I have a true confession I want to share with you today. I think the most challenging thing in my personal life is praying deeply and really connecting with God and concentrating. Today I'm going to share with you what has helped me the most.
Stay with me. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. The mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians through the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. And today we're continuing his newest series, Less is More, Decluttering Your Time with God. For the past couple of programs, Chip's helped us turn down the noise and busyness of the Christian life by focusing on a single verse at a time. So if you've missed the first two passages we've studied together, go back and catch up through the Chip Ingram app or at livingontheedge.org. What would that go in your Bible?
To the book of Isaiah chapter 57 verse 15 for Chip's talk, The High and Exalted One. Of all the areas of my time with God I need to declutter, it's my prayer time. There's just different seasons when, you know, a lot is coming at me.
I'm sure a lot is coming at you. Your mind wanders. You try to pray.
You say the words. You maybe go back to the Lord's prayer. You maybe praise Psalm 23. You know, you start praying for people that you care about and all of a sudden, you know, the problems of the day and what are we going to do with our daughter? What about the bills that are coming?
Or, you know, I'm not sure, you know, the economy they're downsizing over here. I mean, my brain just gets flooded with thoughts and I will be sitting there and realizing I'm not sure when I stopped, but I was talking to God and I was engaged before his presence. And then it's almost like at least inside my mind, somewhere along that time, I'm over here figuring out a problem, coming up with a plan, feeling this inside drive. I need to get up. I need to get going. I've got to take care of this.
I got to take care of that. While I was praying, I thought about, oh, I never got back to so-and-so and oh, this is coming up on the calendar and I told Teresa I was going to do this or it just bombards my mind. And I find myself sometimes sitting, asking God to forgive me for all the wandering and then I feel so unworthy and like I've blown it so much and well, I better just, you know, I can't really concentrate right now. I'll pray a little bit later and I'll go deeper later when my mood is better and I hate to admit that. I mean, after all these years of walking with the Lord, but those are times that my mind really gets cluttered and my time with God, I showed up, okay, but I didn't connect and I didn't connect deeply. In the last few weeks, I have found myself really bombarded with, you know, we've got a team in India right now and there's such persecution.
Our key person in the Middle East, you know, lives in Dubai and we did a big conference there. Of course, everything that's happened over in Israel, Gaza, let alone, you know, all the things we're doing in terms of right here in the US and the people struggling with some really big issues. I'm in the midst of creating a number of new teachings that I think address where we're living and I just feel pressure in my mind gets overwhelmed. And so there's a verse that I have written down. In fact, I actually memorized this verse many, many years ago.
And as I was reviewing it, this decluttering that we're talking about, there's times where there's a passage that so speaks to me, every single morning for weeks, I will read it first and walk through it. And the passage is Isaiah 57 and verse 15. I'm not going to go into context too much.
It's pretty complicated. Just enough to say that Israel has abandoned God. They're worshiping idols.
They have gone down very, very bad paths. And then there's this passage in Isaiah 57 verse 15 where he talks about there's access when people are far from God, when they feel guilty, when they feel like they shouldn't receive any mercy or help. And it goes like this, for thus says, a little old English there, the high and exalted one who lives forever, whose name is holy. I dwell or I live on a high and holy place and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite. Sometimes there's one passage that focuses on who God really is in such a powerful way, that is you ponder and meditate on it slowly and in a protracted way and really think about what it means. It begins to lift up your mind and your heart and your spirit above the noise, the clutter, the demands, the who am I supposed to pray for and what about this and what about that. And then this passage not only has this high, exalted, clear view of God that I'll talk a little bit more about, but it has this corresponding truth of there's access, there's a willingness, a tenderness, a desire. There's a part of God's character that he's drawn to a certain kind of person that has a certain kind of attitude and view of themselves and their situation that regardless of all the challenges of past sin, of however we've blown it in ways that we're just even sick and tired of looking at ourselves and saying, oh, how many times are we going to go through this over and over? It may be, Chip, I haven't really even had a serious talk with God and, you know, forget being in the Bible every day. I'm not in it even much.
In fact, you know, I've gotten to where, you know, I watch a little online. I'm kind of disconnected, I think, from the Lord, from the church, from, you know, even any kind of a small group or fellowship. And I haven't given up my hope, haven't given up my faith, but Chip, my life isn't in a good place, and I know it. There's something inside that keeps saying, get back on track, get back on track.
