In HOPE

 

 

 

  In HOPE 10.3

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David Timms  

 

 

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 Prayer for Today

Lord, please calm the chaos and rein in the rush that marks my life. Rejuvenate my soul, and refresh my spirit. Abide with me today and open the eyes of my heart to see You within and around me in all that I do. Please grant me the wisdom and the courage to release the outcomes of this day to You. I confess the hurriedness of my soul. It's not how I want to live. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. Amen.

 

 Other Writing

David Timms, Living the Lord's Prayer (Bethany House, 2008) -- Now available in Paperback with a Study Guide (January 2010)

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David Timms, Sacred Waiting: Waiting on God in a World that Waits for Nothing (Bethany House, 2009)

 

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“Abide in Me."
~ John 15:4

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Our Great Enemy

Hurry is the great enemy of our spiritual lives.

Well-known author and pastor John Ortberg recently defined “busy” as descriptive of our outer condition, while “hurry” is a condition of the heart. How many of us feel hurried? It may turn out to be the most chronic spiritual malady of our day.

We know we’re suffering from hurry when our lives display ingratitude, frustration, anxiety, sharp words, a chronic sense of never enough time, physical tension, or an inability to be truly present in any given moment (always thinking ahead or about something else).

Such hurry functions as a cancer in the soul, written off as “stress” or “the cost of living” but steadily destroying our spiritual vitality. Busyness poses its own challenges, but a soul unsettled, a heart hurried, an inner man in turmoil, crushes our capacity to abide in Christ.

The Lord invites us through the Psalmist to “Cease striving (be still) and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Such stillness is not just the absence of activity but the focusing of the eyes of our hearts on Him.

Can we remain in Him, enjoy Him, and know Him when our spirit is rushing? Does our fretting distract us from His Presence?

As Dallas Willard once said, “We must ruthlessly eliminate all hurry from our lives.” We know this to be true. So, what stops us from doing it? How shall we grow unhurried? Two simple steps would make a difference.

First, abide more in Christ. Jesus said to His disciples, “Abide in Me, and I in you…. I am the vine, you are the branches.” (John 15:4-5) How close are you holding to Him right now? Do you practice His Presence (with prayer and attentiveness) throughout the day?

Second, release the outcomes. “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) The chaos of our lives frequently escalates the more we try and take control of them. Do we live with faith in His grace, goodness, generosity, and sovereignty?

Ultimately we have to answer a razor-sharp question. “Is the life I’m inviting other people to live, the life I’m living myself?”

May we know the peace of Christ at the core as we continue the Journey today.

In HOPE –

David

 

 

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You can find back issues of "In HOPE" (2005-2009) at http://www.hiu.edu/inhope/ .

David Timms serves in the Graduate Ministry Department at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. "In HOPE", however, is not an official publication of the University and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the Administrators or Board. "In HOPE" has been a regular e-publication since January, 2001.