Anchors - You and God

Every single weekend at Prairie Lakes, we’re in the Bible. And we pray. And the reason that we do both of those things every weekend is because they are one of a few “anchors” in our relationship with God. They’re one of a few things that keep us connected to him; that keep us close to him.

So here’s where we’re going in this series:

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Anchors: living the practices that keep us connected to God

Week 1: You and God (Bible Reading & Prayer)

Week 2: You and God’s Family (Biblical Community)

Week 3: You and God’s Mission (Relationships with Disconnected People)

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So, let’s jump into it this weekend. Bible reading & prayer.

Unsafe Assumptions

I don’t know if you’ve got this file folder in your brain like I do. But I’ve got this file folder in my brain that’s labeled “Unsafe Assumptions.”

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Unsafe Assumptions

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What’s in that file, you ask?

Well…

Several things. But let me just make sure you know what I mean by “unsafe assumptions.” These are things that…

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Unsafe Assumptions: things we talk about as though there’s strong agreement, but in reality, there isn’t.

Or:

Areas where there is a huge gap between who we appear to be and who we actually are.

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That’s what I mean by unsafe assumptions. We talk about them like we’re all in agreement—but we aren’t. Or we talk like we’re a certain way—but we aren’t.

Some of the clearest examples of unsafe assumptions usually happen between generations. You might assume your kid or grandkid knows what you’re talking about when you talk about a “phone book.” But they… don’t. They didn’t get that reference or that joke. I assumed you knew; you didn’t.

Some of the more awkward examples happen when you think that everyone around the table shares your political views, but you discover later that someone did not. And then you quickly try and rewind to all of the jokes you made to see if they’ve completely written you off or are just mildly annoyed. You assumed that everyone saw the world like you did, but they didn’t.

Now: I think this file folder also would contain examples where | who we appear to be | is different than | who we actually are—and so it’s easy to assume the wrong thing.

Back in 2017, the Christian research firm and pollster, Barna Research, released a study they did on what they called “Bible Mindedness.” They divided the country into the various media/tv markets and asked each market a series of questions on their religious beliefs and practices. Based on their responses, they ranked different parts of the country from “most Bible-minded” to “least Bible-minded.”

And so, here’s what they found in terms of the least Bible-minded communities in the United States. The very bottom. 100 out of 100 was…

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Least Bible-Minded Communities (Barna, 2017)

100. Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY

99. Boston/Manchester, MA/NH

98. Providence/New Bedford, RI/MA

97. Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, IA

96. Buffalo, NY

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One of those things is not like the other, is it?

Not what you’d assume about our quaint little midwestern part of the country—especially since we don’t really project this. We don’t really have this reputation.

But if you were to dive more deeply into what our responses were, here’s what you’d find:

You’d find that people in our part of the country are way more likely to claim an affiliation with a faith than put that faith into practice. There’s a huge gap.

Our neighbors are 2-3x more likely to say that they are Methodist or Lutheran or Catholic or whatever. But when they were asked what they actually believed and practiced… not so much. To the tune of the 4th least Bible-minded community in the whole nation.

We beat Vegas, guys. And not in a good way.

Transition: What I Want For You

And so when it comes to this weekend’s topic of Bible reading and prayer—two huge, important anchors that connect us to God—just know:

I’m not going to start from a place of assuming we’re all on the same page about all of this.

Because whether we’re talking about nation-wide studies or just my own experience in talking with many of you, I’ve never been more sure of this:

We’re not. We’re not all on the same page.

And so I want to spend the next 20 minutes…

Shaming you about that. 🤦‍♂️😉

I want you walking out of here with some spiritual black eyes and a depressing sense of not measuring up. 🤣

No. Here’s what I want for you:

I want you to feel inspired and optimistic about jumping into (or back into) these practices.

And:

I want you to feel like you’ve got some avenues to explore in both.

But I also I hope that feel permission to be honest with yourself about where you’re really at with these two anchors of Bible reading and prayer.

Don’t just let yourself go on cruise control for the next 20 minutes. Really consider what I’m saying. Do you agree, or not? Think about your own habits (or lack thereof). That’s what I’m hoping you’ll do, at the very least: just be honest with yourself and take some stock. Gain some perspective.

So that’s what I want for you.

And also: deep shame.

Just kidding.

