Into the Depths of God Into the Depths of God

The purpose of this study is for the women of Dorm H at NCCIW to use as a daily devotional during the “waiting times” before they are moved elsewhere in the prison system. It consists of some of the studies the church has done in the years it has been coming into the prison. It continues the theme of encouraging the women to see their sentence as a time of spiritual formation into the character of Christ; that they see their prison sentence as a time to be restored to a healthy relationship with God, their family and friends, and, most importantly, a healthy self-image in knowing they are daughters of the King of Kings and sisters of Jesus Christ.

Instead of providing daily readings, the study is to be read as the Spirit leads. Read as much or as little as He directs. (While the intended audience is the women of Dorm H, all who desire to plunge into the depths of God can benefit from this study.) It is but a brief glimpse into the attributes of God. Unlike most devotionals, this one is not broken down into daily reading portions. The reader is encouraged to be lead by the Holy Spirit in its reading. Read as much or as little as the He directs. Remember, one is reading for transformation and not for information.

Libraries are full of books that have been written on this topic and this document can provide only a thumbnail description of the topic. One must understand the study of the attributes of God cannot be completed by the intellect alone and it will not be completed in the span of eternity.

The key truths of the Christian faith are detailed by the historic creeds and catechisms of the church. While these are important and are part of the base of one’s faith, there is a part of the faith that cannot be described by words alone - there remains a part of the faith that must remain a mystery.

Some people are uncomfortable with this concept and to them the term “mystic” brings up images of a eastern guru with false teachings. This study attempts to bring a Biblical approach on how to meditate on the Truths of the Gospel and to encourage the reader to use those times of meditation to be freed from the things that keep her from being the woman God wants her to become

Those of us who go into the prison ask the ladies to contact us with their prayer requests and to let us know how our ministry has helped them. We ask the same for this devotional.

Our address is

Church of the Apostles

333 Church at St. Albans Street

Raleigh, NC, 27609

Bibles used The Message (TMSG) English Standard Version (ESV) Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Quotes taken from “Draper’s Quotes for the Christian World”

Quotes and bible verses copied using Parson Technology’s Quick Verse software.

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Into the Depths of God

GETTING STARTED

A proper study must begin with a definition of terms. The following are definitions from two bible dictionaries on the term “mediation”

Holman Bible Dictionary

The act of calling to mind some supposition, pondering upon it, and correlating it to one’s own life. A wicked individual meditates upon violence (Prov. 24:2). The meditation of a righteous person contemplates God or His great spiritual truths (Pss. 63:6; 77:12; 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 148; 143:5). He hopes to please God by meditation (Ps. 19:14). Thus meditation by God’s people is a reverent act of worship.

Through it they commune with God and are thereby renewed spiritually. Most references to meditation occur in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms. The Hebrew words for meditation primarily were derived from two separate roots. The first (hagah) literally means “to utter in a low sound.” The word is used to denote the growling of a lion (Isa. 31:4) or the cooing of a dove (Isa. 38:14).

Therefore it has been suggested that, in ancient Hebrew meditation, Scripture frequently was recited in a low murmur. The second root word (sia) has the basic meaning of “to be occupied with,” or “concerned about.” Thus meditation is the repetitious going over of a matter in one’s mind because it is the chief concern of life.

The constant recollection of God’s past deeds by the hearing of Scripture and repetition of thought produce confidence in God (Pss. 104:34; 119:15, 23, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148; Ps. 63:6-8; 143:5). Meditation is only mentioned twice in the New Testament. Jesus instructed Christians to meditate beforehand on their attitude toward persecution (Luke 21:14). Paul advised Timothy to meditate on the matters about which Paul had written Him (1 Tim. 4:15). Meditation is an important part of the Christian’s relationship with Christ.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary

“A private devotional act, consisting in deliberate reflection upon some spiritual truth or mystery, accompanied by mental prayer and by acts of the affection and of the will, especially formation of resolutions as to future conduct” (Cent. Dict., s.v.). Meditation is a duty that ought to be attended to by all who wish well to their spiritual interests. It should be deliberate, close, and continuous (Psalm 1:2; 119:97). The subjects that ought more especially to engage the Christian mind are: the works of creation (Psalm 19:1-6); the perfections of God (Deuteronomy 32:4); the character, office, and work of Christ (Hebrews 12:2-3); the office and operations of the Holy Spirit (John 15-16); the dispensations of Providence (Psalm 97:1-2); the precepts and promises of God’s words (Psalm 119); the value, powers, and immortality of the soul (Mark 8:36); the depravity of our nature, and the grace of God in our salvation, etc

The following is just one of many Hebrew words for meditate. A study of all the words is beyond the scope of this study Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary

y ach see'-akh

A primitive root; to ponder, that is, (by implication) converse (with oneself, and hence aloud) or (transitively) utter:—commune,

complain, declare, meditate, muse, pray, speak, talk (with

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Into the Depths of God

The following are some bible verses on the mystery of our faith

Psalms 40:1-3 ( TMSG ) I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God.

