all believers. If we endeavor to be participants in people’s lives, then our activity must begin with prayer before we take any other actions. Philippians 4:6, tells us to pray about everything and Ephesians 6:18 issues this command: “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
As I prayed for my long-distance friend this morning, I also became newly fascinated with the mysterious and powerful interrelationship between prayer for others and our own spiritual well-being. When we pray for others, we are clearly carrying out God’s command to love them well. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Interceding for others in prayer is an act of obedience and an expression of our love for God Himself. And Scripture makes it very clear that being obedient is key to spiritual wholeness and living abundantly in Christ.

Take, for example, the story of Job who perhaps suffered more than any other person in history except for Jesus. After losing everything he owned and loved, he was also shamed and rejected by his friends. And then we read this enlightening verse from Job 42:10: “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!” When preaching on this stunning passage, Oswald Chambers asserted that if you are struggling spiritually, then you will find a fresh infusion of growth, joy, and hope by interceding for others. “If you are not getting the hundredfold more, not getting insight into God’s word, then start praying for your friends, [and] enter into the ministry of the interior. As a saved soul, the real business of your life is intercessory prayer.”

The way I see it, the best thing you can do for your friends is also the best thing you can do for yourself. Since my new location still feels entirely foreign to me and distance feels more like my constant companion rather than a simple measure of space, praying for those I love even when I don’t feel like it, is doing just as much work in my soul as it is theirs. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Notice that James says, “that you may be healed,” not that they may be healed. Granted, he is using the collective form of the word “you,” but Scripture is consistent in how it describes the far-reaching effects of prayer on both the one praying and those being prayed for. Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

But prayer is a tall order, isn’t it? Praying for those we love with consistency takes both time and a serious level of commitment. Even though it takes far more effort physically, most of us would rather do something for a friend than take the time to pray for them throughout the day during their time of crisis. Human nature screams at us: just solve the problem for them, and you’ll feel good about it too. Throw money at it. Maybe even give a little of your time on a Saturday morning. Oh, and definitely meet them for a yummy lunch and offer your sage wisdom on the situation. These are all things that come naturally to us, and while doing something may be exactly what God is calling you to do, praying for your friend in need is always what God wants — whether or not physical participation is needed as well. Anything done without the covering of prayer is vulnerable to our own motives, misguided perceptions, or uninformed perspectives.

However, under the power of prayer, the Holy Spirit can reveal the otherwise unknowable to us in loving and serving others. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” And James 1:5 gives us this assurance: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” We all know someone who would be harmed more than helped by receiving certain kinds of aid. Likewise, we all know someone who really needs our assistance, and our selfishness may be stopping us from serving them in the way Jesus reveals to us in prayer or commands us in Scripture. Corey ten Boom famously said of prayer, “We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that He will get us involved in His plan for the answer. If we are true intercessors, we must be ready to take part in God’s work on behalf of the people for whom we pray.”

God puts us in — or makes us aware of — circumstances to be a participant, not an observer. The minute you hear of someone in need, it’s never a coincidence. If you believe God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and wants to be intimately and personally involved in our lives, then you must also think that nothing happens without His intention or knowledge. Therefore, we must conclude that praying for someone is always what God desires. He wired us to need Him and each other. When we go to Him in prayer for others, heaven touches earth, effectively drawing us closer to our Savior and to each other… no matter what the distance, emotionally or physically.

Today, whether you’re feeling distant from God, or feeling distant from someone else, the gap for either is closed in the same way: prayer. And if you think you’ve been away too long to pray, trust me, you haven’t. If you think you need flowery language to pray effectively, you don’t. If you think you’ve done too much wrong to pray, thankfully, you’re wrong. Prayer is simply talking to God without a filter, pretense, or agenda, and then waiting in stillness for Him to respond. Prayer is spending time with the One who loves both you and the person you need to pray for, no matter what either of you has done or not done. And, bonus, no matter what you say, according to Romans 8:26, the Holy Spirit will turn it into a pleasing aroma to your Heavenly Father. God designed prayer to lavish us in His love and teach us to abide in that all-encompassing love. And if His perfect love can drive out fear (1 John 4:18) and has nothing to do with punishment, then why do we so often fear coming into His presence?

