Recently, my husband and I were reunited in London after he had been golfing for a week with his brothers in Ireland. We had so much to catch up on – me about my time in London, and he about his time in Ireland.
He enthusiastically tried to describe all he had experienced – the vibrant green of the hills, the foggy drizzle, the cliffs over the ocean (and each golf shot :)). I appreciated his description, but it just wasn’t the same as experiencing it first-hand.
The next morning it’s zero dark thirty before the birds are up. I sit with my phone, earbuds, laptop, and Bible. A grande skim mocha, now lukewarm is also next to me on the table at the coffee shop. I stretch and consider journaling a couple of quotes.
I watch a video clip of Craig Groeschel teaching on anxiety, read the words of Tim Keller on praise, listen to an audio teaching from an obscure theologian, scroll through scriptural inspiration from others on Instagram, and then the Holy Spirit whispers, “Are the words I spoke to them, distracting you from the words I want to speak to you this morning? Are you settling for a second-hand relationship with me?”
ARRGHHH! Whaaat? You mean like hearing my husband describe his experience in Ireland, or Iike hearing about freshly baked bread, but not being able to smell it or bite into a piece with a crusty outside, and soft, warm, buttery inside?
Second-hand experiences are like second-hand faith.
Does any of this sound like something you’d say or feel?
- I don’t have TIME for ANYTHING except keeping my kids alive! If Jesus is going to talk to me directly He’s going to have to shout over the noise of toddlers.
- I love taking notes on sermons and filling in the blanks for my Bible study. I love getting the “right” answers. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment without doing the work of figuring out the Bible!
- Beth Moore and Lysa TerKeurst are so much better at coming up with insights into God’s Word than I am! I really like the ease of reading their summary of a passage in my devotional and how they’re applying it.
There isn’t anything wrong with learning from others.
In 2 Timothy 1:5 we see the value of a legacy of faith – mentors who inspire and teach us. Paul writes,
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
But we can’t just live off of someone else’s story. We each need a first-hand experience of God.
We see the powerful effect of spending time with Jesus in Acts 4:13,
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Wow! The world could TELL that these guys had spent time with Jesus!
Yep, God appeared to biggies like Moses (Exodus 3:5), but he also showed up and spoke to Hagar! He showed up for Hagar! An outcast in the desert! (Genesis 16). And the Samaritan woman at the well! (John 4) Similar situation, different God-story.
He walked with Abraham, wrestled with Jacob, whispered to Elijah, argued with Job, and struck Paul blind to get his attention.
As I think about what marked these people with first-hand faith, I can think of two important qualities that characterized their lives.
- They were relational. They talked and listened to God. Ever noticed how many times in the Old Testament it says someone “inquired of the Lord”? Maybe your first-hand faith step is to read a small portion of Scripture and then to be still and then say “Come Holy Spirit…speak, prompt, enlighten me this day in response to what I’ve read.”
- They were responsive. Because they got to know God and His character, they had the faith to respond to His direction. They could take big steps of faith because they knew a big God. As you spend time with God, note specifically what you observe about His character that can strengthen and encourage you to obey.
Isn’t it incredibly exciting that the story God has scripted for you and me isn’t inferior to Joshua’s or Hannah’s or Ruth’s or Lysa TerKeurst’s or Craig Groeschel’s, or anyone’s?! Each of us can have the personal, first-hand relationship with God that they did.
Whose faith inspires you? What’s one small or courageous step you can take today to experience a first-hand faith?
I have thought a lot in recent months about what I ‘use‘ and who I ’read’ during my Time with God. Yes there are a lot of people out there who have a lot of insights into God and his word, but when is the last time (as you said) that I read scripture and simply sat with it, waited, listened? The term secondhand Jesus is so appropriate for the majority of my prayer times. Thank you for this reminder/insight.
So glad it resonated!