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May 26, 2019

130 God’s Ways are Higher Than Our Ways, A Guided Christian Meditation on Isaiah 55:8-11

I’m Chaplain Jared and I work as a hospice chaplain and an ICU chaplain, my purpose in making this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and to be more open for your heart to be changed by the Spirit of God. By using centuries old form of Christian Meditation named Lectio Divina:

Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.

Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing. If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.

Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:

Breathe and direct your thoughts to contacting God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate.

Bible verses for Meditation:

NIV
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

ESV
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.


Meditation:

In our search for meaning and purpose in life we often come up with possible answers and perhaps partial solutions. We make goals and plans to create purpose around our lives without knowing the future. Even when we are prayerful and very thoughtful about our plans sometimes things dont go according to plan. Sometimes there are delays of things that we perceive as good for us, or others. We make necessities of things that are often preferences.

Many times i have found that my desires have not been met in life. At times this has lead me to feel discouraged and disappointed, only to learn later than things would develop in a different way. On my road to my chaplain ministry I did a lot of different things from sales, to tech, and even multiple warehouse jobs. The failures I experienced as a result of these things led me to reimagine who I was and to break the mold of who I thought I was. As I was humbled God spoke to my heart and showed me more about myself I never would have seen without earlier setbacks.

In my professional work as a chaplain I have seen immense suffering bring personal healing or more profound understanding. I have seen people walk to the edge of death and then in the last moments lose their fear. I have seen people find forgiveness from or for others as they were dying. Nothing is written in stone, except the word of God. If we stay humble as this scripture teaches we can learn from God what is most important in our lives and we can pursue those paths.

Meditation of Prayer:

Pray as directed by the Spirit.

Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire f rom Him.

Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:
I invite you to sit in silence feeling being patient for your own faults and trials.

Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life:

This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast

Updates:

Final Question:
How has your life been blessed by service?

Final Thought:
As we listen to the word of God and learn to draw near to him and follow in his ways we will find the healing that he promised. Many times our growth comes from our attempts in the face of difficulties and failures. Our goal though should be to seek to know the will of God and to do it wholeheartedly. As the rains begin to fall in many places, think about this scripture. The purposes of God, like rain, don’t fall without getting things wet. Then they return to the heavens after they ahve accomplished their goal. No hardship is wasted if it draws us nearer to God and to each other.


FIND ME ON:
Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com
Voicemail - (602) 888-3795
Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com
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