No matter what you’re doing right now — whether you’re reading this at work or listening to it in your car — when you’re finished, I invite you to pray for someone you love, someone you’re struggling with, and someone suffering or in great need. That person may be one in the same, or many different people. As their names drift through your mind, recall and imagine this scene when you pray for them: their names are carried by the Holy Spirit into the throne room of the almighty King of the Universe. And as your prayers are lifted up, His wisdom, hope, peace, joy, and direction floods down over you. Every second of every day, our souls are longing to be with Jesus, it’s just that most of us don’t accurately identify that ache we feel as the distance between earth and our heavenly home. Prayer bridges that gap. Prayer puts us in the throne room. Any time. Anywhere. Why not go there throughout the day and take with you the needs of those God has called you to love? Sure, it will change their lives, but it will impact yours even more.

What do you think of today's message? Comment and share your thoughts below! And if God brought someone to mind as you read or listened, please encourage them by sharing this post today!

Five-Day Devotional Guide for Further Reflection and Daily Spiritual Journaling
The questions and readings below can be used for a single-day study or your daily quiet time throughout the week. Before you begin reading the passage for each day, spend some time asking God to open your heart to His truth and hearing His voice.
Day 1 - Read John 15:12-17. In what ways has Jesus exhibited friendship toward you? Which qualities of a good friendship do you wish you could experience more with Jesus? Why do you think those specific qualities came to your mind? Write them down and then present them back to Jesus in prayer, asking Him to show you what changes you need to make to grow closer to Him in that way.
Day 2 - Earthly relationships are incredibly important to our spiritual health. Read Matthew 5:24 and ask God to speak to your heart about any relationships in your life in need of repair. How might they be interfering with your growth in Jesus or your obedience to His Word?
Day 3 - Read James 5:16. In what ways are believers called to support each other in prayer when it comes to sin? How do you know when there is sin in your life that needs to be confided in another believer (who is not weak in the same area) and when you should keep it to yourself?
Day 4 - ReadJames 1:5. In what areas of your life or relationships are you in need of wisdom right now? Pray the verse from James back to God and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in paths of wisdom and teach you to obey His direction.
Day 5 - Read Ephesians 6:18. Praying continuously can sound like a daunting task, but with a little creativity and planning, there are many ways to incorporate simple “breath” prayers into your daily routine. Spend time with God in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you on ways to pray more often. If you’re looking for even more inspiration in this area, the short 78-page book The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence is packed with examples of how to incorporate prayer into everyday habits.

Jesus wants participants. Supercharge your faith with intercessory prayer.

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Reassembling Life Even When You Can't Find the Pieces

7/24/2019

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Reassembling Life By Experiencing Gods Presence

Reassembling Life By Experiencing More of Gods Presence

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There is virtually no part of my life that is not in disarray right now. I’m surrounded by pieces. Not broken pieces, thank goodness, but it does feel as though I am surrounded by millions of scattered parts littered across the battlefield of a cross-country move. As many of you know, I have been on a brief hiatus from the Glimmers blog while my husband and I transition from Maine to California. And while today will be a shorter message than usual, I desperately needed to return to something normal and familiar as quickly as possible, for both my sanity and my sense of belonging.

However, even with the deep longing in my heart to serve God as He has called me, the almost addictive craving to keep working and achieve complete order from my chaotic surroundings was surprisingly and overwhelmingly alluring this morning as I stood in the shower and contemplated the day ahead. At least today wouldn’t feel like Groundhog Day (a reference to the classic Bill Murray movie, not the date in February). Today, I mused as I stood in my new bathroom wondering again which drawer I put my hairbrush in, I would at least do something other than deal with boxes, service contractors, and address changes.

Of course, I am also a planner and organizer by nature, so even though I color-coded, labeled, meticulously numbered all my boxes, and can search their contents in a master spreadsheet (yes, I really did that), my life is still utterly unorganized right now. Despite my best efforts to make the move easier, my excessive organization didn’t prevent my being overwhelmed by the deluge of boxes in every room, nor could I have anticipated all the work being compounded by 10 once we arrived and realized how little the previous owners had done to maintain their home.