Colossians 2:1-3 ( ESV ) For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 1:27 ( ESV ) To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery,

1 Corinthians 2:7-9 ( TMSG ) God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That’s why we have this Scripture text: No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this,Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—What God has arranged for those who love him.

1 Timothy 3:14-16 ( ESV ) I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

The following are some quotes on the mystery of our faith

Suddenly I feel myself transformed and changed; it is joy unspeakable. My mind is exhilarated; I lose the memory of past trials; my intelligence is clarified; my desires are satisfied. I grasp something inwardly as with the embracement of love. Hugh of St. Victor (1096–1141)

Unless you lead me, Lord, I cannot dance. Would you have me leap and spring? You yourself, dear Lord, must sing; So shall I spring into your love, from your love to understanding, from understanding to delight; Then soaring far above all human thought, There circling will I stay and taste encircling love. Saint Mechthild of Magdeburg (c. 1210–c. 1280)

When the soul is purified and made serene, and the knowledge of Christ the Lord dawns upon it, its mind ascends and beholds the majesty of God, and sees him to be incomprehensible and infinite. When it looks on high, it sees him as at first, and when it looks within itself, it sees him there. When the mind floats on the sea of the majesty of God and his incomprehensibility, it is amazed and lost in wonder at the serene majesty of God. And forthwith the soul becomes humble, so that if it were possible, when the effulgence of God’s majesty envelops it, it would take its place below the whole creation because of its awe and wondering amazement at the majesty of God, ineffable, incomprehensible as it is, beyond the penetration of his servants. John of Lycopolis (d. 394)

Flee for a little while thy occupations; hide thyself for a time from thy disturbing thoughts. Cast aside now thy burdensome cares, and put away thy toilsome business. Yield room for some little time to God, and rest for a little time in him. Enter the inner chamber of thy mind; shut out all thoughts save that of God and such as can aid thee in seeking him. Speak now, my whole heart! Speak now to God, saying, “I seek thy face; thy face, Lord, will I seek.” Saint Anselm (c. 1033–1109

To be a mystic is simply to participate here and now in that real and eternal life in the fullest deepest sense which is possible to man.

Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941)

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Into the Depths of God

Write your view of the mystery of God in a short statement.

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Into the Depths of God AN ANCIENT METHOD OF MEDITATING DAY AND NIGHT ON THE BIIBLE

A Carmelite reflections on Lectio Divina, the prayerful reading of the Bible by Carlos Mesters, O.Carm. (translated by Míceál O’Neill, O.Carm.)

Lectio Divina (‘holy reading/listening’) is the ancient method of prayerfully reading the Bible, the Word of God. Originally cultivated by monastic orders – but now an important part of the lives of many Christians from different traditions – lectio divina enables us to contemplate God and God’s will in our lives. If prayed regularly, lectio can deepen our relationship with God. A prayerful reading of the Bible within what is traditionally called lectio divina is an urgent task if we are to be faithful to what God asks of us today. It is something like curing the veins when the blood which keeps us alive has to flow.

The Process of Lectio Divina

When you begin using the process of lectio divina with your with the reading of the Bible you are not concerned with study; you are not going to read the Bible in order either to increase your knowledge. You are not reading the Bible in order to have some extraordinary experience. You are going to read the Word of God to listen to what God has to say to you, to know his will and thus ‘to live more deeply in allegiance to Jesus Christ’ (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 2). There must be poverty in you; you must also have the disposition which the old man Eli recommended to Samuel: ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:10).

Listening to God does not depend on you or on the effort you make. It depends entirely on God, on God’s freely-made decision to come into dialogue with you and to allow you to listen to the voice to God. Thus you need to prepare yourself by asking him to send his Spirit, since without the Spirit of God it is impossible to discover the meaning of the Word which God has prepared for us today (cf. John 14:26; 16:13; Lk 11:13).

It is important to create the right surroundings which will facilitate recollection and an attentive listening to the Word of God. For this, you must eliminate all distractions. Putting one’s body in the right position helps recollection in the mind.

