Week 4- Prayer Projects

1. Intro to Spiritual Formation Prayer Project (60 mins)

(15 min) In my tradition of Christianity, were we people of the Word? Spirit? Both? For good or for bad, what did we become? Where was my community (at church) at? Was the focus on prayer, teaching, knowledge, etc?What was the impact on your community and on you?

(15 min) Since you were a Christian, was your community more focused on knowledge of God or knowledge of self? What did I become? What were your parents?

(15 min) Were they open to all the other learning styles? Was there a desire for pyschology, science, etc? Or were they only interested in what was relevant like theology? How did it affect you?

(15 min) How was your community based on Spiritual Theology? If knowledge of the Word was central, how does this really work in life? How did it shape the community? How did it shape you?

2. Intro to Retreat Prayer Project

 Praying with Scripture – Divine Reading

"The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." Psalm 19: 7-8

condensed from Klaus Issler’s

KEEPING OUR HEARTS OPEN TO GOD AND HIS WORD

When I was a seminary student, Prof. Howard Hendricks would often tell us, "The Bible was given not only for our information, but for our transformation." Since God is the primary mover in this transformation, can we become more open to God's transforming work as we read, study, and meditate on Scripture? I propose three simple ideas--three pairs of concepts involving a "both/and" approach--to keeping an open heart before God. Although the ideas are fairly obvious, it's taking me much longer to see them become characteristic of my life.

The Word Of God

The Bible is the Word of God, not a Word detached from God. We must keep both aspects together: "the Word" and "God." As we approach the scriptural text in our reading and study, we can engage it as a conversation with God. In the past I tended to miss this significant personal dimensional, and so did Dan Wallace. When Wallace's son contracted a rare disease from which he almost died, their family was thrown into a whirlwind of medical procedures--a "summer from hell." Although an accomplished New Testament professor, Wallace was confronted with the need to sense God's presence more than ever before. "Through this experience I found that the Bible was not adequate. I needed God in a personal way--not as an object of my study, but as friend, guide, comforter. I needed an existential experience of the Holy One. Quite frankly, I found that the Bible was not the answer . . . . I found a longing to get closer to God, but found myself unable to do so through my normal means: exegesis, Scripture reading, more exegesis. I believe that I depersonalized God so much that when I really needed him I didn't know how to relate. I longed for him. . . . I found a suffocation of the Spirit in my evangelical tradition as well as in my own heart."1 The problem is not with the Bible--it is God's revelation to us, the living Word of God, inspired by the Spirit of God. Yet Scripture must be studied within the context of a dynamic and growing relationship with the God who is personal.

What I'm trying to emphasize here is both a textual focus and a relational focus in our engagement with the Scriptures. Notice the connection between Hebrews 4:12 and 13: "[12] For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." (NASV)

William Lane explains, "In context, the force of v 13 is to assert that exposure to the word of Scripture entails exposure to God himself."2 Robert Saucy highlights this personal element: "In a real sense a person's words are an extension of that individual as he or she seeks to bridge the distance between himself or herself and another. So the living God who came to earth in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, reveals his heart and mind to humanity through the medium of language, the verbal Word of God."3 Gerhard Maier develops this idea further. "The Bible is far more than a treasure trove of doctrinal truths. To view it [only] as a catalog of God's utterances would be to mistake its character. It is primarily communication of God--communication in the literal sense: God himself communes with us. He wants us to experience communion with him."4

Transforming Head and Heart

A second pair of concepts we need to keep together is that God's Word will affect both our thoughts and our emotions. In this regard, the passage of Philippians 4:6-7 has become a favorite stopping place to linger longer. Through this passage, God has confirmed His desire to impact and transform my emotions ("heart"), not just my cognitions ("head"). Gerald Hawthorne notes that "this expression, 'the peace of God,' is found nowhere else in the NT." He goes on to explain: "Paul seems here to be referring to the tranquility of God's own eternal being (Caird), the peace of God which God himself has (Barth), the calm serenity that characterizes his very nature . . . which grateful, trusting Christians are welcome to share."

5

Furthermore, although the term "heart" [Gk. kardia] in characteristic Hebrew fashion usually designates the whole person, a more narrow focus is intended in this passage, as Hawthorne explains. " But here, where Paul places kardia alongside noema grammatically in such a way as to distinguish the one from the other. . . kardia very likely has its meaning narrowed simply to that of designating the seat of one's emotions or deepest feelings, or simply to the emotions and feelings themselves. . . . Together these words refer to the entire inner being of the Christian, his emotions, affections, thoughts and moral choices."6 Only late in life have I come to appreciate how important our emotions are. They are windows to our soul, to our inner life. The so-called "train diagram" I learned many years ago communicates a helpful truth, but does so at great cost. "Fact" as the train engine leads the way; next comes the coal car of "Faith" and finally "Feelings" as the caboose follows. Yet I downplayed the legitimate role of emotions. Jesus was aware of his own emotions. In the garden he confided with Peter, James and John, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch" (Mark 14:34).

As we walk with the Spirit, we are transformed to manifest "the fruit of the Spirit" love, joy, peace--affections we experience in the depths of our soul. In keeping with the promise of Philippians 4:6-7, I am sharing more of my anxious thoughts with God, and, as a result, I am experiencing more of his peace in my life--much more peace than I had last year. God uses his Word to transform our cognitions and our emotions.

2 William Lane, Hebrews 1-8, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol 47a (Waco, TX: Word, 1999), p. 103) 3 Robert Saucy, Scripture: It's Power, Authority, and Relevance, Nashville: Word, 2001), p. 55. 4 Gerhard Meier, Biblical Hermeneutics, trans. Robert Yarbrough (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994), p. 55 5 Gerald Hawthorne, Philippians, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol 43 (Waco, TX: Word, 1983), p 184. 6 ibid., p 185.