Even the furniture we purchased and the accessories we bought to make life easier are all in pieces. Take, for example, the beautiful new cherry-finish step stool I bought to match my ultra-tall kitchen cabinets. I’ve always acknowledged that I am on the short side, but my new kitchen makes me feel absolutely minuscule in height. Since I can barely reach the second shelf in the majority of my cabinets, I figured a matching step stool sitting in my kitchen would be better than our old metal one with its paint dribbles and emerging rust lines. But, like everything else it seems, I can’t take advantage of the stool’s better height and attractiveness until I take the hour… or two… or three… required to assemble all 57 pieces. You read (heard) that right. 57 ridiculous pieces for a simple step stool. I’ve never been fond of puzzles. So as far as I’m concerned, the path to reaching new heights is paved with tedium and irritation.

But as I spread out those endless pieces on my kitchen floor and pondered whether I had it in me to begin the assembly process (yet again), I suddenly became acutely aware of the cool, solid feel of the tile beneath my feet. My floor didn’t need assembly. It had needed a deep cleaning, which it received, but it was not in pieces when we moved in. It was steady and doing a simple job well. And at that moment with temperatures outside soaring near 100, it brought me comfort. Like the shade Jonah sought in the overwhelming and sweltering landscape of Nineveh (Jonah 4), the cool tiles reminded me of God’s endless provision. He is the solid, comforting foundation that never moves. Always stable. And beckoning me to take a break and find refuge in His unwavering strength and the refreshment of His Spirit. Like Jonah, God had told my husband and I to come here to this new place, and just like the pouting prophet, I wanted to run away from the job and throw up my hands in exasperation. Over the last few months, I have certainly related to Jonah’s words in chapter 4, verse 5: “Just kill me now, Lord.”

But God is faithful to complete the good work in us — and through us — every time. And even during the hard lessons and excruciating work, He loves us enough to comfort us and teach us at the same time. Even though Jonah was angry with God for sending him to serve in Nineveh and even more resentful when the entire city turned away from evil to receive salvation, God patiently, but firmly, comforted and corrected him. In the passage from Jonah 4, God used everyday things to speak to Jonah’s heart — a broad-leafed plant, a worm, and a blistering wind. Everything and everyone is under God’s dominion, and He uses whatever it takes to reach those He loves. The key, of course, is that we are open to seeing and hearing Him through all those things… big, small, difficult, pleasurable, tedious, frustrating, and simple.

The Holy Spirit used a cool tile floor to comfort me and correct my attitude. An everyday structure became holy ground at that moment. Like Jesus squatting down in the dirt to touch the blind beggar or raise the chin of the teary-eyed adulteress, God gets down on our level and in our muck to love us. There’s nothing too scattered, overwhelming, or damaged for Him. And if that isn’t remarkable enough, we can find Him with us in the trenches every day, not just when we’ve reached the end of our stamina, patience, or hope. The problem is we usually wait, like Jonah, until we get into that predicament to see Him.

Growing up in a somewhat religiously legalistic culture, I used to believe that if I wasn’t having a perfect daily quiet time with a specific amount of Bible reading and praying, that God wouldn’t show up. I treated my relationship with God as if it functioned under a contract. If I do this and that, He will provide specific things. But if I were to fall down on my end of the bargain, He’d find plenty of other more deserving people to lavish His love and presence upon. And although that faulty and highly dangerous perspective is mostly behind me, every now and then I hear ghostly echos of its voice whispering doubts in my head as if there is anything I could do to change, validate, or increase God’s love for me or His involvement in my life. But on days where the tasks or struggles of life force you to get out of bed at the crack of dawn and not stop until the stars are long since out, Jesus doesn’t withdraw His Spirit just because the most you can eke out is a 30-second prayer as you fall asleep. The difference is how you seek Him on the whole, and moment by moment. The difference is that when life is somewhat normal and routine that you choose Him when you have the choice. Spending quality time with Him becomes your priority. You choose Him because you long for His presence so profoundly, so genuinely, that you can almost feel the need physically, like thirst or hunger. That’s the desire that the Psalmist is talking about in Psalm 42:1: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?”

