Reconnecting with Life
Isaiah 40:27-31
9/8/13
Introduction
Video: Connecting with GOD
What if regularly reconnecting with God helps us reconnect to a better way of life.
What is the benefit of reconnecting with God on a regular basis? What is it that we get out of a devotional life, the personal pursuit of God.
T.S. Isaiah reveals some truths that I have personally found true in my own time reconnecting with God.
Isa 40:27-31
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
NIV
Reconnecting with God
Brings perspective in the midst of discouragement
To be deprived of courage or confidence, the feeling of being hampered or hindered.
Follower of Jesus can be prone to discouragement.
I am likely to become discouraged when:
I am suffering trials (loss, death, troubled relationships, health problems, financial setbacks).
I expect people to be and do what only God can be and do.
I think circumstances ought to change, but they don't.
I want to control circumstances instead of trusting God.
I feel like nothing I do is making any difference.
I am struggling with illness, fatigue, or hormones.
I compare myself to others.
I expect perfection from myself and others.
I try to play the role of Holy Spirit in someone's life.
I try to work in my own strength instead of availing myself of God's infinite strength.
I listen to myself instead of speaking the truth of God's Word to myself.
I don't take the time or invest the energy needed to organize my time and environment.
I am over-committed.
I feel like I'm barely keeping up with all that I am supposed to do.
I am doing unnecessary things that I am not called to do.
I isolate myself.
I am resentful or bitter or start to feel sorry for myself.
I am worried or afraid.
I have not repented of sin.
I am facing the consequences of my sin and negligence.
Isa 40:27-31
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
For a number of years the Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. kept an arrangement in an alcove Just inside the door, called "The Throne of the Third Heaven." There were 180 pieces in the arrangement--from tables to chairs to small decorative items--all pulled together by James Hampton, a quiet, virtually unknown janitor from the D.C. area. Hampton simply wanted to depict God's throne room.
This extraordinary collection had been found in his garage after he died in 1964. No one knew he had been working on it for some 20 years. All these pieces were made from cast-off items--old furniture, gold and aluminum foil from store displays, bottles, cigarette boxes, wine bottles, rolls of kitchen foil, used light bulbs, cardboard, insulation board, construction paper, desk blotters, and sheets of transparent plastic--all precariously held together with glue, tape, tacks, and pins.
On a bulletin board in the garage he had copied this verse from Proverbs 29:18: "Where there is no vision the people perish."
He believed people needed a vision of God's glory, so he set out, singlehandedly, to give it to them.
No one knows much about James Hampton, but we know this: what he imagined as God's throne room has become a national treasure.
Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; sources: various sites about the project, most notably this link http://www.fredweaver.com/throne/thronebody.html
Brings refreshment in the midst of weariness
Physically or mentally fatigued.
The weakening or failure of a material, such as metal or wood, resulting from prolonged stress.
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
Refreshment doesn't change circumstances. Yet it changes how we feel in the midst of circumstances. = RELIEF
Life is so busy, so stressful so challenging, requires such energy that in 2006 over 190 million prescriptions were given for antidepressants.
The pills have helped many and I know that some of had them prescribed.
But Researchers at Britain's Essex University have found a much cheaper alternative with few side effects: nature. Seventy-one percent of those suffering from depression said a 30-minute walk outdoors "made them feel better about themselves." Of the 108 patients who took part in conservation projects, went cycling, or hiked, 94 percent said the activities brought about greater mental health.
Ecotherapy has been favorably reviewed by Time Magazine, NPR, Best Health, numerous newspapers and by news blogs like the Huffington Post.
Brings inspiration in the midst of disillusionment
1. The act of disenchanting.
2. The condition or fact of being disenchanted.
Lost the magical dream of life
Inspiration lets us see a different future we dream again.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
NIV
Five Simple ways to connect more with God.
1. Spend time in nature. Connect with the Creator
2. Wow Worship Works
3. Make a prayer connection
4. Read or Reread a "devoted" book.
5. Gather with another to connect.
