In the last 10 months a big theme for me has been discipline as described in Hebrews 12. There is a plethora of benefit from discipline and disciplines. One discipline I had really started enjoying is walking. I made a point to walk a few miles every day no matter what. It helped me practice my other disciplines like mindfulness and prayer and integrating myself into the community more. Lately, I have needed walking for other reasons. I reinjured my knee several months ago, so I have not been able to run or do any physical activity. Walking has been my way to recover back to normal and gain some level of fitness. Additionally, walking has become my time to be alone with God. I had been hearing from God in various ways, but I struggled to connect to him by my own effort. It’s almost like I didn’t know how.
So, I was on a walk a few days ago. I thought about all the various spiritual disciplines and what to do to connect with God. My mind ran out of ideas and went blank. I felt kind of stupid for not knowing how to connect with God. It’s like I knew theoretically, but I didn’t know how to apply the theory. Suddenly, my spirit had an urge to sing hymns. So I sang. I sang for half a mile. Then I had an epiphany about the nature of my friendship with Jesus.
How can we connect with the holy invisible God? We can’t see him or touch him or talk to him the way our bodies do in the flesh. Then it hit me. This isn’t an entirely new or profound thought, but the way my mind reframed it, it felt intense to me. We can know Jesus in the flesh… as our friend. Because he was a man.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
The other night I was watching my children jump on the trampoline. I love playing with them. I wanted to go jump with them. But then I saw how much fun they were having with their cousins. Sometimes kids want to play with other kids and not their parents. That is why God our father had to come down in flesh and be our friend.
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24
So, I finished my walk. I felt great. I sang some great hymns. I felt close to God. I had this wonderful epiphany about my friendship with Jesus. I cried, I thanked God, I did all the things… When I got back to the house, I got my journal and opened my daily bible reading plan. This was the verse:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
I wept and thanked God for speaking to me through his word after the fact. It’s just interesting to see how God makes us wait on him, but he never fails to show up in his timing… and usually that timing is after his Spirit moves to accomplish whatever thing brings glory to his name. And this is how I learned how to connect with God.
Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
Proverbs 24:32