Prioritize your Passion

I have a complex maybe you share.

If you’re a believer in Christ, you may know the verse, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.   My issue is in seeing fear of the Lord not as a conduit but as an end in itself.  I often times don’t feel like I graduate into wisdom, but stay stuck, not in what I believe God can do or in who He is, but just plain being afraid, and ashamedly annoyed by God.

I just heard a good sermon on fear.  The end is what struck me.  While anticipating a surprising ending like in The Untouchables, and so many others, the body of the sermon was about God being with us, keeping a firm grip on our little hands.  I get that.  But what got me was what David did when he was in the wilderness, for example, hiding and fleeing from the king’s anger toward him.  Psalms sprang up out of these moments! Why?  Because David’s PASSION was the Lord himself (not His attributes, or gifts, kindness, etc.), and because David intentionally remembered that this was his primary passion, namely Jesus.

My question is, how does this work? How do you give wings to your passion when you know The Lord is obviously with you, so much that you cower from and try to block out His still, small voice?  Maybe you blog.  :).  Or compose music, art…Create a distraction?

Well I will say confidently enough that David wasn’t writing music (creating his art) for a fanbase in search of a recording label.  It wasn’t entirely utilitarian.  I daresay it wasn’t even in search of a blessing. Protection? Yes. But David’s heart was just a God seeker.

I submit to you that David was simply going back to the well, tapping into His source and drinking the water that doesn’t stop quenching.

Ah so the. hook…what can be gleaned here?  

I’d say it’s a matter of direction.  Like when you’re afraid, which direction do you go?  Fight or flight?  It seems to me David was showing us a 3rd, or maybe 1and2 combo approach…  Flee the impending trouble, and boldly enter the throne room with confidence. Can’t successfully have one without the other. 

So…sounds like some other, large body of people we remember. 

THEM: Why should we die here of starvation, when back in captivity, at least our bellies were full? 

It sounds like David had to think quick – Seek the Lord’s emminent deliverance, maybe somewhat miraculous…  Or figbt with Saul, who was in hot pursuit.

For David it was no question.  He had seen God’s mighty hand and known His presence for years.  Why would he not throw himself at the Lord’s mercy?  The Lord was his passion, his very great reward, his sun and shield. 

No, he couldn’t…no we can’t..see King Jesus with our eyes, yet.  But we do know how our eyes can betray us.  David wasn’t worried when he could see Goliath, or the lion or bear for that matter, right in front of him.  And consider the vision examples throughout Scripture: John the Baptist’s father Zechariah losing his eyesight for a time bc of what?..unbelief.  Paul on his way to Damascus: led by the hand because he couldn’t see, probably so he wouldn’t blow off Jesus’ appearance as a hoax..  And the blind man Jesus healed, on the Sabbath, as to intentionally put a stumbling block in the religious teachers’ law observance, because of their unbelief.

Do the math.  Saul had no goodness left in him because of this malicious spirit in him.  God…the ‘other’ king required of David trust, remembrance of the past, confidence in the future… 

To us, avoiding Saul is the easy answer.  But God was asking David to think.  No true or false here.

And God very well may have made a request of David, maybe a difficult one…  

My point is, being an overcomer is not the simple task of choosing the right button to push.  Much prayer is needed, humble reliance upon divine grace, that is, submitting and resisting.  You know, challenging stuff like trust and obey…for there is no other way…to be free.

Now I’m not an expert on how much free will we need at a given time and how much reliance on God, or how all this works.  I do know “the zeal of the Lord almighty will accomplish this”.   “Do not worry child, for your Father has been pleased to give you the keys to the kingdom.”  I’m sure this last one increases blood pressure all around, but does having this about the keys said to you make you squirm with joyful longing or anxiety.?

The praise song says “Give us one pure and holy passion”.  

In the book of Revelation Jesus urges us to return to our first love.

Me..?  I’m not sure how to cultivate my passion.  Maybe I’m just starting to identify it.  I know part of my passion is blogging…about passion 🙂

My main tactic is to try to plan for the times that are most stressful or disappointing or whatever, and work in on your calendar a block there for your passion.  If you need to use a larger or different color marker for the striking out I’m ok with that.

If strumming and singing isn’t enough, then learn some new chords or scales.

“At the end of the day you’re a another day older”

– Les MIserables