not lacking anything

Our Pastor Sharon Brown both at our church and in her new book Sensible Shoes has taught us the spiritual discipline, art and practice of lectio divina. Eugene Peterson wrote of it as well in Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. Essentially the goal of this exercise is to let the Bible read us, rather than we reading the Bible. One is to be open to what word or words stand out to them, as they repeatedly go over a passage, and slowly. One is trying to hear the voice of the Spirit to them from the text.

Lately I’ve been trying to read the Bible more this way (aside from my continued listening to The Bible Experience). Reading far less, and mulling over it, going over it again and again. Even if it seems all is dead. Continuing in that.

Recently, as I’m now working through the Book of James, these words from this passage stood out to me: “not lacking anything.” In the context we’re told to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds, since we know that the testing of our faith produces perseverance, or endurance. We’re told to let perseverance finish its work, so what we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Yesterday at work I was experiencing the peace of God when all the sudden due to something which happened and thoughts accompanying it, I tumbled off that high place. And soon the peace was replaced with a kind of foreboding fear or uneasiness. It is then when I remembered the words that had come to me so vividly a few days before: “not lacking anything.”

I know there are certain tendencies I have, or weaknesses which I would like the Lord to take away. Not sure how that works, except for sure that change involves process. God’s hand on us in the midst of circumstances, and we involved in the exercise of faith.  At a certain point I can’t say that the previous sense of peace was restored, but I can say that I sensed the Spirit present to help me live well, and pray.

We do well to keep going over all of scripture. We need to be those who read the Bible (or listen to it, as I do) from cover to cover, and continue to do that. But at the same time we need to be those who are reading slowly, meditating and chewing on a passage. For me an Old Testament/Hebrew Bible passage in the morning (now in Genesis 1) and a New Testament passage in the afternoon (now in James 1) during work days. I don’t have a good rhythm down yet for days off, though I intend to do better. I continue to repeat what is called “the Jesus Creed,” concerning love for God and neighbor, and the prayer Jesus taught us to pray that goes along with that Creed throughout the day, along with the passage I’m going over. And I always want to be listening for what the Spirit may be telling me through the text.

We can be all too aware of our weaknesses and sins. They indeed can be glaring and heightened in intensity from the work of the enemy. But we need to learn to see such occasions as opportunities. The trials as not temptations meant to destroy us, but testings in the sense of refining us into our Lord’s image more and more.

I would think that this is not a process that ends sometime in this life. But it should be resulting in change so that we are more and more in step with God through Jesus. And this being not only an individual endeavor, but one worked out before God in the context of community, especially the community of God in Jesus. And for the good of others in the mission of God in Jesus for the world.