When you open the Bible, you have to be conscious that you are opening a Book which is not yours. It belongs to the community of the saints past and present. In your lectio divina you are setting foot in the great Tradition of the Church which has come down through the centuries. Your prayerful reading is like the ship which carries down the winding river to the sea. The light shining from the sea has already enlightened the dark night of many generations. In having your own experience of lectio divina you are not alone. You are united to brothers and sisters who before you succeeded in ‘meditating day and night upon the Law of the Lord and keeping vigil in prayer’ (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 10).

An attentive and fruitful reading of the Bible involves three steps. It has to be marked from beginning to end, by three attitudes: First Step/Attitude – Reading: First of all, you have to ask, what does the text say as text? This requires you to be silent. Everything in you must be silent so that nothing stands in the way of your gleaning what the texts say to you (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 21) and so that you do not make the text say what you would like to hear.

Second Step/Attitude – Meditation: You must ask, What does the text say to me or to us? In this second step we enter into dialogue Carmelite Rule: Chapter 10). In this way’ the Word of God will dwell abundantly on your lips and in your heart (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 19). with the text so that its meaning comes across with freshness and penetrates the life of the Carmelite today. Like Mary you will ponder what you have heard and ‘meditate on the Law of the Lord’

Third Step/Attitude – Prayer: Furthermore, you have to try to discover What does the text lead me to say to God? This is the moment of prayer, the moment of ‘keeping watch in prayer’ (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 10).

Fourth Step/Contemplation, the destination of lectio divina, Contemplation means having in one’s eyes something of the ‘wisdom which leads to salvation’ (2 Timothy 3:15). We begin to see the world and life through the eyes of the poor, through the eyes of God. We assume our own poverty and eliminate from our way of thinking all that smacks of the powerful. We recognize all the many things which we thought were fidelity to God, to the Gospel, and to the Tradition; in reality they were nothing more than fidelity to ourselves

and our own interests. We get a taste, even now, of the love of God which is above all things. We come to see that in our lives true love 5 Page

Into the Depths of God of God is revealed in love of our neighbor (Carmelite Rule: Chapters 15 & 19). It is like saying always ‘let it be done according to your Word’ (Luke 1:38). Thus ‘all you do will have the Lord’s word for accompaniment’ (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 19).

So that your lectio divina does not end up being the conclusions of your own feelings, thoughts and caprices, but has the deepest roots, it is important to take account of three demands:

First Demand: Check the result of your reading with the community to which you belong (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 15), with the faith of the living Church. Otherwise it could happen that your effort might lead you nowhere (cf. Galatians 2:2).

Second Demand: Check what you read in the Bible with what is going on in life around you. It was in confronting their faith with the situation existing around them that the people of God created the traditions which up to today are visible in the Bible. The desire to embody the contemplative ideal of the Carmelite Order within the reality of‘minores’ (the poor of each age) brought the first Carmelite hermits to become mendicants among the people. When the lectio divina does not reach its goal in our life, the reason is not always our failure to pray, our lack of attention to the faith of the Church, or our lack of serious study of the text. Oftentimes it is simply our failure to pay attention to the crude and naked reality which surrounds us. The early Christian writer Cassi an tells us that anyone who lives superficially – without seeking to go deeper – will not be able to reach the source where the Psalms were born.

Third Demand: Check the conclusions of your reading with the results of biblical studies which have shown the literal meaning of the words. Lectio divina, it has to be said, cannot remain chained to the letter. The Spirit’s meaning has to be sought (2 Corinthians 3:6). However, any effort to identify the Spirit’s meaning without basing it in the written word would be like trying to build a castle on sand.

In this day and age, when so many ideas are flying about, common sense is a most important quality. Common sense will be nourished by critical study of the written word. So that we will not go astray on this point, the Carmelite Rule tells us to follow the example of the Apostle Paul (Carmelite Rule: Chapter 24).

The Apostle Paul gives various bits of advice on how to read the Bible. He himself was an excellent interpreter. Here are some of the norms and attitudes which he taught and followed: When you set yourself to read the Bible…

(a) Look upon yourself as the one to whom the word is addressed, since everything was written for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10:11; Roman 15:4). The Bible is our book.

(b) Keep faith in Jesus Christ in your eyes, since it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that the veil is removed and the Scripture reveals its meaning and tells of that wisdom which leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:15; Romans 15:4).