Notice that David is asking the question to himself, more so than anyone else around him: “When am I going to be able to take a break from all of this to just go be with God?” That’s not what I usually find myself asking. I usually pout like Jonah and mutter, “God, when is this going to end?” Or perhaps, “God, this stinks. And I’m tired of it all.” And I think that’s why David is called the “man after God’s own heart.” Even when he had every reason and obstacle in his way, he didn’t let it taint or distract the longing in his heart for God, even when it meant his ability to formally worship God in a dedicated moment was impeded. He let that longing take precedence in his heart so that it filtered his vision, guarded his perspectives, and sensitized his heart to an awareness of God’s presence… anywhere and at any time. Certainly, some of David’s most compelling Psalms were written amid the chaos on a battlefield littered with destruction and despair. Poetry isn’t something most of us think of as being written in the midst of disarray and danger, but for David and many others since him, inspiration can always be found in the muck and hardship of life if our hearts are open to looking for God to show up.

So, as I finish up this message today, I’m fighting the urge to rush so that I can return to the wooden puzzle of step stool pieces laying on my kitchen floor… or the boxes of clothes sitting in the middle of my bedroom… or the stack of forwarded mail that needs to be sorted… goodness, even choosing which thing to do next is hard. But this time as I go back into the fray, I’m taking a deep breath and inviting God to interrupt me and my agenda with His presence. To remind me that even in the drudgery, there is joy. In the frustration, there is hope. In any moment… He. Simply. Is. In any moment, the great I AM is there for me. He is there for you. Now, the decision is up to us. Will we have hearts like David that long for Him enough to get past our own perspectives and attitudes? Will we see Him sitting there with us among the boxes, battlefields, and new beginnings? Are we open to being taught, or are we just seeking the comfort of His shade and the provision of His hand? In all these things, Scripture encourages us to trust before we can see. To believe before we can walk. Ephesians 3:17-18 says, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.” In verse 17, I love the phrase, “as you trust Him” because it reminds me that our ability to experience Jesus is a growth process. We get better at seeing His hand and leaning into His constant presence over time and with repeated practice. So let’s keep going, my friend. We have a holy incentive better than any comfort on earth to stay the course and anticipate His presence every step of the way.

What do you think of today's message? Comment and share your thoughts below! And if God brought someone to mind as you read or listened, please encourage them by sharing this post today!

5-Day Devotional Guide For Further Reflection and Daily Spiritual Journaling
The questions and readings below can be used for a single-day study or your daily quiet time throughout the week. Before you begin reading the passage for each day, spend some time asking God to open your heart to His truth and hearing His voice.
Day 1 - Read Jonah 4. (It’s a short chapter.) God told Jonah several times to go and preach to the people of Nineveh, but he didn’t want to do so because he knew God would offer them salvation if they repented. When have you avoided spending time with God or disobeyed one of his commands (either directly to you or found in Scripture) because you didn’t want Him to do something you didn’t like? Even in the face of disobedience or avoidance, how did God still show His love for you and draw you back to Him?
Day 2 - Read Hebrews 12:11. Recall a time when you went through something painful, but the Holy Spirit helped you see that it was for your good. What did God teach you through the difficulty? How was He faithful to be with you? How has God used your experience to help others?
Day 3 - Read Philippians 4:8-9. The presence of Jesus brings peace. How can this passage help you to experience more of His presence in everyday life? What areas of your life or habits does God want you to “filter” through this verse more often?
Day 4 - ReadPsalm 16:11. There is no ambiguity about God’s promise of His presence. Meditate and memorize this verse, recalling it as a prayer in moments of stress or weakness. Ask God to reveal any changes you need to undertake to make this verse a more frequent reality in your life.
Day 5 - Read Romans 8:28 several times in a few different versions. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal to you in any ways in which you don’t believe this statement to be true. Ask God to help you see all things through the filter of this verse and comfort you with His presence as you trust in this promise.

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Are you a Distant Observer?

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