Getting in the Way

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. (Luke 19:1-6 ESV). Our reading today reveals an essential truth in our Christian life. Zacchaeus found a way through his persistence to see Jesus. He had a divine appointment with Jesus that day; however, there were many things that might have been easier for him to keep it! I find that is often the case in my life. I know God’s provenance is at work in my life, though sometimes I think it could be easier for that will to be done in me. I know that’s not necessary, nor is it promised; but, it would be easier if I didn’t have to climb a tree sometimes. John Piper speaks to this principle: “The essence of the Christian life is learning to fight for joy in a way that does not replace grace. We cannot earn God’s grace or make it flow apart from his free gift. But we can position ourselves to go on getting should he keep giving. We can fight to walk in the paths where he has promised his blessings. We can ready ourselves for receiving along his regular route sometimes called ‘the spiritual disciplines.’” Such statements are not the musings of theology. They are the stuff of everyday, basic Christianity. They are unimpressively mundane, but spectacularly powerful in the hands of the Holy Spirit. While there’s no final and complete list of such spiritual disciplines, the long tally of helpful habits can be grouped into three practices. We should learn to hear God’s voice; speak to God personally; and, be with God’s people. Simply stated, we should practice the disciplines of word, prayer, and fellowship. That’s really not very profound, is it? I like to say that we should practice getting in the way. I don’t mean we become a hindrance to the work of the Spirit. It’s not that kind of getting in the way. It is a consistent practice of going where He is. Many people have tried to indicate that the way we determine where God is should be by the outward “signs.” Nothing could be further from the truth. We already know where to find Him. He has told us that He is in the Scripture. It is inspired by Him to us. We know that He hears our prayers. In fact, He longs to hear them. And, we know that He inhabits the gathering of His people in His name. No fanfare; no fireworks; it is merely the gathering of His people in His name that we find Him. I know I need to be more persistent in getting in the way, even if it means I need to climb a tree!