(c) Remember how Paul spoke of ‘Jesus Christ Crucified’ (2 Corinthians 2:2), a ‘stumbling block for some and foolishness for others’. It was this Jesus who opened Paul’s eyes to see how, among the poor on the outskirts of Corinth, the foolishness and the stumbling block of the cross was confounding the wise, the strong, and those who believed themselves to be something in this world ( I I Corinthians 1:21-31).

(d) Unite ‘I’ and ‘We’: It is never a question of ‘I’ alone or ‘We’ alone. The Apostle Paul also united the two. He received his mission from the community of Antioch and spoke from that background (Acts 13:1-3).

(e) Keep life’s problems in mind, that is, all that is happening in the Carmelite Family, in the communities, in the Church, and among the people to which you belong and whom you serve. Paul began from what was going on in the communities which he founded (1 Corinthians 10:1-13).

When you read the Bible, be always aware that the text of the Bible is not only a fact. It is also a symbol (Hebrews 11:19). It is both a window through which you see what happened to others in the past and a mirror in which you can see what is happening to you today (1 Corinthians 10:6-10). A prayerful reading is like a gentle flood which, little by little, waters the earth and makes it fruitful (Isaiah 55:10-11). In beginning to dialogue with God in lectio divina, you grow like a tree planted near streams of water (Psalm 1:3). You cannot see the growth but you can see its results in your encounter with yourself, with God, and with others. The song says: ‘Like a flood that washes clean, like a fire that devours, so is your Word, leaving its mark upon me each time it passes’.

One final point to be born in mind: When you read a text using the lectio divina method the principal object is not to interpret the Bible, 6

nor to get to know its content, nor to increase your knowledge of the history of the people of God, nor to experience extraordinary Page

Into the Depths of God things, but rather to discover, with the help of the written Word, the living Word which God speaks to you today, in your life, in our lives, in the life of the people, in the world in which we live (Psalm 97:5). The purpose is to grow in faith, like the prophet Elijah, and to experience more and more that ‘the Lord lives, and I stand in his presence’ (1 Kings 17:1; 18:15).

Ten points to remember The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word the one that is weary. Morning by morning God wakens, wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. (Isaiah50:4).

1. Opening prayer: an invocation of the Holy Spirit 2. Slow and attentive reading of the text 3. A moment of interior silence, to recall what I have read 4. Look at the meaning of each phrase 5. Bring the word into the present; ponder it in relation to my life 6. Broaden my vision by relating this text to other biblical texts 7. Read the text again, prayerfully, giving a response to God 8. Formulate my commitment in life 9. Pray a suitable psalm 10. Choose a phrase which captures the meaning and memorize it Practice on the following verses after meditating on these verseswrite your own psalm

Psalms 119:33-40 (TMSG) God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot. Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way. Affirm your promises to me—promises made to all who fear you. Deflect the harsh words of my critics—but what you say is always so good. See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve my life through your righteous ways!

Psalms 119:41-48 ( TMSG ) Let your love, God, shape my life with salvation, exactly as you promised; Then I’ll be able to stand up to mockery because I trusted your Word. Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever—your commandments are what I depend on. Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever; And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom; Then I’ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed. I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!— relishing every fragment of your counsel.

Psalms 119:65-72 (TMSG) Be good to your servant, God; be as good as your Word. Train me in good common sense; I’m thoroughly committed to living your way. Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place, but now I’m in step with your Word. You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness. The godless spread lies about me, but I focus my attention on what you are saying; They’re bland as a bucket of lard, while I dance to the tune of your revelation. My troubles turned out all for the best—they forced me to learn from your textbook. Truth from your mouth means more to me than striking it rich in a gold mine.

Psalms 119:73-80 (TMSG) With your very own hands you formed me; now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you. When they see me waiting, expecting your Word, those who fear you will take heart and be glad. I can see now, God, that your decisions are right; your testing has taught me what’s true and right. Oh, love me—and right now!—hold me tight! Just the way you promised. Now comfort me so I can live, really live; your revelation is the tune I dance to.

Let the fast-talking tricksters be exposed as frauds; they tried to sell me a bill of goods, but I kept my mind fixed on your counsel.

Let those who fear you turn to me for evidence of your wise guidance. 7

And let me live whole and holy, soul and body, so I can always walk with my head held high. Page

Into the Depths of God

GOD’S PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES Fountain of life, and all-abounding grace, our source, our center, and our dwelling place! Madame Guyon (1648–1717)

Psalms 16:11 (ESV) You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalms 21:6 (ESV) For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

Psalms 41:12 (TMSG) You know me inside and out, you hold me together you never fail to stand me tall in your presence so I can look you in the eye.

