(Wielding The Warhead of Personal Retreats for A Lifestyle of Conquest)
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret Grace.
In the children’s book from which this subtitle was derived (now a recently released motion picture), Margaret (the protagonist whose name was replaced for the purpose of this discussion) struggles with early-teen concerns, such as religion, menstruation, boys and bras. Having read this book and others by the same author in grade school, I can certainly relate to her growing pains and conundra. Navigating the complexities of life can be a full-fledged occupation, particularly in one’s formative and perplexing years.
Controversial as the author may be for her frank confrontation of sensitive issues on a platform clearly targeted at underdeveloped minds, her real-life pain-point portrayals resonate with anyone who has endured the treacherous terrains of preadolescence. I felt a sense of camaraderie as I journeyed with Margaret through her challenges and triumphs, having grown up in her locale and navigated social situations similarly (this book and others by the author were some of my favorite growing up; I pray that young minds reading them will have their perspectives doused by and founded on the purifying showers and global positioning lens of God’s Word).
My favorite concept of the storyline is the fact that Margaret regularly has running conversations with God despite the fact that she has no religious affiliations or observances. She retreats to her room or alone space and begins each conversation with the standard phrase “Are You there God? It’s me Margaret.” I see this as evidence of the seeds her spirit is planting in her subconscious to help pave the way for a spiritually-informed search for Him when her mind is more developed. Although purely fictional in her instance, I know many youngsters have similar deep-seated leanings and yearnings, and pray that the real Margarets of this world will discover Jesus as their Savior and bona fide way to a dynamic relationship with the One true God.
I love the innocence and innocuity her simplicity conveys, and find it refreshingly representative of any heart-felt communication with God (and reminiscent of one of my favorite worship one-liners … “Lord it’s me – Your girl – again!”). It suggests a conscious and intentional repositioning to draw near to Him,1-2 expectation of His accessibility and approachability,3-4 and an assurance of His interest, acceptance, attention and intention towards any concerns presented.5-9 This unassuming, yet fully expectant heart disposition captures the essence of any personal retreat that is rightly founded on the principle of waiting on God.
What then does it mean to wait on Him …pragmatically? We have examined the requisite heart posture and disposition, but how does this play out in a personal retreat? Does it involve a passive time of quiet inactivity, back straight in a cross-legged posture, hands dutifully aligned in a praying position as one hums or quietly chants a religious prayer or mantra? Is it a channeling of one’s inner energies or consciousness to attune to a higher level of consciousness? Is it a time to “become one with the universe” as one focuses on thoughts about nothing, so that a higher energy or power can come possess one and project him or her to a higher plane?
The Weightiness of Weightless Waiting
... “but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
(Isaiah 40:31 – ESV)
The Secret Life of Jets (part 2 of this series) mentions the fact that eagles, like other soaring birds, have mastered (and in their case, superseded other aves with this ability) the art of aerial dominance. Rather than needlessly wasting energy by strenuously flapping and flying for long distances, they often wait and take advantage of strong winds and tidal currents so they can effortlessly soar higher, longer and reach their destinations faster and more efficiently than they would have utilizing their own mechanical efforts. When they sense strong currents in their vicinity, they jump into the flow (if it doesn’t pull them in forcefully first!) and become practically weightless as the strong gusts blow them in a particular direction with almost no effort on their part, except to position themselves. The equanimity, intelligence, and dauntlessness with which they face raging storms and howling winds to achieve this truly underscores their sovereignty as “the king of the skies!”
Isaiah 40:29-31 is one of the quintessential scriptures on the concept of waiting on the Lord. We will examine and tag some other classic scriptures to tease out its practical application for personal retreats.
Watch & Wait
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchwatch for the morning, more than watchwatch for the morning.”
(Psalms 130:5-6)
Work & Wait (The God Who works, the One who Waits)
“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, Who works for those who wait for him!”
(Isaiah 64:4)
Wait & Wait (The God Who waits {to be gracious}, the One who Waits {to receive His grace})
“Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, … For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.“
(Isaiah 30:18)
Wait & Switch (The God Who switches {circumstances for the better}, the One who Waits)
“I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”
(Psalms 40:1-2)
Hide & Seek (The God Who Hides, the One who Seeks)
“Truly, you are a God who hides Himself …” … “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while he is near…”
(Isaiah 45:15; Isaiah 55:6)
Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (part 3 of this series) explains that the term “wait” in these verses and in variant English translations and connotations is derived from Hebrew words (of the same root) that mean to wait, look and/or hope for, expect, wait or look eagerly for, long for, lie in wait for (as in ambush), linger for, and tarry. Imagine the passion, intensity and temerity that would cause a mere man to lay in ambush for an immense God! This immediately brings to mind the man Jacob who dared to wrestle with God (… who does that?!) while on a personal retreat, and was not only commended, but had his destiny reconfigured and redefined by it10. (Selah, Selah and Selah – pause and think deeply on that)!!