The Word We Apply and the Word Applied to Us

Bible study is complete when we discern and apply the Word to our lives. The final pair of concepts relates to the means by which we arrive at the application or significance of the Word to our lives. On this point, E. D. Hirsch offers a helpful distinction between "meaning" and "significance." Meaning is that what is represented by a text; it is what the author meant by his use of a particular sign sequence; it is what the signs represent. Significance, on the other hand, names a relationship between that meaning and a person, or a conception, or a situation, or indeed anything imaginable.7 The "meaning" of Scripture is a public piece of knowledge, relating to what the author intended to say. The "significance," roughly speaking is the implication of that meaning for Christian living. The most common way to get the application is mediated through our own study of the Bible, by discerning the original author's intended implications of the passage. A practical full-length book on the topic is Daniel Doriani's Putting the Truth to Work (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2000). As Doriani clarifies "Biblical texts instruct us seven ways: through rules [commands], ideals [principles], doctrines [cardinal truths of the faith], redemptive acts in narratives, exemplary acts in narratives, biblical images [e.g., symbols, picturesque proverbs and parables], and songs and prayers. This list partially overlaps the various genres of Scripture, but we are not thinking of genre analysis. Each passage fits into one particular genre, but most passages include more than one of the seven sources of application." (p. 82) 

Earlier I mentioned how my gleaning of an "ideal" and a "doctrine" from Philippians 4:6-7 has ministered to my affective life: It is possible for God's deep peace to overwhelm and heal our anxious, turbulent soul when we are willing to release these concerns to God's care. Yet, occasionally, God Himself may immediately direct His Word suddenly to our attention--as he did in my life with Romans 1 in that cabin a couple of years ago (see sidebar). Sometimes the text seems to jump off the page and touch our hearts in a deep spot. Years ago Talbot faculty Walt and Marty Russell were engulfed in grief over the loss of their eighteen-month old son Christopher, who died suddenly while asleep. At the graveside service, Walt was deeply troubled. "It is an unspeakably painful moment in my life. If I could muster any more tears, I would be uncontrollably weeping as I watch four men struggle to lower a steel vault lid to cover the grave vault holding Christopher's little casket. I will see his little smiling face no more. . . . And as I stand there looking into what feels like the abyss, I realize that this could be the most despairing, skeptical, and faithless moment of my life."8 In that time of sorrow, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, a recent passage of meditation about the coming of the Lord, was brought to Walt's attention. "Not only did God bring them to mind, but I was overwhelmingly comforted and encouraged about seeing our little son again when Jesus comes to raise His people. . . . I began to experience profound, soulish comfort in the deepest recesses of my being as God used His Word to renew hope and courage in me."9

Furthermore, illumination may also come in a rather tangential manner in which God Himself taps us on the shoulder with an underlying thrust of a passage. Following a church service, Pastor Jack Deere was about to rebuke an older women regarding her conversation with a younger women, when Isaiah 42:3 came to his mind, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." Although a prophecy about the coming of Jesus and his gentle character, it was used to turn Deere's heart from irritation at the woman, to compassion for her. "All it would take was one rebuke from her pastor to break her and snuff her out . . .

7 E. D. Hirsch, Validity in Interpretation (New Haven, CT: Yale, 1967), p. 8 8 Walt Russell, Playing With Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2000), p. 77. 9 ibid., p. 78.

The Lord was telling me that this was not the day to rebuke her, that he would handle her correction in another way, at another time."10

We need to be diligent in our study of Scripture to discern God's application for our lives-- that's the normal way. Yet now and then, God--at His sole discretion--may touch our hearts by directing His Word in a special way to meet a special need. In this case, our task is to be receptive to God's immediate ministry to our heart. It's difficult for God's Word to pierce our hearts when we remain guarded and oblivious to the deep stirrings of our soul. How can we keep our hearts open to God and His Word?

1. Keep it personal. When we study the Scriptural text we must approach it as a personal encounter with our God.

2. Keep in touch with our feelings. God wishes to use his Word to transform both our heart and our head--transforming our feelings and desires as well as our thoughts and beliefs.

3. Keep paying attention for God's practical application. Our Bible study can naturally lead to discerning the application we need to practice. On special occasions, God may wish to apply his Word immediately to our lives.

Prayer and Journal

1. Two times during the next week, find a quiet, comfortable place to get away from your normal “life” of work and ministry, where you will not be interrupted for 35 – 45 minutes. (not driving in your car - no phone, TV, music, etc.)

2. Reading – Read through John 15:4–5 slowly five times, with a brief pause between readings. (7-8 minutes)

3. Meditation – Allow the text to “roll around” in your mind; let the text go from your mind into your heart; use imagination and put yourself in the text; be open not only to the meaning of the text, but to your feelings as well. Let the “Word abide or richly dwell in you” (Col. 3:16). (7-8 minutes)

4. Prayer – Be open to the Spirit’s moving within and speak freely to God what is prompted, not forced by the self alone. Emphasis is upon listening and openness to what God is doing internally with His Word and to respond or let this flow out of you. (7-8 minutes)

5. Contemplation – Merely sit open to the presence of the Spirit. (This may be peaceful, it may be agitating, boring etc.) The Indwelling Spirit is there in your deep; be open to what He is trying to show you about himself. (7-8 minutes)

6. Write one page about these two times of prayer and meditation. Include when and where you prayed, how many minutes you prayed, what happened each time, and your experience of yourself in the context of your relationship with God.

10 Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996) p. 113.