Delighting in God

Each night I have tried to make it my consistent discipline to go for a walk or run and along the way memorize a verse of scripture. Without intending it, this has really turned out to be a very fruitful time for me. Usually when I get home I have to scramble for a notebook to write down the observations and applications that come to mind as I meditate on the verse. Actually, because trying to remember a decent thought tends to restrain the flow, I bought a digital voice recorder, which may be one of the coolest things I own. Make me feel like a spy or a private eye.

Apparently I've always been one who thinks better when his limbs are preoccupied (maybe that's why my legs fidget in meetings). While in college, if I got stuck doing a mathematical proof, I'd just take a walk across the enormous University of Florida campus and by the time I'd get from point A to point B the proof would be done and ready to write down. Not bragging (well, maybe just a little bragging), just exposing my inner nerd.

So I'm sitting in my cube at work reading though the notebook of my thoughts that arise from these walks and I came across and entry from a couple months ago that I intended to make part of my blogoshpere because the thoughts I had were particularly relevant to my present circumstance.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Eating or drinking are really pretty menial things. Like breathing, which could also be put on this list, we hardly offer a thought to our next breath. Most of us reading this hardly offer a second thought about the reality of our next meal or drink of water. We just assume it. Do you know how much of the world outside of America has running water? The percentage is smaller than you would probably guess. At least it was for me.

Yet even these activities that seem to fade our of our consciousness are to be done for the glory of God. That is to be our hearts desire in all of life's circumstances. Usually when I think about doing something for the glory of God, I think of cancer patients, marriages being reconciled, saving a baby from a burning building, landing on the moon - you know, the really dramatic, huge moments that everyone notices. Not the mundane. Certainly not the things that I have to do or else risk death, like eating or drinking.

I've come to realize that it is exactly because these activities are mundane and unnoticed that they are to be the first place we think to bring glory to God. John Piper has a thesis statement in his book Desiring God that he uses as the subject of every chapter. His statement is the reworking of an old confession...

The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

Having joy in all circumstances as the Bible makes clear. According to Piper, that one think is our chief concern. That was God's intent for our relationship in the Garden of Eden. Everything else flows from our enjoyment of God. People around us in our relationships and circle of influence, no matter how large or small, will see and should be influenced by our enjoyment of God. This become our witness to the world of the power of our marvelous God.

It's all about enjoying God. Having trust that no matter what, no matter what things look like in our close-up, near-sighted view, God has our back in the big picture. Not only trusting him for eternal life, but trusting Him for our enjoyment OF HIM in this life. Notice it is not about enjoying this life but enjoying Him in this life. Getting our minds off of material prosperity and on spiritual thriving. The things of man versus the things of God.

Whatever my circumstances and however they may differ from my desires - at Keiser University, resurrecting my marriage, changes in the number of relationship I have, seeking a fruitful way to serve Him - enjoying Him is enough. Sadly, for a long season, that was not enough. As I played god of my life I sought enjoyment seemingly everywhere else but God. All of it left me wanted more - as evidenced by my continuing and deepening frustration with the circumstances of my life.

Enjoying Him needs to be enough. In fact, before I can have joy in the things that I want and the things that I think God has called me to, I must have joy now in this season of dissatisfaction. Otherwise my joy will be circumstantial and short lived. I'll be back on the same roller coaster that got me to this place.

I can't look past this time, which is hard because I want to run, run, run. I'm excited about what God is doing, but this is a time of refining. A time to choose to trust in the faithfulness of God and also to begin to demonstrate my new found trust in Him. Let my actions match the words of my heart. A time to let God bring things to me as He determines that I am ready.

To be totally honest, so far this has been a pretty easy perspective to maintain and I think that I am just now beginning to see the fruit of embracing the 'holy dissatisfaction'. Enjoying God when I have every worldly reason not to. Thank you God that it is your desire that I delight in you.