And I think about it, I intend to do it, but candidly, I'm not. And one of those barriers is you feel so unworthy and at times guilty and tired of struggling and failing that it's like, you know, kind of what's the use? And that's the enemy whispering to you. And so what I want to do in our time here is I want you to walk with me through this one verse, and at the core of it is in our time with God praying. So often people are concerned about the words or how long you pray or emotions, and what I want to tell you is that your view of God, when you close your eyes, bow your head, or maybe you get on your knees or you're taking a walk, whatever position that you're in, it is who you perceive God to be will be the most important thing about anything in your prayer life, and it will help you declutter. I won't go into it, but for those of you that want a little extra insight into what I just said, it's Luke chapter 11. It's when the disciples come and ask Jesus, teach us to pray, and read that carefully. And when you read it carefully, what you'll see is, yes, he gives them the formula of here's the right things in the right way, the right perspective, but the thesis of Luke 11 is what he wants to do is change their perspective of who God really is.
And so he gives them a word picture, and then he gives them another word picture, and he helps them understand if you could ever grasp that God is a father, if you could ever grasp who he really is and how he wants to respond to you, it would completely change how you talk to him and how you relate to him in your prayer life. And then there's this passage in Isaiah 57, verse 15, and I want you to listen now to some of the phrases. This is to a group of people that are far from God, but inside this group of people, there's these people who are longing to walk with God, to turn to God, and they failed and they've struggled. And he'll talk about in the verse before that, remove the barriers, okay?
Remove the barriers, and then I want you to take those obstacles away and build up and prepare a road. In other words, I want you to come back to me, do whatever you need to do to reposition yourself for this is the high and exalted one. And then I just want you to think about, with your eyes closed, not if you're driving, think about God as not some extrapolation of something powerful or someone powerful.
I want you to think of a picture in however you can in your mind of the universe being created and that the personal, all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the universe speaks and stars come into existence. He speaks, and I mean energy goes forth and life is birthed. He's high and he is exalted.
He's holy. I want you to picture coming before a God who lives in unapproachable light. I want you to fathom just in your mind's eye that you're going to come in and talk to a God who there are cherubim and angels that are hiding their eyes and hiding their feet, and they're just so overwhelmed with his majesty and his power that they cry, holy, holy, holy, Lord God of heaven, and that you are coming into the very throne room of God, and you would be reminded that because of what Jesus has done, that he's blazed the trail, that your sins are forgiven, that you can come boldly before this throne, and the throne is a throne of grace. The pathway is filled with mercy. This God so longs to know you, love you, help you, strengthen you, comfort you, forgive you, restore you, that what he's saying is come to the throne of grace to find mercy in your time of need.
But what I would suggest is somehow grace got cheap. Somehow mercy is, oh, yeah, God will forgive me. Oh, it'll be okay.
No, no, no, no, no, wait a second. I want you to declutter your soul, declutter your thinking, and imagine in your mind's eye you are coming before the creator of all that there is, and he is holy, and he is exalted, and he is above everything and everyone. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and we'll continue our series, Less is More, in just a minute. But quickly, are you looking for a practical way to deepen your time with God through prayer? Then stick around after the message as Chip talks about an easy tool we've developed to help you be more intentional in your daily time with Jesus.
You won't want to miss it. Well, with that, here again is Chip. And then notice this, he lives forever. This isn't just about now.
This isn't just about your needs, your relationships, mine, our situations. This is a God who lives forever. He's eternal, and he has created us in his image.
He sent Jesus to redeem us that we could have eternal life, not just a new quality of life of him living inside of us where he takes up residence by the Holy Spirit, but where he takes up residence in us, forgives us, saves us, seals us for himself, has redeemed us, and are you ready? You will live forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. And that's what's so scary about in God's great justice, everyone will live forever and ever and ever and ever. Some, and I pray all who would ever hear my voice, in a loving relationship because they put their trust in Jesus, and some forever and ever apart because they don't want any part of God, and they'll do their own way.
