From the Ashes- Contemplation

Sometimes you and I can be broken, shattered and destroyed.Our lives can feel like they’re a pile of ashes. However, the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection tells us we can experience new life and have our lives raised from the ashes.

It is my hope that our we will rise from the ashes and have a more abundant and fulfilling walk of faith as a result of this, “From the Ashes” series. In each message we will look at a different aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry during His time here on earth. Each week we will take a glimpse into the abundant life possible in and through Christ.

In the weeks ahead we will dive into subjects like sacrifice, resurrection and humility . Today we will look at one of Jesus’ influential habits: contemplation, or the art of being still and quiet with God.

Many of the people I know wish they had a more devoted, more powerful, and purposeful prayer life. The major issues we all face are the busy pace of life and the constant stimulation we experience. These significantly impede our ability to slow down.

It has been my prayer since early on in the pandemic year that some of the things we were forced to put down, lay aside, or quit doing, would not be picked back up. That we would determine not to put them back into our lives after the pandemic. And still my prayer is… 1) that we would see the benefit of slowing down. 2)That we would enjoy the time to be together. 3) That we would enjoy the opportunity to spend time with the Lord.

But it appears we want to be busy. So much so, that we even search for things to replace those previous activities and responsibilities. We spend our newly found free time looking for things to do.

But to be honest, it feels awkward to be still. (Illustration: Invite the congregation to stand up in their places and start a counter for 1:00. Have everyone close their eyes and attempt to sit down when they think 1:00 has passed. The goal here is to see if you can have enough focus in quiet to correctly judge time. Reveal when the 1:00 is up and see how everyone did.)

It was hard to be still, even for a minute wasn’t it? That minute of stillness felt like half an hour to some of you.

On some level, this exercise draws our attention to the challenge of stillness, contemplation, and prayer. We are uncomfortable with being still and silent. Our lives are so loud, busy, and frantic, that many of us have grown accustomed to the noise and we feel out of place when it all stops.

But it comes as no surprise that the Bible has a different way for us, a more fulfilling way. There are several principles we can put into immediate action.

Before we get too deep into today’s message, I want to draw your attention to one of the terms I’ll be using. I’m using the word contemplation to describe a behavior that Jesus models for us in the New Testament. It describes a peaceful, silent, calm place of prayer in the life of a believer.

Mark 1:35 NASB95

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

As an example, I think about Mark 1:35, where we see Jesus rise early in the morning to be alone in prayer.

Did Jesus simply sit in silence? Did He sing? Did He bring a list of prayer requests with Him? Did He pray through His favorite Psalms? We just don’t know, but when I think about contemplation, stillness, and connecting with God this verse comes to mind and it motivates me.

Who among us doesn’t want a powerful and purposeful prayer life? Who doesn’t want all the fullness and adventure a life of discipleship offers? Listen to the way author Richard Foster describes prayer;

“When we pray, genuinely pray, the real condition of our heart is revealed. This is as it should be. This is when God truly begins to work with us. [1]”

Prayer is an essential part of our spiritual adventure. Prayer is the path taken for connecting with the Lord. Think about this for a moment; you are invited to speak -- on a regular basis -- with the divine creator of the universe.

Some of you are thinking, “But I don’t know what to say, I don’t know how to start, it seems so weird, etc.…”

In the words of Richard Foster again; “I urge you: carry on an ongoing conversation with God about the daily stuff of life… For now, don’t worry about ‘proper’ praying, just talk to God. Share your hurts, share your sorrows, share your joys --freely and openly. God listens in compassion and love, just like we do when our children come to us. He delights in our presence. When we do this, we will discover something of inestimable value. We will discover that by praying we learn to pray.[2]”

We learn by doing, and you’ve got to start somewhere!

Here are a couple of principles that I think will help you develop a more fulfilling and devoted life of contemplation, prayer, and stillness.

[2] Foster, Richard. Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home, Harper Collins, 1992. pg.11

[3] Ibid. pg. 12-13.

Lift your eyes up

Psalm 121:1–2 NASB95

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

The principle here is that there are times, in every day, when we need to put down what we’re doing and look up. We can get so laser focused on what’s in front of us, that we simply forget about our relationship with the maker of heaven and earth. We can forget about His compassionate care for us.

To “look up” forces us to change our perspective and focus on something else. Or in our immediate case someone else…

(Testimony -share a personal story about a time you needed to stop, and look up? About a time where you were so focused you forgot or neglected to include the Lord?)

As we take time to stop what we’re doing and look to God, we’re reminded He cares for us, He is watching over us, and;

Psalm 121:7–8 NASB95

The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

Here are a couple simple ideas most anyone can do to practice looking up;

● If you’re feeling anxious or stressed, or if you need a little space to process a difficult situation, just simply take a walk. Get up, get out, and get moving. As you’re walking tell the Lord about the situation, pray over it, and invite Him into it.

● Schedule a daily time to stop whatever you’re doing, put away distractions, and sit in silent prayer. Put it on your calendar or add an alarm to your phone just to make sure you follow through.

These are just a few ideas, but where do you feel at peace? Are there spaces in your life where you regularly get yourself refocused? Are there people in your life who can help you stay accountable to this principle?

Practice Stillness

Regular times of stillness and quiet are incredibly powerful for our overall health.

Let’s look at a couple verses from the Psalms on this point;

Psalm 46:10 NASB95

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The NIV reads, "Be still, and know that I am God;” -

Psalm 62:1 NASB95

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.

What is it about stillness and silence that helps us get reacquainted with the Lord?

Why does our soul… our inmost being… feel at rest there in the quiet?

Why is silence sacred?

There are a dozens more questions like these that could be asked, but instead let’s look at the story of Elijah and his encounter with the Lord in the book of 1 Kings.

1 Kings 19:11–13 NASB95

So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The Lord wasn’t in the wind.

He wasn’t in the earthquake,

And he couldn’t be found in the fire.

But the Lord was there, in the gentle whisper.

Many of us lead such tumultuous and chaotic lives that it’s few and far between when we actually have the space to entertain the “gentle whisper” of the Lord. But this is exactly why it’s so important to make time for silence, prayer, and contemplation. We may think that all the millions of things we’re doing everyday are what’s most important and valuable, but stillness tells a different story.

He’s there waiting, are you willing?

Conclusion/Application

As we finish up today, let’s take a moment to be brutally honest about something.

And please take a moment to honestly consider what I’m about to ask you;

Is all your striving and all your hustle, all your appointments, activities, and action… Are they making you a more peaceful person?

Is the grind life giving you the kind of grounded faith you long for?

Are you sitting in an ash heap of unmet expectations, broken resolutions, and message notifications that you never have time to answer?

As you think about those questions I want to read you one of the most powerful and important passages in the New Testament;

Matthew 11:28–30 NASB95

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

It takes intentional effort in our culture to carve out sacred time and space to connect with the Lord. But wow, when you hear the words of Christ from Matthew 11:28-30 and you realize there is a space for your burdens, your exhaustion, and your chaos. What an amazing feeling, what a savior.

1) So set a reminder on your phone.

2) Carve out a weekend in the mountains.

3) Turn off all the electronic devices every night at 8 pm.

Do whatever you need to do this week to make space for contemplation.

It’s worth it, He’s there in the stillness - in the gentle whisper.

Let’s pray together.

(invite the congregation to pray together in silence and stillness for a few minutes.) How many of you know we have a prayer chapel that you could use throughout the week to practice stillness, contemplation, and prayer?)