DAY 22

BRINGING HARMONY TO GOD’S WORD

DR. LINDA BYNUM, EMD DISTRICT SECRETARY

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. —Luke 5:16

When I was a child, I wanted to play the piano. My piano teacher would have me practice scales, which was not nearly as fun as playing compositions, elementary as they first were. Up and down, over and over, both hands moving across the keyboard. I learned there is something called muscle memory where the repetition, though often tedious, eventually created a seamless flow from brain to fingers as they danced across the ivories. An important discovery came as a result of being away at college and the piano. I did not lose all I learned. Intentional practice and time would restore the connection of the brain to the digits.

There is a correlation between the discipline of practice that translates powerfully into our spirituality. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) or Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 do not magically flow from the novice pianist without many hours of intentional discipline and practice. There will be misplayed notes, fluctuation in meter, and awkward dynamics before the budding musician graces a concert hall. When it comes to our relationship with God, we may talk in terms of “Practicing the Presence of God.”

Years ago, one of my professors challenged our class to spend thirty minutes a day listening to God. Not Bible reading or in intercessory prayer, just listening. That was the only instruction received. I discovered how to create an environment conducive to listening. Setting a specific time and seeking God’s help to be faithful to our time together would communicate the value I give to the relationship. Learning to manage distractions was my second challenge. I keep paper and pen nearby in case something important comes to mind. Jotting a note prevents this thought from hijacking time with my Father and assures me I will not forget it. Much like Eli instructed the young prophet in 1 Samuel 3, I began with “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” I expected that if I did it “right,” I would hear God. I slowly learned that instead of “getting my marching orders,” my Father enjoyed my presence and desired that I would get caught up in sweet communion and relish His presence.

Picture Genesis as God creates Adam and Eve for relationship with Him and one another and pure enjoyment. The love and communion the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit experience is what our triune God has invited you and me into. The God of all creation desires community, company of mutuality, and love with us. Daily intentionality and practice are the keys to becoming our best selves. As the community of faith, it is the very thing that will shape us into the healthiest body of Christ (Church) that will embody and mirror Jesus to the world. The more intimately we know God, the more our understanding of who we are as created in the image of God begins to shape all our relationships and heal our brokenness.

We are the beloved of God, not by our own merits, but by God’s gratuitous love. Jesus showed us how to live as the beloved. It flows from the time spent in the presence of God. Take note of these passages we often quickly read over. “Jesus went out on a mountainside to pray,” (Luke 6:12); “he went to a certain place to pray,” (Luke 11:1); “very early in the morning, when it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went to a solitary place, where he prayed,” (Mark 1:35); “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray,”(Luke 5:16). Let us keep practicing the presence of God. The beautiful music we experience is the restoration of God’s creation! As Lovers of Jesus, empowered by God’s Spirit, our practice of His presence produces harmony and expands the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. All begins in God's presence.

To commune in the divine presence and allow God to heal our union with God is to move toward the restoration of the divine image in us shadowed in the fall. Humanity is not now, after the fall, any less created In the image of God. Humanity’s understanding of their identity was marred in the fall. Perhaps more adequately said, our true identity has been ontologically (nature of our being) disrupted and distorted. In relationship with the One who made us, we can discover who we are and, preliminarily more important, whose we are. The key to being and becoming is to commune in the divine presence and allow God to reform what it means to be created in the imago Dei. Value and identity emanate from this relationship, from knowing ourselves as the beloved of God.

PRAYER

Father, remind me that prayer is not filling every moment with words. Sitting quietly, enjoying your presence, or strolling outdoors and marveling at all you have fashioned, appreciating the vastness of your creativity, is living in deepening awareness of Your presence. As Your beloved, living in ever-deepening intimacy, fashion my heart to beat in harmony with Yours. May my passions be Your passions. May my life bring life to others and glory to You, my Lord and my God, amen.