FOR spiritual refreshment I have been reading the book, A Basket of Fragments, by Robert Murray MâCheyne (Christian Focus Publications). MâCheyne died when he was 29 years old. That is less than the time I have been in vocational (so-called âfull-timeâ) ministry!
But I am amazed by the spiritual depth I fi nd in his writings â a depth that is diffi cult to fi nd today, even among Christians who live to a ripe old age. This quality of spiritual depth is often seen in the writings of other Christians from bygone eras too.
What did they have which we do not seem to have that enabled them to have such spiritual depth? We have so many more resources to help us plumb the depths of Godâs truths as revealed in His Word. And clearly it was from the Bible that
MâCheyne derived his depth.
Why canât we attain such depth when we have resources to help us arrive at the Biblical message so much more quickly than those who laboured before us? I think the pace of life today has something to do with the spiritual deficiency of our generation.
The key to spiritual depth is lingering in the presence of God in prayer and in meditation of his Word.
Technology does not need to hinder that. Actually the wonderful resources for Bible study could help us to reduce the time spent in getting the message of the Bible.
This should release us to spend more time in meditation and contemplative prayer. But meditation requires that we slow our mind down so that we can concentrate on the object of our meditation. That is where our problem lies. We are unaccustomed to slowing down.
I am amazed at how easily I am distracted when I am having a wonderful time with the Lord. Here I am revelling in His Word or enjoying praising Him through song or battling for someoneâs soul through prayer. Suddenly a thought arises in my mind about something I should do, and could do immediately because my computer is handy.
And I am off to this work even though it is so much less satisfying than the ecstasy of being alone with God. Sometimes I get myself into different activities which keep me from my time with God. I have been infected by the restlessness that ails my generation!
One of the greatest traps in life is that of depriving ourselves of the joy of the Lord for immediate shallow satisfaction. Fallen humanity is often deceived into finding satisfaction from work at the cost of the ecstasy of being still before God. In our insecurity we work in order to feel important without revelling in the glorious identity of being Godâs beloved children (1 John 3:1) and the significance of being His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20).
Is there no hope of living a contemplative life in this rushed world? There is! But we must consciously attack those things that cause distraction in our lives. I was greatly helped recently when one of my colleagues told me that he puts off his mobile phone when he has his devotions. He asks his family members to tell those who call on his land line that he is praying and to request them to leave a message.
The mobile phone is one of the greatest agents of distraction today. I think it is an insult to God to set our phones on silent mode during a worship service without switching it off fully.
When we go to embassies and other offices there are notices that ask us to switch off our phones. Why canât we do that when we have an audience with the King of kings? When we switch off our phones during worship we are making a statement to ourselves that we are in the presence of God and wish to concentrate unhindered on Him alone.
There are other things that we can do to recover a contemplative life.
We can fashion the places where we have our time of meditation and prayer so as to affirm the fact that we are leaving other things aside to be alone with God. I usually have my time with God in my offi ce room at home. There I have a section with photos of people I pray for and mottos I need to remind myself of. Book cupboards separate this âprayer closetâ from the rest of the room.
In spite of this I often get distracted. In fact, sometimes because of the rush of work I find it so difficult to have my devotions in my office room at home that I need to go elsewhere. I go sometimes to our visitorsâ room at home. By removing myself from places which can distract me, I am trying to slow myself down so that I can concentrate on God only.
Regular retreats are another thing that helps. The retreat may be for a few hours or for a day or more. Here the idea is that we leave our usual work in order to seek Godâs face.
I have also found writing to be a way that helps me meditate. By writing Thoughts down with a pencil or pen or by typing them into a computer we are able to
follow through from seed thoughts to deeper insights into the ways of God.
It has been said that a leader in todayâs fast-paced world needs to be a person capable of multi-tasking â one who can do many things at the same time. While that may make us efficient leaders it could spell disaster in the most important area of life â our relationships with God. Multi-task leaders need to discipline themselves to concentrate on God alone and give themselves to meditation and contemplative prayer.
Personally this is one of the biggest battles in my life.
We must not allow the technological advances of todayâs world to cause us to Become spiritual paupers. Letâs be aware of our handicaps and do something to overcome them. Letâs battle against distraction and for unhurried concentration on God.
