Desire and the Spirit-Led Life (Excerpt from WHISPERS THAT DELIGHT)

Excerpt from WHISPERS THAT DELIGHT–Copyright © 2008 Andrew T. Hawkins

Passion must at times animate our prayer and if we do not get our hearts’ longings into our prayer closet, our devotional life is finished. Fenelon claims that to pray is to desire. Without it, he says, we do not really pray, but merely go through mental exercises.  We will dabble at prayer and find it tedious if we never drill down to the desire level of our soul. When our prayer life deals in the currency of desire, our inner being begins to vibrate with expectancy. In the forum of prayer we cultivate spiritual longing and if we have tuned in to our innate, God-given desire, we may now look to him to satisfy it.

Meditating upon the Bible’s message about the believer’s relationship to the mysterious third Person of the Trinity encourages pure spiritual desire. At a gut level we all ache intensely to connect with the deep from whence we were drawn. By nature we long for supernatural contact. We crave an infilling of the divine. Rather than dampen this spark, God pours gasoline on it with an astounding promise. Actually, scripture talks about it, not as “a” promise, but “the” promise (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4 NKJ), the supreme gift of God to humanity. He claims he will fill us with his own essence, the Holy Spirit, the Christ of God. . . .

Jesus painted a compelling picture of the Spirit-endued individual. The thought of being “free as the wind” has always exercised a powerful pull on the human imagination and he said those born of the Spirit have entered into that kind of liberty (John 3:8). Jesus illustrates this freedom when he walks on the water and thereby teaches us that the Spirit-graced life raises us above many of our human struggles. Mark notes a fascinating, somewhat comical detail in his account when he says that as the disciples strained at the oars against a contrary wind, Jesus walked toward their boat and “intended to pass them by”(Mark 6:47-52).

The Greek word translated straining is a strong word, most often translated torment. It sometimes describes the pain of a woman in childbirth. With the disciples near the breaking point, Jesus strolls by them on the water. We know he would not show off, so what could his motive possibly be? The fact that in Matthew’s account of the incident he invited Peter to join him on the water and then rebuked him for a lack of faith when Peter started to sink, suggests that an easier way of living is available to all who believe. We often strive and strain when simple, child-like trust would instantly relieve our burdens and lift us to a higher realm and a more carefree life. Of course, we will have opposition from negative forces, whether human or spiritual, as well as from our own selfish nature, but as we learn to overcome these opponents, the Spirit-led life becomes easy.

CAN YOU LIVE FOR GOD WITHOUT LISTENING PRAYER?

I don’t know about you, but I hate sacrifice. I like comfort and convenience. Furthermore, I like getting my way. Therefore, I can only walk down the Christian path so far before I hit a wall. By the way, how far do I have to walk down this path anyway? How many sacrifices do I have to make? How much good do I have to do? Is my whole life supposed to be a denial of everything I want?

I’ve come to the conclusion that our attitude while doing good trumps all other considerations. Those who serve God must do so in spirit and truth. The spirit in which we help another or deny ourselves is everything. Done without the right attitude, self-sacrifice amounts to “wood, hay and stubble.” It has no value. You may as well as play a game or watch TV instead.

I take Paul’s counsel to the Corinthian church as instructive (2 Cor. 9). He says they should only give what they themselves have decided to give without any external pressure. Furthermore, the giving should be free from resentment because God values cheerfulness in giving i.e. the right spirit. Paul is, of course, talking about money here, but clearly this principle spreads out to other areas such as the giving of our time or attention to another.

The question then arises, “What if I can’t give with a good attitude, am I off the hook?” A voice may speak inside your head at this point telling you to just do the right thing. It’s a compelling voice because who can argue against doing what’s right? The problem is that we won’t obey it if we don’t want to, at least not for long. To carry on by mere exertions of the will, says Dallas Willard, is a condition to be dreaded and not something we can sustain over time.

We need grace and so we must quiet ourselves in an attitude of listening prayer. First of all, we do well to listen to the sound of this voice that bids us to “just do the right thing.” What is its tone? Is it harsh? Is it condemnatory? Or is it encouraging? Is it on our side? Is it the voice of a compassionate parent? Many voices vie for attention inside our heads. We need to exercise great care in deciding which ones to heed.

God gives us complete freedom to reject the harsh, intimidating voices. You don’t have to do anything under compulsion . . . anything! When it’s obeyed, that kind of voice only leads to bleak emptiness. Instead, the path we must take is that of seeking the Father’s voice, of opening our inner lives to the energizing power to do good that his Spirit gives. We must simply desire to be his child and to please him with our behaviour. In stillness before him, he will say he is for us and he will grant us the grace to do good. As we persevere in looking to him in love, we will feel the conviction rising from within, “Maybe I can do it after all.”