Salvation, coming like the dawn…
“Many people flock to places and persons who promise intensive experiences of togetherness, cathartic emotions of exhilaration and sweetness, and liberating sensations of rapture and ecstasy. In our desperate need for fulfillment and our restless search for divine intimacy, we are all too prone to construct our own spiritual events.” – Henri Nouwen
The commercialism of spirituality is in full force. A variety of “guru” mentality leaders and systems of achievement are manipulating the masses. The “market” of inspiration is capturing a nation and a people who have been broken down by the pursuits of experience in the now and rewards that are in full view of everyone. We seek any outlet of popular stimulation to change our lives, to renew the zest, to inspire us to achieve our true “whatever…” Intentions may be well, but the cult of continual self-regeneration has left us dry and shallow. From the Oprah book club to Deepak Chopra, the Secret to Joel Osteen, Tony Robbins, Steven Covey, Peter Lowe and Zig Ziglar; The South Beach diet, the Bowflex, the Magical Acai berry, The One Minute Manager, P90X – we are obsessed with the value of the experience changing current circumstances, yet do not want to really be changed in the process. It seems we want to be all about substance, but we don’t want to cultivate any foundation for substance. We want the effects of 30 years of research and discipline in pill form. We prefer real meaning by osmosis. We prefer someone else doing the heavy lifting, and then publishing the cliff’s notes version for dummies of what basics need to be done to achieve a similar result. One of the downsides to these efforts is that they only provide a temporary high and fulfillment. On the road down from the mountaintop we begin looking for some new catalyst or event to spur us on for the next stretch of the journey. The reality involved in chasing divine purpose and fulfillment is that it is not like going to the store and buying cereal. It is not like reading the directions on an IKEA foldout. No philosophy, man or woman, or practice of self-focus can take the place of true divine intimacy. It is satisfying and brings contentment in ways which require releasing volition and responding to the Lord in an indefinite manner. What we’re searching for isn’t success, fame or the mountaintop; we are looking for belonging, we are yearning for sustenance, and we are hoping for fulfillment. We are in dyer need of connection and significance – Fortunately, the Lord is near and he longs for community with us in a way which will transform us and our world.
His intimate desire is for us to seek Him with all we are. His wishes are for our continued experience of his provision. We learn in the Old Testament, from the origin of God’s interaction with man, that He is very fond of covenant and community. “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” Because of the long history of the fickle heart of man, God has seen his creation seek this bond he has offered with a variety of entities besides Himself. We see his response to this type of spiritual connection in Isaiah 58:
Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people of their sins! They act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. “We have fasted before you!” they say. “Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!”
“I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, Do you really think this will please the LORD?
No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply.
Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.
The truth of our reliance upon him is that He is the chief constructor of our hearts. When we seek the Lord for Him to “be our God,” He draws us near the very essence of his heart. We experience the connection and exhilaration of fulfillment and preservation as our salvation comes in as the dawn and our wounds quickly heal. We also become changed in light of our experience. Unlike the efforts to have merely the results of change in one’s life, as they pursue the methodology of the moment, knowing the Living God and allowing Him to fill the divine intimacy need, results in a change in one’s desires, heart and responses to the world. Who you are becomes consumed with who He is. As a friend of mine has said, “Sometimes I can’t help talking about Jesus.” This is the truth of the lasting fulfillment. You become different from what you were before the encounter. And the Lord honors his promise of being you God by keeping you near to his heart and using you mightily to fulfill his lasting purpose. The value of experiencing Him changes us and gives us the sustenance to continue to pursue Him. He gives you water when you are dry and restores your strength. He fulfills the needs for intimacy which only he can satisfy in your heart. And as the dawn brings a new day to light, He reveals what is true and significant in us: Our connection to and purpose in The God of the Ages.