Several months ago IHOP went through a season of being called higher by God. He called us come closer to Him and to grow in our maturity, intimacy and obedience. I was in New Hampshire ruminating and hanging out with an old friend, and I remember Anna called me after the staff meeting where the Lord had clearly shown up and left many in trembling and tears.
“Shawn, the Lord is shaking things up at IHOP. We need to respond to this.”
Once I got home we took some time to pray and ask the Lord what His will was for us in the season. What lifestyle changes did we need to make. Should we give more money? Should I stop doing graphic design and spend more time in the prayer room? What should we do in order to make things right? We realized that there wasn’t anything in particular that we needed to DO in order to respond properly but rather HOW we did what we were already committed to that was in need of changing. Brother Lawrence said,
“Our sanctification does not depend as much on changing our activities as it does on doing them for God rather than for ourselves.”
Anna and I were already ’stretching ourselves thin’ with our commitments and our schedule and other things. What we were missing is the fact that we originally signed up for God and we ended up cheerleading the glory of our ministry. We were becoming disconnected from God Himself. I remember when Matt C. told us he wasn’t going to repent of anything yet. He didn’t have enough information… Instead of responding blindly and emotionally to the weight of the situation, we waited. We waited to hear from God what He was requiring of us. And He answered…
…He wanted deeper love: Deeper communion. Deeper fellowship with Him.
It wasn’t what we were doing but how we were doing it.
“Never tire of doing even the smallest things for Him, because He isn’t impressed so much with the dimensions of our work as with the love in which it is done.”
If you’re feeling the Lord calling you to deeper things perhaps it’s not what you’re doing that needs to change. Perhaps it’s the reality in your heart that needs to deepen and bloom.
“We should desire to love Him as perfectly as we can. In this life and in eternity.”
*Quotes from Brother Lawrence, “The Practice of the Presence of God”
Evan Olsen said:
That’s really good. How do we love with perfect love though?
I feel like I’m at this place where I’m not sure how to go farther or where I should go.
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Nathan said:
I appreciate most the line about “not having enough information”. It’s easy to appear outwardly godly by an outward show of things in the meeting, but another thing to disregard how you might appear to others in favor of thoughtful, lasting change.
I’ll be re-reading this post. Too deep to sink in quite yet.
C
BB Blog
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Jo said:
It’s so good to come back to this reality… of taking what we have and running with excellence. Sometimes we’re so quick to “pile more on the plate” or feel we have to rearrange everything… instead it’s an invitation to go deeper in what we’re already involved in, like you said.
Thanks for the reminder. This is total confirmation for me right now. I’m so guilty of being “ADD” at times when I hear of all these different books and studies and I find myself turning in 10 different directions. I don’t let myself focus and settle on “one thing”.
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Syd said:
I stumbled across your blog one day on the internet (obviously =)). I read it sporadically now, as I’ve saved it to one of my favorites. I have yet to read a post that hasn’t provoked some deep thought. God is definitely using you, in this forum, to touch people’s lives. Way to be a beacon for the Lord. And way to use your powers (and the internet) for good, and not for evil. =)
I’ll be praying for you,
Syd
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Shawn said:
@ Evan: Loving with perfect love is a journey. It’s also known as sanctification; or working out our salvation. It’s a process of allowing the Word to become more and more alive in us through a genuine lifestyle of Sermon on the Mount realities.
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Shawn said:
@ Syd: Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I’m so glad you’ve found this blog to be an encouragement to you. Thanks for the kind words. I hope to see you around.
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 10:07 pm
jen mcarthur said:
Wow, that’s so encouraging! Being part of a House of Prayer, i’ve found it’s easy to lose sight of the reason we are doing this in the first place! I’ve found myself lost in admin and internships and all the logistics that go along with it and have had to refocus my sight on the reason behind the admin and the internships! Good word, Shawn..
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Shawn said:
@ Jen: Thanks. I know that a common struggle for being a part of a ministry is that with all the talking about prayer and reading books on prayer and writing newsletters (or blogs) about prayer that we can slip into thinking that we are praying without actually praying.
Posted on January 30, 2007 at 11:59 pm
ChriS said:
“We can slip into thinking that we are praying withou actually praying!” Truer words were never spoken…my soul is pierced!
Keeping praying and keep posting!
Posted on January 31, 2007 at 9:06 am
jen mcarthur said:
How true that is, Shawn… so ironic too! It goes right along with it being so hard to pray in the prayer room…
Posted on January 31, 2007 at 2:01 pm
April said:
Shawn so I have loved reading your stuff…super encouraging. Its been such a weird season for me…not singing and working outside of the PR and reading your stuff is just been good for my heart!!!
Posted on January 31, 2007 at 2:44 pm
srz said:
cheers!
Posted on February 1, 2007 at 2:30 pm