God is in all things and in every place. There is not a place in the world in which he is not most truly present. Just as birds, wherever they fly, always meet with the air, so we, wherever we go, or wherever we are, always find God present. Saint Francis of Sales (1567–1622)

Psalms 43:3-4 ( TMSG ) Give me your lantern and compass, give me a map, so I can find my way to the sacred mountain, to the place of your presence, To enter the place of worship, to meet my exuberant God, Sing my thanks with a harp, magnificent God, my God.

Psalms 73:21-25 (TMSG) When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me. You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth!

Psalms 92:1-5 (TMSG) What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence to me all through the night. You made me so happy, God. I saw your work and I shouted for joy. How magnificent your work, God! How profound your thoughts!

Psalms 105:1-4 (TMSG) Hallelujahs! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, and translate his wonders into music! Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God . Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence.

Psalms 119:166-170 (TMSG) I wait expectantly for your Salvation; God, I do what you tell me. My soul guards and keeps all your instructions—oh, how much I love them! I follow your directions, abide by your counsel; my life’s an open book before you. Let my cry come right into your presence, God; provide me with the insight that comes only from your Word. Give my request your personal attention; rescue me on the terms of your promise.

Psalms 139:1-5 (TMSG) God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too—your reassuring presence, coming and going.

Within thy circling power I stand; on every side I find thy hand; awake, asleep, at home, abroad, I am surrounded still with God. Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Psalms 140:12-13 (TMSG) I know that you, God, are on the side of victims and that you care for the rights of the poor. And I know that the righteous personally thank you, that good people are secure in your presence..

Isaiah 64:1-8 ( TMSG ) Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend, make the mountains shudder at your presence— As when a forest catches fire ,as when fire makes a pot to boil—To shock your enemies into facing you, make the nations shake in their boots! You did terrible things we never expected, descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence. Since before time began, no one has ever imagined, no ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who happily do what is right who keep a good memory of the way you work. But how angry you’ve been with us! We’ve sinned and kept at it so long! Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved? We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves—sin-dried, we’re blown off by the wind. No one prays to your makes the effort to reach out to you. Because you’ve turned away from us, left us to stew in our sins. Still, God, you are our Father. We’re the

clay and you’re our potter: All of us are what you made us.

Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy 8

future, without fear and with a courageous heart. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) Page

Into the Depths of God The presence of God is a fact of life. St. Paul rightly said of God, “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” We may, by defying the purpose of God, insulate ourselves from that presence. We may, by unrepentant sin, cut off the sense of God because we are clouded by a sense of guilt. We may, through no fault of our own, be unable to sense the God who is all about us. But the fact remains that he is with us all the time. J. B. Phillips (1906–1982)

Psalms 46:1-7 ( ESV ) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

The knowledge that we are never alone calms the troubled sea of our lives and speaks peace to our souls. A. W. Tozer (1897–1963

Psalms 52:7-9 ( HCSB ) “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, taking refuge in his destructive behavior.” But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done. In the presence of Your faithful people, I will put my hope in Your name, for it is good.

Shut out all of your past except that which will help you weather your tomorrows. Sir William Osler (1849–1919)

Acts 3:19-21 ( ESV ) Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

1 John 3:18-24 ( TMSG ) My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.

To me remains neither place nor time; my country is in every clime; I can be calm and free from care on any shore, because God is there. Madame Guyon (1648–1717)

Jude 1:20-25 ( ESV ) But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25 ( TMSG ) The next time your child asks you, “What do these requirements and regulations and rules that God, our God, has commanded mean?” Tell your child, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and God powerfully intervened and got us out of that country. We stood there and watched as God delivered miracle-signs, great wonders, and evil-visitations on Egypt, on Pharaoh and his household. He pulled us out of there so he could bring us here and give us the land he so solemnly promised to our ancestors. That’s why God commanded us to follow all these rules, so that we would live reverently before God, our God, as he gives us this good life, keeping us alive for a long time to come. “It will be a set-right and put-together life for us if we make sure that we do this entire commandment in the Presence of God, our God, just as he commanded us to do.”

By his first work God gave me to myself; and by the next he gave himself to me. And when he gave himself, he gave me back myself that I had lost. St Bernard of Clairvaux

Write your own prayer/psalm on the presence of God in your life.

