There are few words that I feel I have received from the Lord concerning my life – both identity words and purpose words – over the last number of years that I have been treasuring quietly in my heart. I spend time wondering/praying about what they could mean, when certain things will take place, what sort of partnership opportunities the Holy Spirit is inviting me into to bring about the fulfillment of certain words, etc. Coupled with this is the wrestling through fears concerning my abilities (or what I perceive to be disabilities) and truthfully my speculations about what others might say or think about me. These typically have not been hope-filled God centred thoughts, but rather me-centred and self-limiting thoughts.
I have also been slowly reading through the gospel of Mark in the last little bit. In Mark chapter four Jesus is teaching beside the sea while a very large crowd begins to gather as he speaks. He tells them the parable of the sower who went out to sow seed. Four types of soil are mentioned but I will only highlight the second one here which the Holy Spirit was directing me to this particular morning. The second is rocky ground which did not have much soil, initially allowing the seed sown to spring up quickly, however when the sun rose it scorched the small sprouts coming out of the ground since they had no established roots and they withered.
Jesus clarifies that the seed in this parable is the word of God and he goes on to further explain that the rocky ground/soil represents the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with JOY. But their root system (ie. the strength of their heart to continue believing) is weak –they believe for a little while but when tribulation (the feeling of internal pressure or being cornered) or persecution (the sense of being hunted with the intent to obliterate conviction) comes against them on account of the word they heard and received with JOY, they fall away.
Recently I was in a parenting moment with one of my daughters and experienced the reality of this Truth. My daughter loves to accept new challenges for herself and also looks forward to new experiences that take her out of her comfort zone – especially putting her hand to something new after hearing or seeing someone that inspires her. She recently was inspired to dive back into dance after attending her sisters dance showcase and was filled with exuberant Joy and Peace as she watched. She asked me to look into dance opportunities with this particular dance group (Collective Joy) and we even registered her for a morning dance camp held by this dance studio at a local church. All week as she returned from her dance sessions it was undeniable her peace and joy. One evening this past week she wandered downstairs after I thought she had already fallen asleep. She came to Joel and I and I could tell she was weighed down. She shared with us that she had mentioned her week of dance camp to her friends and that there was one response from a friend which belittled her excitement for dance and was causing her to feel insecure about enjoying dance so much. It is important at this point that I CLARIFY that I hold no hard feelings against this friend of hers. We all have said things we probably shouldn’t have and if we better understood the impact our words had on others we might think twice about what we say, but I do want to highlight the “tribulation and persecution” that we can all receive on account of the word of God in our lives. People are not our issue as much as we sometimes think they are. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the thoughts and opinions in our thinking that come at us to try to get us to give up believing in the word of God planted in our hearts (2 Cor 10:3-6).
If you’re anything like me I sometimes wonder how well I “hear” the voice of God and what he is saying. Something that I have come to learn is that hearing his voice doesn’t just mean that my physical ears have heard it but that ALL my senses are becoming increasingly more aware of His presence in any situation. His presence is one of Love, Joy and Peace. His presence awakens unnatural hope and his presence actually declares something because He is THE WORD. We were all fashioned to be in tune and aware of his presence…His presence of Joy and Peace was so evident for my daughter as she engaged in dance, but opposition to staying close to Christ’s presence came in the form of a criticism.
We are all constantly being tempted to disbelieve God’s word. If you’re anything like me you have also received a “word” from God, or perceived his presence through the unexplainable joy and peace you sensed as you entertained a new idea or engaged in a new endeavour, and yet something has come against you…something that made you feel insecure or filled you with doubt and you have found yourself pulling away or giving up on something that seemed to connect to the deepest part of who you were made to be. I sense that the Holy Spirit is wanting to come and fill you with courage and a deep sense of God’s love for you to not give up on that idea or that word for your life that initially spoke to you and called your name. I pray that the heat of tribulation or persecution, that can so easily cause the word of God to wither in our hearts, would not succeed in derailing what you were fashioned for and the divine purpose that God has on your life, but that through a revelation of Christ’s love you would reengage in going after that which He made you for and pursue with courage what he ignited in your heart. His ability is ready to be given to you to make the impossible possible!