Post by tomdurst on Oct 9, 2008 11:51:00 GMT -5
JOYFUL FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
By Thomas E. Durst
By Thomas E. Durst
Psalm 16:11 (Amplified Bible)
11 You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version)
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
1 Peter 1:8 (King James Version)
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Fellowship with the living God is the most joyful and fulfilling experience that one can have in this present life and is feasting upon the fullness of the Kingdom of God which is already present within each of us and all around us. One of the ways of experiencing this joyful fellowship is in what I called “the Silence” which simply means a time of letting go of our human false sense of self, our ego, and being open to receive the wonderful Presence of God in a way that exceeds our ability to reason everything out. In truth, our obsessive “thinkingness” is often the greatest obstacle to deep communion with God. We need to learn anew what it means to “let go and let God.” Here are some principles that I would encourage you to work with and which I’ve found helpful for many years now.
Find the quietest place you can to spend some quality time with God. I often go to a prayer chapel or a church as a special treat but also can find “a closet” at home. I currently have an extra bedroom which is my very own prayer retreat and that is really a special blessing. Sometimes head sets are very helpful to block out noise and to have a more cloistered environment. The purpose of this very sacred time is to know God and to experience His indwelling Presence in a deeper way. As we experience God in a greater depth we shall become channels for the blessing of the entire world in ways that exceed our human abilities which are very weak if we place our dependence upon them. Our time of devotion is like holding everyone in the world within our heart and will bless all so this should not be regarded as a time of fellowship with God that is merely for our own benefit. We are all united with God, the One Universal Mind, in some mysterious way. Set apart times for special communion with God are indeed making a contribution to the world that we can’t even begin to imagine.
Find a comfortable position in which your spine can be straight. Relax and just be willing to let go of your attachments to anything and everything—even your best thoughts and intentions. The secret here is in being willing to let go. When thoughts come, rather than attaching yourself to them, let them quietly float by for you can deal with them later. Since our minds are like a tree full of chattering monkeys thoughts will seek to intrude. Some people use a word or a phrase which might be referred to as a mantra which they come back to in order to sidetrack intrusive thoughts. I did this some when I first started to practice focused times of Silence in 1987 but after a while found this practice to be more distracting than helpful and just simply have learned to “let go and let God” in gentleness and surrender. I started out with times of Silence of about 20 minutes two times daily but over the years these times have varied in frequency and length depending upon the situation at the time. Even just a few minutes of communion with God will bring great benefits.
The main principle here is your intention just to be with God and to experience His Kingdom within without any other focus than this. Blessings will follow in your own life in God’s own timing and often in ways that will be very surprising. If you start to practice this kind of Silence seriously be prepared for many changes and upheavals may happen in your life. That has been my experience for the past 20+ years.
The Bible verses that I’ve quoted at the top say it all. I invite you to join with me in experiencing “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8 KJV)