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Into the Depths of God

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES

Is God all-wise? Then the darkest providences have meaning. We will set ourselves as God’s interpreters, and because we cannot make straight lines out of our crooked lot, we think that God has turned our life into inextricable confusion. The darkest hours in our life have some intent, and it is really not needful that we should know all at once what that intent is. Let us keep within our own little sphere, and live a day at a time, and breathe a breath at a time, and be content with one pulsation at a time, and interpretation will come when God pleases, and as he pleases. Joseph Parker

Psalms 139:1-6 ( HCSB ) LORD, YOU HAVE SEARCHED ME AND KNOWN ME. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, LORD. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

Psalms 147:1-5 ( HCSB ) Hallelujah! How good it is to sing to our God, for praise is pleasant and lovely. The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers Israel’s exiled people. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite.

1 John 3:18-20 ( HCSB ) Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth; that is how we will know we are of the truth, and will convince our hearts in His presence, because if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.

Hebrews 4:11-13 (HCSB) Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience. For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.

How unutterably sweet is the knowledge that our heavenly Father knows us completely. No talebearer can inform on us, no enemy can make an accusation stick; no forgotten skeleton can come tumbling out of some hidden closet to abash us and expose our past; no unsuspected weakness in our characters can come to light to turn God away from us, since he knew us utterly before we knew him and called us to himself in the full knowledge of everything that was against us. A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)

Psalms 56:8 (HCSB) You Yourself have recorded my wanderings. You put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your records?

Isaiah 44:6 (HCSB) This is what the LORD, the King of Israel and its Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts, says: I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me.

Isaiah 43:10-13 (HCSB) “You are My witnesses”—the LORD’s declaration—“and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. No god was formed before Me, and there will be none after Me. I, I am the LORD, and there is no other Savior but me. .I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed— and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses”—the LORD’s declaration—“and I am God. Also, from today on I am He alone, and no one can take anything from My hand. I act, and who can reverse it?”

God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination, and divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, "0 Lord, Thou knowest." Those things belong to the deep and mysterious profundity of God's omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make

saints. ... A. W. Tozer

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Into the Depths of God “It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate.” - A.W. Tozer,

Isaiah 43:1-7 ( NASB ) But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. “For I am the LORD your God. The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. “Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west. “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Isaiah 40:1-5 (ESV) Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, and that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries In the wilderness “prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God”. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” :

Isaiah 40:6-8 (ESV) A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades but the word of our God will stand forever.

Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5). God not only knows whatsoever has happened in the past in every part of His vast domains, and He is not only thoroughly acquainted with everything that is now transpiring throughout the entire universe, but He is also perfectly cognizant of every event, from the least to the greatest, that ever will happen in the ages to come. God’s knowledge of the future is as complete as is His knowledge of the past and the present, and is because the future depends entirely upon Himself. Were it in anywise possible for something to occur apart from either the direct agency or permission of God, then that something would be independent of Him, and He would at once cease to be Supreme. A.W. Pink

Isaiah 40:9-11 ( ESV ) Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:12-14 ( ESV ) Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

Isaiah 40:15-17 (ESV) Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it – the fact that He knows me. J.I. Packer

One of the Old Testament names of God is El Shaddai, meaning “the All-Sufficient One.” It is a name rich with meaning. Those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth find Him adequate for every necessity of life. They do not need any supplementary experience, a stronger dose of His redemption, or any other spiritual or emotional accoutrements. God has given to every believer abundant grace that is utterly sufficient to fulfill our deepest longings, our most intense cravings, our most profound needs – every human requirement. John MacArthur

Write your own prayer/psalm on the knowledge of God in your life.

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Into the Depths of God

GOD’S POWER IN OUR LIVES

In trial and weakness and trouble, He seeks to bring us low, until we learn that His grace is all, and to take pleasure in the very thing that brings us and keeps us low. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. His presence filling and satisfying our emptiness becomes the secret of humility that need never fail. The humble man has learned the secret of abiding gladness. The weaker he feels, the lower he sinks, and the greater his humiliations appear, the more power and the presence of Christ are his portion. Andrew Murray

2 Corinthians 4:7-11 ( ESV ) But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ( ESV ) So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul’s thrice-repeated prayer for the removal of the ailment was answered, not by his deliverance from it, but by his receiving the necessary grace to bear it – not simply to live with it but to be thankful for it. If his ministry was so effective despite this physical weakness, then the transcendent power was manifestly God’s, not his own. Infirmities like this were welcomed, together with the other hardships…if they were the condition on which the power of the risen Christ operated through him. They constantly reminded him not so much of his own inadequacy as of the total adequacy of Christ, in whom, when he was personally most weak, he knew himself to be most strong. F.F. Bruce

