Day 18 – God Speaks Through Community
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few moments gathering your thoughts, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
Journal for 5 minutes on yesterday’s reflection and practice. What did you think about and learn? What challenged you? Did God say anything to you throughout the day?
Then, begin today’s devotional.
Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
Hinds Feet on High Places is one of my mom's beloved books. The book takes its title from Habakkuk 3:19, "The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hind's feet, and he will enable me to walk on the high places". This verse is written on an old yellow sticky note, now taped to the inside of one of my mom's kitchen cupboards. Why it's taped there is anyone's guess! But that tattered sticky note was a constant reminder of our becoming.
The story of the main character, Much-Afraid, is a story of a young woman and her journey to the High Places; an allegory of the Christian life. Much-Afraid is guided by her two companions Sorrow and Suffering.
Much-Afraid prays, "In all the world I have no one but you. Help me to follow you, even though it seems impossible. Help me to trust you as much as I long to love you".
The Shepherd answers, "Fear not, Much-Afraid, only believe. I promise that you shall not be put to shame. Go with Sorrow and Suffering, and if you cannot welcome them now, when you come to the difficult places where you cannot manage alone, put your hands in theirs confidently and they will take you exactly where I want you to go." [p. 67-68]
We all need companions for the journey.
One of the greatest stories of friendship and community is the story of the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2. Perhaps you remember him - he's got no job or money, seemingly not much of a future as he lives on a mat. He does have a few friends who love him dearly and have a deep trust in Jesus.
It’s a vulnerable thing for someone to carry your mat – to see you in your brokenness and to love enough to bring you to Jesus.
Insolation intensifies our struggles. The longer we keep our heartaches tucked away in the dark, the more menacing they become. Pulling them into the light among trusted friends who love you is so much of the healing process. If we allow the people who love us to walk with us through the brokenness, it can also lead to a deep sense of God's presence.
Like both Much-Afraid and the paralyzed man, I pray you find a few companions, a few friends for the journey ahead - who have an irrational commitment to your well-being. Because we need companions for more than just company on the journey – our companions, our community is one of the very ways God speaks to us on this journey. God speaks through community by reminding us of who He is and who we are. When we’re stuck in our own heads, when the burden becomes heavy – God speaks to us through community to get us unstuck.
I often wonder what hopeful messages were being spoken to the man on the mat in Mark 2. Perhaps they were saying:
We got you.
He’s the Healer.
He hasn’t forgotten about you.
Prayer:
Jesus, You are my closest friend. Yet sometimes, I need the physical presence of others to encourage and guide me. Thank You for speaking to me, Holy Spirit, through the body of Christ around me. I especially thank You today for the friends I have who are encouraging and edifying me in my relationship with and identity in You. Please speak to my community through me, as well.
Journal:
Consider the following question(s).
Reflect on the past year of your life. Write about a time that someone said something to you that was deeply meaningful, reframed a situation you were in, or helped you discern God’s direction for your life (i.e., God spoke to you through community).
Reflect on the past year. God often speaks through normal conversations between His children. Write about a time that God used you to speak into someone else’s life to encourage them or help guide them (i.e., God spoke through you to community).
Today’s Practice:
Take 10 minutes with a friend to pray and seek God’s voice together. As you begin, take a moment to invite/be attentive to the Holy Spirit. Take a minute or two to quietly listen to what God may be saying for the other person. Pay attention to thoughts, feelings, pictures, physical sensations, etc. that you become aware of. Share with each other and ask if it resonates with anything in their life. Remember that all words are for encouragement, edification, and comfort.
By Sarah Jobson, Director of Residence Life and Housing