The
Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 - “Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
In the preamble to Prayer, Finding the Heart’s True Home, Richard J. Foster gives us a glimpse into the heart of God, “He aches over our distance and preoccupation. He mourns that we do not draw near to him. He grieves that we have forgotten him… He longs for our presence.” I am often too absorbed with busyness, accomplishing the next thing, doing something – anything – and then rewarding myself with some downtime, you know, like watching TV or burying my face in my phone. Too busy to spend time in his presence, talking to him, loving him.
Foster
goes on to tell us, “And he is inviting you – and me – to come home, to come
home to where we belong. To come home to that for which we were created. His
arms are stretched out wide to receive us. His heart is enlarged to take us in.”
We
receive invitations all the time for birthdays, weddings, baby and wedding
showers, poker games. There is generally an RSVP request with contact
information toward the bottom of the invitation. RSVP are the initials for the French phase, ‘Répondez s'il vous plaît’, basically meaning to please
respond. The literal translation is ‘Respond, if it pleases you.’
Sometimes I get the sense that the host is begging me, “Please tell me you are coming.” “Please, please contact me at 555-555-5555 or by email at lovemybaby@rsvp.com or using the self-addressed stamped envelope.” They seem desperate for my attendance and are anxious to know if I am coming so they can prepare the house for me, have my favorite drink ready, and to make sure that I am comfortable and relaxed. I believe God wants our RSVP for all those things. Though it is more a longing than a begging.
How should I respond to God’s invitation? What is his chosen method for the RSVP? I need to respond with an open heart to Jesus Christ, his chosen contact and use the Holy Spirit to transmit my acceptance to join him. God’s invitation is not a ‘Regrets Only’ RSVP. If he doesn’t hear from me, he assumes I will not be joining him. If he hears from Me, I’ve already accepted his invitation.
It
is important to allow time in a corporate worship service for each person to connect
with God in prayer, to touch the hem of his garment in a way that allows power
to go from Jesus to the believer. I believe this should be early in the service
so that corporate worship and singing flows from a place of personal contact.
We need the opportunity to RSVP before we jump into the party, otherwise we are
just a part of the din trying to harmonize.
I
listen for the invitation from time to time. Most often it is during walks, hikes, bicycle pedals, motorcycle rides, or floats when I have some solitude and I’m away from the requirements
of social interaction. There is a meditation technique where I envision myself
walking along until I find what I'm looking for. I have two such walks that
are effective for me in my prayer/mediation life, such as it is. In one, I
picture myself hiking in the Sierras, most times I am wending my way through
the forest until I find myself hiking along a rushing stream tumbling down the hillside
to spread itself through a meadow and into an alpine lake. At some point, I see
myself walking with Jesus, talking as to a friend.
There
are times that my meditation takes me up a set of switchbacks to a mountain
pass where I hope to find the stream leading from the snowpack to the lake on
the other side of the pass. When I find myself on this trail, I often come across a
rockslide blocking the trail and I need to clear the rocks, some being large
boulders. It is hard work to clear the path and I often fail at it. When this
happens, my hope is that my work to clear the path has been an effective RSVP
and that he will meet me in my labors.
Jesus
himself, being fully God and fully human, shows us the need for prayer to
connect to God and he practices the art to show us the way. Luke 6:12 tells us “In
these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in
prayer to God.” This is how Jesus prepared himself to deliver the Sermon on
the Mount and gave us the beatitudes. Should we do any different to prepare
us for our day?
Don’t
forget to RSVP.
In
His grip,
Jerry
Author’s
note: After writing my first draft for this post, I went on a bicycle ride. I
found it nearly impossible to hear the invitation or to make any meaningful
connection. Even riding around the Rose Bowl and Brookside Golf courses where
it is a relatively safe place to ride, there are too many things to think about
– other cyclists, joggers in the roadway rather than in the pedestrian lane,
cars, or golfers crossing the road between holes that feel no need to stop and
look. Maybe I’ll get to the point where the pedaling is second nature and hearing
and responding to the invitation is first nature…
