This is Stu Epperson from the Truth Talk Podcast, connecting current events, pop culture, and theology. And we're so grateful for you that you've chosen the Truth Podcast Network.
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This is the Truth Network. Oh, I am looking forward to today's talk. We're going to look at a verse that makes a lot of people, including me, feel guilty. I think they either feel guilty and give up on it or they think, wow, God can't really mean that, does he? But it's such an important verse, and we just don't want to miss out on its message. So, James, I'm really dying to know.
How do we go there? Right, well, the verse Robbie is talking about is 1 Thessalonians 5, 17, pray without ceasing. People often write this verse off because they believe it's telling them that they always have to be talking to God. And let's face it, that's impossible.
I mean, you've got to sleep, right? So the point is there's more to this verse than meets the eye. Oh, I'm glad to hear that. So, well, let's put it in context and look at the verses around it, right? Before it, verse 16 says, rejoice always, right? Then pray continually. Then verse 18 says, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
So the whole thing is really about prayer, praying in different ways. And it tells us that God wants us to do this, and that is his will for us. So, you know, how could it be God's will for us if it's something that just seems so hard to do?
That's it. You know, I think that we really need to stop there for a moment and think about that. God doesn't make it hard, we do. If God wants us to do something, he's going to make a way for us to do it. But one of the problems is we don't understand what this verse is really saying. The word for prayer that it uses isn't just about talking or asking for something, you know, continuing the conversation. It also has to do with worship and devotion. So really, it's about living a life of worship. Wow, that's a huge weight off, doesn't it? Does that really help?
Yeah, it does. If you think that this verse says that you must carry on a continual conversation with God, you don't have to. You can take a breath. Worship isn't about words as much as it is about a posture of our hearts. Yes, we're to stay in contact with God continually, but we don't have to be talking all the time. And, you know, sometimes that's also something that is not a conscious effort on our part. Right. So there are a lot of other ways, right, to worship and to pray, aren't there?
There are. So this is just about living in a relationship with him. Praying is also listening. You know, how we need to do that, we'll miss out on some of the best moments with God if we don't learn how to listen.
Oh, that's so true. He teaches us how to hear if we listen. And I think some of the best moments I've had with him are simply listening. I mean, I actually heard, as I was memorizing one of the verses in the Song of Solomon this week, I realized what it said was, Behold, my Beloved is speaking, it's knocking at my heart, so to speak. In other words, the way that he knocks on our heart is actually by speaking.
Right. So God is seeking you out. You didn't make that happen, but that's where he went in your spirit as you were just before him, passively almost. So we list spirits by just being quiet before him. We listen as we're reading his word, and it's so important. It helps us serve him and love him more when we learn to listen. Another area where this is important is in the area of just resting in him. You know, so often people today are anxious and stressed out. Rest, only Jesus can give. And we won't experience it if we think we have to be talking all the time.
That's just impossible. And it can lead us into thinking that we have to then earn his love somehow. But resting and listening are similar. You're just being quiet before him, loving him, being with him, worshipping without words even. Wow, that's what so much of this is about, isn't it?
I mean, just being with him. Think about the surgeon at work or the teacher in the classroom. I mean, you can welcome God into that, asking for his help, and depending on him, it might take a little practice for us to learn how to do that. But again, because he wants us to, he will help us, right?
Like, we're praying that he's going to help us do this very thing. I've really found that to be true. And the beautiful thing is that there's a peace about this. There's this assurance and awareness of this presence of God with us as we go there more. And yes, we have to make an effort. I'm not denying that. There is work involved.
But I think also that it's a little like riding a bike. You know, you start to realize, okay, just like the momentum is holding you up as you're moving along, God is holding us up. He's always there. He's promised us to be. And he just wants us to grow in our awareness of his presence with us.
Oh, it's so true. Throughout the Song of Solomon, he says he grazes among the lilies, and that idea of lilies is worship. You know, so James, wouldn't you say a lot of that is just about enjoying God about that worship? Yeah, that's where he wants us to live, enjoying him, leaning into him as we go through the day, humbling ourselves and confessing our sin when we mess up, turning to him for strength. As we keep doing these things, it helps us. He helps us to love him more and rejoice in him more and savor the moments of that relationship, if you will. But again, it's not just about doing.
It's also about being. That's the thing we have to keep in mind most of all. So if we can learn to see prayer as being with him, right, it takes some of the pressure off.
It just does. And that's what he wants for us. That's what he longs for because he loves us and misses us. You know, when we're away, he always desires our company. And that's where this verse really leads us, not to talking all the time, but to just living with him.
Really, and if you put it that way, it no longer seems impossible. It's just more and more a matter of what we do with him, for him, and sometimes working, sometimes resting, but always in his love. That's where he wants us.
And while this is something we may always be growing into, you know, it's an adventure, not a burden. God never wanted it to be that way because there's nothing better than just being with him, and he will show us. And I think that that starts by just asking him, like you were saying, you know, show me what this looks like, Lord, for me, for my family, for my work. So, Robbie, as we wrap up today, would you mind praying that way for us, that God will lead each of us into this more and more and help us to just live with him every day?
Oh, I'd love to. Jesus, thank you. Thank you for this understanding this morning, or as you're hearing this. And we pray that you would help us to see what you mean by this worship experience, by this time with you resting, working you, and just having you as a partner in what we're doing, or not even more so as our Lord. And so I pray that you would show us even how to make this real in our life and something that we so look forward to and don't feel guilty for. Jesus, thank you. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-02-24 15:20:32 / 2023-02-24 15:24:22 / 4