Ephesians 1:15-21 ( ESV ) For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

When I admit my impotence, God shows his omnipotence. For the one who wishes to manage on his own, God can do nothing. God’s power is accomplished in my frailty. And this is my only hope for life and eternity. Arne Paulsen, hospital priest

Ephesians 3:20-21 ( ESV ) Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

"He is able to do or to work, for he is neither idle nor inactive, nor dead. He is able to do what we ask, for he hears and answers prayer. He is able to do what we ask or think, for he reads our thoughts, and sometimes we imagine things for which we dare not and therefore do not ask. He is able to do all that we ask or think, for he knows it all and can perform it all. He is able to do more . . . than (hyper, 'beyond') all that we ask or think, for his expectations are higher than ours. He is able to do much more, or more abundantly, than all that we ask or think, for he does not give his grace by calculated measure. He is able to do very much more, far more abundantly, than all that we ask or think, for he is a God of superabundance" . John Stott

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV) And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear

and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of 12

power that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God Page

Into the Depths of God The greatest single distinguishing feature of the omnipotence of God is that our imagination gets lost thinking about it. ~ Blaise Pascal

Then alone do we know God truly, when we believe that God is far beyond all that we can possibly think of God. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)

1 Chronicles 29:10-16 ( ESV ) Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. We are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.

Psalms 62:11-12 ( ESV ) Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

Psalms 63:1-7 ( ESV ) O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

Psalms 63:1-7 ( ESV ) O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

Psalms 111:1-10 (ESV) Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Psalms 71:17-20 (ESV) O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.

But if the great sun move not of himself; but is as an errand-boy in heaven; nor one single star can revolve, but by some invisible power; how then can this one small heart beat; this one small brain think thoughts; unless God does that beating, does that thinking, does that living, and not I Herman Melville

Theologians, teachers, and preachers like me take great delight in making up all sorts of big, long, important and technical-sounding words to describe what are simple, straightforward, faith-concepts. One of these terms is Omnipotence It is built from two words: Omni, which means “all;” and potent, which means “powerful.” When we speak of God’s power and strength, God’s creative majesty and wonder, we are speaking about God’s Omnipotence the ability of God to do that which God wants to do. Sometimes Christians, and even non-Christians, will try to claim that omnipotence means “the power to do absolutely anything.” This is somewhat misleading for

God’s omnipotence is totally defined by God’s Will, and not by sheer, unadulterated power. Indeed, for classical Christian philosophical

theology, omnipotence is simply God’s “ability to do that which God wants done.” Dr. Gregory Neal 13

Write your own prayer/psalm on God‘s power in your life Page

Into the Depths of God A TIME FOR CONFESSION We are sometimes repentant because of the harm we have done to ourselves and to others in our transgressions but there is little repentance toward God. We may regret what our sins do to our testimony and the evil effect on others but we are little concerned because the fellowship with God is broken. This makes for shallow and inadequate confession because we have not touched the heart of the trouble. Vance Havner

Psalms 51:1 ( TMSG ) Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt; soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I’ve been out of step with you for a long time; in the wrong since before I was born. What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes; give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile; put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I’ll let loose with your praise. Going through the motions doesn’t please you; a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice. Make Zion the place you delight in, repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls. Then you’ll get real worship from us, acts of worship small and large, including all the bulls they can heave onto your altar!

Psalms 32:1-11 ( ESV ) Blessed Are the Forgiven Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer .Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance .Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! 14

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Into the Depths of God Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, and grace without Jesus Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Job 42:1-6 ( TMSG ) Job answered God: “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes? ’I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head. You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’ I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears! I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise! I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”

1 John 1:6-10 ( TMSG ) If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin. If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

If I cast up a confessed, repented, and forsaken sin against another, and allow my remembrance of that sin to color my thinking and feed my suspicions, then I know nothing of Calvary love. Amy Carmichael

James 5:16 ( TMSG ) Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.

Jeremiah 31:19-22 ( TMSG ) After those years of running loose, I repented. After you trained me to obedience, I was ashamed of my past, my wild, unruly past. Humiliated, I beat on my chest. Will I ever live this down?’ “Oh! Ephraim is my dear, dear son, my child in whom I take pleasure! Every time I mention his name, my heart bursts with longing for him! Everything in me cries out for him. Softly and tenderly I wait for him.” “Set up signposts to mark your trip home. Get a good map. Study the road conditions. The road out is the road back. Come back, dear virgin Israel, come back to your hometowns. How long will you flit here and there, indecisive? How long before you make up your fickle mind? God will create a new thing in this land: A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!