They want to be their own king. I don't need God. I don't believe in that. But even to those today he says, Thus says the high and exalted one, who lives forever, whose name, that's who he is, whose name, whose character is holy, in ways none of us can or will understand. He is simultaneously and without any compartments pure, holy, just, compassionate, omniscient, omnipresent, all-powerful. He's eternal and he's approachable and tender and merciful. He is Jesus. Jesus is the icon of the invisible God, the exact image of the invisible God. Jesus created all that there is in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether they're thrones or dominions or rulers or powers. Everything has been created through him, Jesus, and for him, and he is before anything and holds all things together by the word of his power. And this is this transcendent, holy, awesome God.
And yet he's close and he's eminent and we can know him through Jesus. When I begin to verbalize and picture that and come into the presence of that God, it causes me to shrink. It causes me to get perspective of myself like never before. It causes me to take these huge problems and emotional weights and relationships that I don't know what to do with and financial demands and persecutions or struggles or things that I feel responsible to help and all of a sudden I realize I'm coming before a God who can do anything. And he not only can do anything, but he's already done insurmountably more than I could ever imagine. And for reasons I don't know and you don't know, he has set his affection upon us. And he's not willing that any should perish, but he longs, longs and longs and longs to turn people from patterns and behaviors and self-will and rebellion and addictions that are bringing death and destruction to them and their bodies and their relationships and their families and just longs to forgive. Every single morning before I do anything, I'm pausing.
I've done this for the last several weeks. I'm coming before God. You are the high and exalted one. You live forever. Your name, who I'm coming before, is holy.
And then get this next section. I mean, this to me is what was so mind-boggling. It says, I live. One translation is, I dwell. In other words, where is it that God has freedom to be who he is?
I mean, think of that. An all-knowing, all-powerful, holy, unapproachable light. Where in the world could he dwell? And it says, I dwell on a high and holy place, speaking of the absolute purity of heaven.
And that makes sense, right? These huge, powerful, angelic beings cry out day and night that he is holy. And then the next part of this passage is almost hard to grasp intellectually. He says, I dwell in fullness, in power, in freedom. My name, who I really am, expressed on a high and holy place.
And then notice the second place. And also with him or her who has a contrite and lowly spirit. The Hebrew words here literally are the idea of being crushed and bowed down. It's just you bring nothing to the table. Overwhelmed with your sin, with your failure. It's this sober assessment. Now, that's not comparing ourselves with other people. That's not comparing ourselves with people that aren't doing as well. That's not comparing ourselves with people that have done terrible things.
This lowly and contrite heart is not like, I'm a terrible person. It's that we're made in the image of God. And what this passage is teaching is there's a place that God dwells. There's a place where he manifests his presence. There's a place where his power is evident, where the light shines forth through him. There's this place where God in his fullness shows up. One is in heaven where it's pure. And the other is when he finds a man or a woman or a student that has a contrite.
The idea is, I'm sorry. I'm crushed. I sense in my deepest aspects of my soul. I know I don't measure up to a holy God. I know I have impure thoughts. I know I still lust. I know I shade the truth.
I know I do image management. I know I do things that project that I'm better and holier and kinder than I really am. I've had secret thoughts, but if everything in our souls are laid bare before the eyes of him who sees all, it brings you to a place of a contrite and lowly spirit. And then there's this magnificent, magnificent purpose clause. He says, I dwell, not just visit, I dwell with him or her who is contrite and lowly in spirit in order that I may revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite. You know, often you think of someone being revived.
Maybe they were on a beach and they were drowning and you see that body laying there and you see someone start to do, you know, CPR and turn their head to the side and there's nothing happening and people are praying and crying and, you know, I'm not sure what's going to happen here and pretty soon some water pops out of their mouth and all of a sudden, there's this big gush of air and they're revived. You know, God knows what's going on in your life today. He knows where in your spirit you just, you feel like there's no hope. Your relationships, you just, there's no hope. You look at a dead-end work situation or a child that you love or a parent that's dying or a cancer that you're facing right now and it's just, your spirit is crushed and sometimes it's a view of you and sometimes it's just crushed that the world seems to, all the circumstances, all the relationships, all the things seem to be arranged right now where, God, I'm beyond the end of my rope. I already tied a knot and my fingers are just sort of losing grip and God says, come, return, cry out to me.
