It has been a minute….. well…. more than a minute….. since my last posting. I could blame lots of things for that lapse in writing. Life. Job. Stress. The list could literally go on for a while. The truth is, writing, like so much of the Christian walk, is a discipline. When the discipline is not nurtured, practiced, honed, it is lost.

Have you ever felt lost? I don’t mean like lost on your way to somewhere. I mean directionally lost when it comes to your walk with the Lord. I know I have. When I was (much) younger, I had a fire inside of me that hungered for the Lord. I was constantly in my Bible reading and underlining things. I spent time pondering what the text meant. I wasn’t smart enough or bold enough to ask questions of those around me that might could have helped, but I did struggle with the text and what it meant for my life. For a while I felt totally lost in what I was supposed to be doing with my life. I kept thinking that God would give me a bold, flashing sign saying “DO THIS! THIS IS YOUR PATH!”

Now that I am older, I have learned that God does not do that. There are some examples in scriptures of God speaking boldly to people (Moses comes to mind) but for the most part, God is the still, small voice on the breeze. As free will agents, we have the ability to choose to follow or to choose to not follow the promptings provided to us by the Holy Spirit. I have heard it, and even said it myself, that we don’t hear from God the way they did in the scriptures. But what if that’s not true? What if the issue is not that God doesn’t speak to us. What if the issue is that we have forgotten how to listen?

The Christian life is not a life of programs and formulas. There is no magic potion or set regimen to follow that will equate to a “successful Christian walk”. However, God did set forth certain disciplines for us to follow. These are tools we can use to draw closer to Him and become more attuned to His voice. How do we know what to listen for if we are constantly cluttered by all the noise around us? We can’t. And the disciplines given to us in the scriptures help us silence the noise of the world and focus our attention on listening to that still, small voice.

For those that may be unfamiliar with the Christian disciplines, there are quite a few and they may vary depending on which denomination (or lack thereof) you are utilizing as the foundation for your worship. Being a Methodist, I will focus on those, however, a quick google search will provide you with more should you find yourself wanting more. One of the reasons, if not the primary reason, Methodists got their name is because of the methodology behind the practice of these disciplines.

So what are they spiritual disciplines? These disciplines are the way we learn to “walk” with Jesus, “hear” from the Lord, or “learn” from God how He desires us to live in this world. As I said before, there are many out there. But the ones we will focus on are Meditation, Prayer (which includes Listening), Fasting, Study, Simplicity, Solitude (and Silence), Submission, Service, Confession, Worship, Guidance (group and individual spiritual direction), Hospitality, and Celebration. As you can see, some are what we refer to as “inward” disciplines – meaning they are done in solitude or small groups and deal with the self – and “outward” disciplines which incorporate small groups, large groups, corporate worship and even service.

I challenge you to take a look at each one of the disciplines listed here and see where you are excelling….and where you are lacking. This week, I am going to focus on the first one – Meditation. Meditation can mean different things in different contexts. In the Christian context, it most commonly refers to the study of Scripture and pondering its meaning beyond what a surface understanding would provide. It means more than just asking what the text is saying, but what is the text saying to you, the reader, and what does it mean for our modern context. Oftentimes, meditation is partnered with prayer. It’s always a good idea to ask God for help when studying the word that has been preserved for all these thousands of years.

In any case, I ask that you walk with me on this journey this week of Scripture and Meditation. Or just come along for the ride. May God bless you all in the days to come.