Confession, which means to agree with God regarding our sin, restores our fellowship with God. It is a form of discipline which God requires. Erwin W. Lutzer (1941– )

1 John 4:13-17 ( TMSG ) This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s.

For a good confession three things are necessary: an examination of conscience, sorrow, and a determination to avoid sin. Alphonsus Luguori

Repentance is another way of saying that the bad past is to be considered as the starting point for better things. Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957

In confession . . . we open our lives to healing, reconciling, restoring, uplifting grace of him who loves us in spite of what we are.

Louis Cassels (1922–1974

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Into the Depths of God

Excerpts from the Confessions of St. Augustine

Note to the reader: these excerpts are from an old book that used KJV English to translate Augustine’s Latin text. The passages may be difficult to understand but use lectio divina to unpack the message of the text.

He Grieves that He Was so Long Without God.

Too late loved I Thee, O Thou Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! Too late I loved Thee! And behold, Thou wert within, and I abroad, and there I searched for Thee; deformed I, plunging amid those fair forms which Thou hadst made. Thou wert with me, but I was not with Thee. Things held me far from Thee, which, unless they were in Thee, were not at all . Thou calledst, and shoutedst, and burstest my deafness. T hou flashedst, shonest, and scatteredst my blindness. Thou breathedst upon me and I drew in breath and panted for Thee . I tasted, and hunger and thirst. Thou touchedst me, and I burned for Thy peace

He Begs of God that He May Live in the True Light, and May Be Instructed as to the Mysteries of the Sacred Books.

O let the Light, the Truth, the Light of my heart, not mine own darkness, speak unto me. I fell off into that, and became darkened; but even thence, even thence I loved Thee. I went astray, and remembered Thee . I heard Thy voice behind me, calling to me to return, and scarcely heard it, through the tumultuousness of the enemies of peace. And now, behold, I return in distress and panting after Thy fountain. Let no man forbid me! Of this will I drink, and so live. Let me not be mine own life; from myself I lived ill, death was I to myself; and I revive in Thee. Do Thou speak unto me, do Thou discourse unto me. I have believed Thy Books, and their words be most full of mystery

With God There Is True Rest and Life Unchanging.

Who can disentangle that twisted and intricate knottiness of my sin? Foul is it: I hate to think on it, to look on it. But Thee I long for, O Righteousness and Innocency, beautiful and comely to all pure eyes, and of a satisfaction unsating. With Thee is rest entire, and life imperturbable. Whoso enters into Thee, enters into the joy of his Lord: and shall not fear, and shall do excellently in the All-Excellent. I sank away from Thee, and I wandered, O my God, too much astray from Thee my stay, in these days of my youth, and I became to myself a barren land.

In God Alone Is the Hope and Joy of Man.

Let me know Thee, O Lord, who knowest me: let me know Thee, as I am known. Power of my soul, enter into it, and fit it for Thee, that Thou mayest have and hold it without spot or wrinkle. This is my hope, therefore do I speak; and in this hope do I rejoice, when I rejoice healthfully. Other things of this life are the less to be sorrowed for, the more they are sorrowed for; and the more to be sorrowed for, the less men sorrow for them. For behold, Thou lovest the truth, and he that doth it, cometh to the light. This would I do in my heart before Thee in confession: and in my writing, before many witnesses

All Hope Is in the Mercy of God.

And all my hope is nowhere but in Thy exceeding great mercy. Give what Thou enjoinest, and enjoin what Thou wilt. Thou enjoinest us continency; and when I knew, saith one, that no man can be continent, unless God give it, this also was a part of wisdom to know whose gift she is. By continency verily are we bound up and brought back into One, whence we were dissipated into many. For too little doth he love Thee, who loves any thing with Thee, which he loveth not for Thee. O love, who ever burnest and never consumest! O charity, my God, kindle me. Thou enjoinest continency: give me what Thou enjoinest, and enjoin what Thou wilt

Write your own confession to God and ask Him to reign as Lord in all areas of your life

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Into the Depths of God

A CLOSING PRAYER

Lord God, you have called, me, your servant, to ventures where I cannot see the ending, to go down paths untraveled and to go through perils yet unknown. Give me faith to go out each day with good courage, not knowing what that day may bring but knowing your hand leads me and your love supports me

Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be the Glory)

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