These scriptures and taglines are fairly comprehensible to the inquiring mind and searching heart, except perhaps the last reference to God’s peculiar habit of hiding Himself under certain circumstances. In researching supporting scriptures for that reference, I stumbled across Joseph Mattera’s excellent commentary on some reasons God hides Himself and what to do to lure Him out11. He did a phenomenal job of explaining the concept clearly and concisely, expressing almost verbatim what I was going to pen regarding that curious aspect of God’s character. I refer you to his enlightening exposé (see Bibliography) for further reading and a clear grasp (see also The Wine Press in the archives of this site which briefly explains the same {posted in January of this year}). Suffice it to say that the God Who sometimes hides requires a person who will sometimes hide to seek Him out. God in hiding requires man in hiding to find Him, i.e. God in stealth mode requires man in stealth code (i.e., on a secret intelligence mission/retreat) to search Him out – to decipher and discover the treasure troves of His person, presence, power and performance (i.e., what He’s currently up to). I believe this is the essence of the often quoted but misappropriated ninety-first psalm.12 Every verse and promise in this chapter following the first is premised on this foundational truth.
Doing Business in The Deep
… “By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and clouds drop down the dew.” … “Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.“
(Proverbs 3:20; Psalms 107:23-24)
The Bible states that “deep calls unto deep”13, inferring that doing business with God requires venturing into deep places (see Psalms 107:23-31; Luke 5:4). You will never find God or discover His secrets in the comforts of the shallow; you will always have to plunge into the deep. The initial phases of retreating and waiting tend to represent the outgoing moments of the shallows, as it is in those times that one is debriefing and debugging from life’s buzzards and bleeders. The need for those depths, including their requisite debriefing and debugging, are the reason Elizabeth and Mary (the mothers of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, respectively) had to withdraw from the norms of life to prepare to birth the greatness each carried. When they met in that place of the deep, the Bible records a most curious occurrence – Elizabeth’s unborn child leapt in her womb as he heard the voice of the woman through whom creation’s greatest missive would manifest; deep had called unto deep and evoked a resounding and unequivocal response (it is my personal conviction that the unborn babies were communicating; one was heralding His imminent arrival and the need to ensure things were in place for eternity’s purposes to pan out, and the other was responding with exuberant cheer and assurance that he was indeed set and about to make an appearance to get things rolling)!
Friend, who or what is your deep calling out to? What is it saying? Do you have your own tagline with God as little Margaret did when getting into her deep? Have you even gotten into yours – that place where destiny-defining encounters and transactions take place – or are you still loitering about in the shallows, missing out on the extraordinary gifts and experiences that God’s depths offer?
“Launch out into the deep, and let down your net for a catch … The God of your father who will help you … the Almighty … will bless you with … blessings of the deep …“14-15
Bibliography
- James 4:8
- Jeremiah 29:12-14
- Hebrews 11:6
- Hebrews 4:14-16
- Hebrews 4:12-13
- Hebrews 10:19-23
- Ephesians 3:12
- 1 Peter 5:7
- Jeremiah 33:3
- Genesis 32:22-32
- https://josephmattera.org/god-hides-5-ways-find/
- Psalms 91
- Psalms 42:7
- Luke 5:4
- Genesis 49:25
For Your Deep-Diving & Soaring Pleasure
Eagle’s Wings (Hillsong Worship)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rrrbz8O6lH8&feature=share
Still (Hillsong Worship)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=z-o9xHyZh6s&feature=share
We Need A Miracle (Charity Gayle)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuhtZ5PMOyg&feature=share
I Will Wait For You (Juanita Bynum)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Q13vF_FC-HU&feature=share
I Will Wait For You {Psalm 130} (Shane & Shane)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=l8pCbtLeXzc&feature=share
Wait On You (D. Bowie/C. Moore/Elevation/Mav City)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=K3TYG7Q_fj4&feature=share