Inspired to Read

So let’s start here. When it comes to the “why” behind reading the Bible, or our inspiration for interacting with it, no chapter captures it better than Psalm 119.

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Psalm 119

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(Explain how to find Psalm 119.)

It’s also the longest chapter in the Bible, and intentionally so. The author of this Psalm organized it as an acrostic—meaning each section of Psalm 119 corresponds to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

But as we read portions of this chapter together, dial in to a few things with me:

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The Psalmist’s Mindset about the Bible:

What does he believe about it?

How does he feel about it?

What does he expect to do with it?

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Because here’s what I think:

Whether you’re one of the 260 who have stepped across the faith line in the last 5 months around here, and you’re relatively or completely new to the Bible,

Or whether you’re a grizzled Bible-reading veteran who’s Bible is all highlighted and notated and the cover is falling off,

When we get stuck in this area, it’s probably in our mindset.

So dial into that with me as we read. What’s the psalmist’s mindset? And how does that compare with your own?

Let’s start reading in verse 9:

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Psalm 119:9–16 “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

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So, let’s unpack what the pslamist’s mindset is. First: what does he believe about it?

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The Psalmist’s Mindset about the Bible:

He believes it’s God’s Word; how God speaks him.

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That’s why around here at Prairie Lakes, you’ll hear us use the phrase “God’s Word” synonymously when we’re talking about the Bible. We believe it’s how God speaks to us, even today.

Now, last fall we did a whole series on this called “Skeptics Guide to the Bible.” Because, obviously, with a book like the Bible—which is actually 66 different books that span literal millennia, written in different times to different cultures, there’s some interpretive challenges here that we need to acknowledge and handle appropriately. It’s an oversimplification to say that you can or even should just “pick up the Bible” and “listen to God.”

Nevertheless:

The Psalmist believes that as he reads the Bible, he’s listening to God speak to him. That’s a huge reason why he reads it.

But it’s more than that. There’s an emotional component to this as well that’s a crucial part of his mindset. How does he feel about it? Well, here’s how he describes some of his feelings:

Rejoice. Delight.

And even some more emotional verbs or phrases, like “hiding your word in my heart.” Like it’s precious to him. Or “seeking you with all my heart.” Meditating on your precepts. Considering your ways. I won’t neglect it.

How does he feel about the Bible?

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The Psalmist’s Mindset about the Bible:

He believes it’s God’s Word; how God speaks him.

He feels joy in his heart about it; it’s precious to him.

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So that’s what he thinks about it or believes about it; that’s how he feels about it.

Now: compare that with your own mindset about the Bible. Give yourself permission to be honest. Take some stock right now:

Does this reflect your mindset? If you were asked to genuinely and authentically write down what’s in your heart about the Bible, would you write something along the same lines as the psalmist?

Yes? No?

Kinda?

If you’re a “no,” or a “kinda”—in other words, if you are struggling to believe or feel this way about the Bible, it might be because you’re missing a critical and final aspect of the psalmist’s mindset that kinda binds it all together:

What does he expect to do with it?

Look at verse 9: “live according to it.”

Verse 10: don’t let me “stray from it.”

It keeps him on the path of purity.

It protects him from sin.

What does the Psalmist expect to do with it?

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The Psalmist’s Mindset about the Bible:

He believes it’s God’s Word; how God speaks him.

He feels joy in his heart about it; it’s precious to him.

He expects to obey it; to make it his way of life.

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I think this is where a lot of us get stuck when it comes this practice of Bible reading:

We approach it as though that’s all we’re supposed to do with it…

Read it.

We don’t really expect that God is going to speak to us through it in such a way that we will have to respond.

Or that God might need to communicate to us through it for what we’re facing at home or at work.

Instead, we kinda compartmentalize this like it’s some spiritual snack that we can either take or leave, depending on whether we’re hungry or not.

But when part of our mindset is, “Hey, I need the Bible, God’s Word, in order to live every day how God wants me to live,” and we approach it with the expectation that he’s gonna tell us what obedience looks like so that we live our life | even that day | in a way that reflects him…

When we have that mindset, just watch:

It’ll become precious to you. Because he’ll prove himself and his ways to you. He’ll prove his wisdom and his righteousness to you as you follow what he says. He’ll prove his goodness and love as you obey what he’s spoken.

