“No offense, but . . .” Anytime someone begins a conversation with those three words, I brace myself. Don’t you?
Christmas Eve I attended an amazing candlelight service. Amazing not because of glittering PowerPoint—there was none. Nor because of cute kids dressed as shepherds and angels. There were very few kids at all. The sermon? Rather simple and straight forward.
Amazing because of the presence and power of God. I fell apart.
After the service, a young man sitting next to me came out with those three words and more. It really caught me off guard.
No offense, but I don’t see much of a hunger for God among people of your generation.
He had been watching me worship and, unbeknownst to me, had also heard me speak recently at a workshop. So I understood him to mean most old people have pretty much lost our zeal.
That’s a blunt observation. Is there truth to it? We can only answer that individually with the searchlight of the Holy Spirit.
As Tsunami Surfers, what is our expectation? What is our level of hunger? What truly flames our fire and moves us forward?
Wheels have been turning in my head for months. I’ve been trying to find an elusive thread that will tie together three works of the Holy Spirit: physical healing, emotional/sexual healing, and the work of sanctification. What is our level of expectation in each of these areas?
More to the point, what are we expecting the Holy Spirit to do in the lives of those to whom we minister? What does God promise us? And are we pressing in to God to see those promises fulfilled?
Over coffee yesterday morning, a friend referenced one of those promises. God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son. We often quote Romans 8:28 for comfort in tough times: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” But what is that purpose? Conformity to the image of his Son. In fact, it says in the very next verse that he has predestined it to happen.
In his sovereignty, he uses the disappointments, hardships, sorrows, sicknesses, relapses, and unmet needs to shape us! To form us! To make us more like Jesus . . . if we look for it, cooperate with the process, and lean into him for strength.
So when will this transformation happen? Should it be happening now to some degree if all things are working together in this life to bring it about? When will it be completed? For most of us, no completion until the next life. But we can cooperate with the Spirit by submitting to his will and seeking his grace daily.
Praying for More
In this process of sanctification, I see parallels with praying for other works of grace.
Consider physical healing. Hopefully we have all witnessed instantaneous healing at some point, either in our lives or the lives of those we love. Surely, we’ve also seen healing that was sped up by the healing power of God. And then, of course, there are those among us who have earnestly and regularly sought healing to whom the Lord has said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
So too with emotional and sexual healing. Whether it be an addiction, the wounds of abuse, or even an issue with orientation or gender dysphoria, God has healed some instantaneously. For many, however, it has been gradual. And for others, they have found enough healing to walk above the pull toward sinful behavior, but their stride includes a daily limp which may dog their steps till heaven.
Again . . . what is our level of expectation? What are we seeking?
Whether it is my graying generation of old fogies or those “youngins” who are pierced and tattooed beyond recognition, my guess is that we are all far too content when initial prayers go unanswered. We don’t persist.
Why not keep asking until God answers us “yes” or “no”?
Proper Contentment
I believe the Apostle Paul is an example in all of this. He had both contentment and discontentment.
His letter to the Philippians was in part a thank you note for their financial support. But he assured them God’s grace enabled him to be content whatever his lot.
11 Not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13 NRSV
Let that sink in. He’d found the secret of being content, even when going hungry. The secret? Looking to God who strengthened him. That’s not a secret many of us North Americans are seeking—that’s my guess, anyway!
The other contentment related to his circumstances. In 2 Corinthians he refers to a thorn in the flesh which God allowed to keep him humble. He’d sought God for its removal three times, and you know the answer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
For years I thought the thorn was a physical illness. But it seems more likely it was the painful and treacherous circumstances in which he so often found himself: imprisonment, beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, sleeplessness . . . The entire list is found in chapter 11.
And look what he says here in 12:10:
Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (NRSV)
Content with weaknesses, insults, and all that other stuff!?1 Most of us are trying to avoid all such things at any cost. But he was content because God’s power was made perfect. His power was brought forth as Paul sought his grace and submitted to his will.
We live in a culture where many often say, “I just want to be happy.” That attitude has permeated the Church more than we’d like to admit. And as we surf the Sexual Tsunami, we must not only model the proper contentment, but influence those under our care to seek all that God has for them—even if it means weaknesses, insults, and all that other stuff.
Next week we will see where Paul was very much discontented, and how he positioned himself for more.
That’s the NRSV version. The NIV? It says he delighted in those trials. Hm. I’m not there yet! I’m still working on being content when the vise is squeezing me!
I really liked this post. I think we have lost some zeal. Perhaps, Covid has a little bit to do with that as well. I agree with you that there needs to be a balance between believing in miracles and understanding that some problems are persistent. There is a song that I really like called "Do It Again". It says, "I've seen you move. You move the mountains. And I believe I'll see you do it again." I try to maintain that hope that God is still working even while I accept the things I cannot change, as the Serenity Prayer says.