That's where I dwell. I'll meet you who have a broken contrite heart, those that have a lowly spirit. I want to renew you. I want to strengthen you.
I want to restore. He's not put off by the things I see in myself that are ugly. He's not some small little God that can't take care of the really big, big problems that you're facing. And don't get me wrong, does it mean that He will do what you want, that He'll do it the way that you want? We are made for eternity and the Scripture says His understanding is unsearchable. God always brings about the best for His children and He always does it in the wisest manner.
And that means the best possible results by the best possible means for the most possible people for the longest possible time. So a good God who knows all things actual and possible is on your team, wants to help you. And He sees, you know, the old illustration, He sees the beauty of the tapestry that He's making in your character and how it impacts every single person here and all around the globe.
And often what we see is the backside of that tapestry with the threads going this way and the knots here and the knots there and the struggles there. What I have now learned after walking with the Lord for over 50 years is some of the hardest knots, strings, dark threads, pains, injustices, betrayal, my own failure. As I have learned to lean in despite those things, I have had the privilege of seeing Him weave those with some golden threads of grace and mercy to create in my life, in spite of me, some very beautiful things. So I just want to encourage you if you happen to be one of those who struggle when you're meeting with God and your mind wanders or you feel like you're, you know, you've kind of gone through your list and I prayed about this, this, this, this and that and kind of gone through the motions and don't feel like you've connected deeply, feel like maybe you're unworthy or feel like maybe in the words of the great J.B. Phillips book, your God is just too small, let me encourage you Isaiah 57, 15. On this day, no matter what you're facing, I'm going to encourage you to write down that verse. In my translation, it thus says, the high and exalted one who lives forever, whose name is holy. And then God speaks, I dwell on a high and holy place and also with Him is contrite and lowly in spirit.
Why? In order to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite. Say that over and over in your mind as you drive, at least going to or for a work. Read it maybe for a meal.
Read it again before you go to bed. And maybe you're a slow learner like me and you may find yourself having to write that on a card and I've read it every day for weeks and that has sort of launched my prayer time. So I remember what a great and awesome God that I'm actually talking to and how holy He is. And at the same time, that as I could be more and more honest with myself, if I could be genuinely lowly in spirit and contrite, He will dwell with me in that same way. And my testimony very, very imperfectly is I'm experiencing that more and more. I appreciate your honesty and openness today Chip.
I'm Dave Druey and you're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram and his newest series, Less is More, Decluttering Your Time with God. Well Chip stuck around with me in studio here and Chip, I know there are a lot of people who listen to this message, the high and exalted one, and have said, okay, I'm ready to deepen my prayer time with God. And the good news is we have a great tool to help them out.
We really do Dave. The prayer journals that we've created, I love. I've used them and, you know, I've always journaled.
I mean, I'm a verbal processor and it's really helped me sort of see God's track record. I forget so easily or when I'm burdened, it's amazing to just write down the things that I'm concerned about. And, you know, the passage of casting all your cares upon Him, they get all jumbled inside my mind and so I jot those down and there's some great prompts inside our journal and, you know, an occasional hymn or a verse or a quote and it's just been a really, really helpful tool. And if you're serious about hearing God's voice and praying and making that a, not a discipline like I gotta, gotta, gotta do it, but more of a communion and a relationship, I've just found the journal becomes a tremendous guide, helps me stay on track, and I would just encourage you to try it and maybe pass it on. You're thinking about some other people that you want to help, buy two or three of these, maybe some people that you're discipling and say, hey, why don't you kind of keep a journal?
And you don't have to do it every day. We have some really good notes about how uniquely you can journal in a way that'll work for you and help you connect with the Lord, but that's our goal. And what I know is that Christians who pray deeply and regularly are Christians who live like Christians and that's our goal and that's our hope for you. Well, to learn more about our prayer journals, visit LivingOnTheEdge.org or call 888-333-6003. These beautiful, compact notebooks have plenty of space for your prayers and personal journaling, along with scripture verses, hymn lyrics, and quotes to encourage you. If you want a more intentional, enriching time with God, this tool will help. Again, for more details about our prayer journals, visit LivingOnTheEdge.org or call 888-333-6003. App listeners, tap special offers. Well, listen to next time as Chip picks up in his newest series, Less is More. Until then, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge. .