This is why Jesus teaches his disciples to pray along these lines:

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Luke 11:1–3 “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread.”

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It’s our bread. It’s our food. And we eat, not just to feel full, but to live and move and have energy to face the day.

When you approach God’s Word with the expectation that he’s going to show you what obedience looks like, you’ll begin to feel the joy and value of his Word as you live that out.

And you’ll grow more and more confident that, yes: this is more than just a book. This is the God of the universe speaking specifically to you.

Transition: Prayer

In fact, later on in Psalm 119, in verse 97, the Psalmist captures how God has used his Word in his life when he says this:

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Psalm 119:97–105 “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

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Notice those bookends there. Verse 97: “I meditate” on your Word, God. And then in verse 105: “It’s a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

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There’s a connection between praying and reading God’s Word.

When you read it with a prayerful mindset and practice, it will go from a book to a lamp.

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So let me just share with you about how—when I’m at my best, at least—how I approach my time with God in his Word with a prayerful mindset and practice. Here’s how that looks for me:

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Reading God’s Word with a Prayerful Mindset and Practice

Make the time and space sacred.

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This can look very differently depending on who you are. I’ll tell you how it looks for me. But regardless of how it looks for you, make it sacred—meaning:

Set it apart from the rest of your day. Protect it from the stress and noise and distractions that will inevitably come your way. Make the time and the space sacred.

Now, I’m not a morning person. I’m a night person.

But nights aren’t sacred to me. Nights are the time when I’m trying to wind down, slow down, decompress… or sometimes get done whatever was left undone at work or around the house.

A more sacred time for me is the morning. And so that’s when I set apart time to spend with God in his Word.

I’ve got my chair. I’ve got coffee on a timer. I’ve got my living room lamps on a timer and set for 30%.

Alarm goes off at 6:30. Nobody else is up yet.

And I settle in. That’s how I make the time and space sacred, or set apart, from everything and everyone else. #1.

#2:

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Reading God’s Word with a Prayerful Mindset and Practice

Make the time and space sacred.

Approach it conversationally; talk to God before and while you read his Word.

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If this book as actually how God speaks to us today, we probably should interact with him while we’re doing it.

Take some time before you dive in to go before him. Create some space for you to become present in prayer about where you’re at; what’s on your mind; what’s on your conscience. Do some confessing; do some requesting. Do a little bit of listening in prayer.

Then, while you read, remember you’re not just reading; you’re having a conversation with the living God. It’s not a one-way relationship with a book; it’s a two-way relationship with a person.

So:

If you’re confused by what you’re reading, slow down and acknowledge that.

If something stands out from what you’re reading, slow down and capture that. Or even stop and do what the psalmist did: meditate on it. Stop reading and consider what God seems to be saying to you. Write it down. Acknowledge in some way that the God of the universe is speaking directly to you through it! Approach it conversationally.

Finally, at my best, here’s how I approach my time with God in his Word with a prayerful mindset and approach:

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Reading God’s Word with a Prayerful Mindset and Practice

Make the time and space sacred.

Approach it conversationally; talk to God before and while you read his Word.

Share it in some way.

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Now, you might say that’s not really a “prayerful” thing to do. Might be a good thing to do; but how’s that prayerful?

Think of this more like an outcome or a fruit of your prayers. It’s what you’re carrying with you until it flows out of you and into someone else. It’s prayerfully giving what God has given you.

I don’t know the last time you felt the joy of sharing a word that God gave you through his Word. There’s just not a lot that’s better or more satisfying than when you’re able to bless someone else with a reminder, or a truth, or a promise, or an insight…

Or wisdom, or advice, or an adomishment, or a loving correction,

Or just a story of how God has truly been near you.

It’s a wonderful thing to watch God use those gifts in someone else’s life as you share them.

But it’ll only happen as you approach God, in his Word, with a prayerful mindset.

I wanna leave you with Jesus’ words from Luke 11 as he talks about this. Here’s what he says:

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Luke 11:33–36 ““No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light.

But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

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(Explain.)

Weekend Host Content

Your Story in this Area?

Practical Tools You/We Use, and How to Connect?

Bible Project

Skeptics Guide

First Principles

Bible Savvy

Specific Campus Initiatives?

First Wednesday Prayer

Classes

Related Media

Related Sermons