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LENTEN DEVOTIONALS 2009
OPENING MEDITATION
Spend a time in quiet, prayerfully reflecting on or using as a prayer phrase the following words adapted from "Jesus, I am Resting, Resting":
Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what You are.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
1“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ... 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ... 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
*John 15.1, 4, 5-8, 9-11 (NLT)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
Jean Sophia Pigott wrote the poem, "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting," that became J. Hudson Taylor's favorite hymn. Taylor was an eminent missionary to China. Often, taking a break from his busy schedule, Taylor would sit at his reed organ and sing the hymn.
Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.
O, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.
Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!
Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.
[For an excellent performance of this hymn by the Shelly Moore Band, search Shelly Moore Band @ www.youtube.com ; see at the end of this writing for an inspiring blog on use of this hymn by Taylor during a crisis in China.]
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Taylor had formed the China Inland Mission in 1865, to evangelize China - the greatest mission vision since the days of St. Paul the Apostle. Yet, the work almost got the best of him. Taylor was overwhelmed with worry and work, and near a breakdown, when he got a letter from another missionary, John McCarthy. McCarthy wrote from John 15 on abiding in Christ:
Abiding, not striving or struggling, looking off unto Him; trusting him for present power.... This is not new, and yet 'tis new to me. ... Christ literally all seems to me now the power, the only power for service; the only ground for unchanging joy.
Taylor read the letter at his mission station on Saturday, September 4, 1869. He recalled, "As I read, I saw it all. I looked to Jesus, and when I saw, oh how the joy flowed!"
Later, he wrote to his sister in England, noting the changes that had happened within him:
As to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible, or so difficult; but the weight and strain are all gone. The last month or more has been perhaps the happiest of my life, and I long to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for my soul. ... [W]hen the agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote: "But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith but by resting on the Faithful One."
As I read, I saw it all!. ... As I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured into my soul!"
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Are you striving with something you need to release to Christ, to find peace, again? Are you weary or anxious in your work? Do you find yourself feeling too small for the tasks given you? Do the needs and expectations of others bear heavily upon you? Do you wonder if you can fulfill the responsibilities given you? Do you need a renewed sense of inner peace?
Whatever our burden, we can refind peace by turning back toward the Light, the Prince of Peace. In Peace, we find peace.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISE
I recommend you turn "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting," into your prayer, today. You can say or sing it. You may want to choose one stanza, the one that speaks most to you, and use it in your time of prayerful meditation. You may choose to do Lectio Divina on a stanza.
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*This writing ministry is the offering of Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox, of SW Florida, a Pastor in the United Methodist Church, and Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Jail, Punta Gorda, FL. To contact Brian, write to barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*The music to "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting," was written by James Mountain, in 1876, the year Jean S. Pigott wrote the words.
*I am indebted to Robert J. Morgan, Then Sings My Soul, for the history behind "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting," and of Hudson J. Taylor.
*The following was found at a blog site, and tells of Taylor's reliance on the message of the hymn:
At one point during the early years of the China Inland Mission, a young missionary came to Mr. Taylor with frantic news of riots around several mission stations. The missionary was quite indignant when Mr. Taylor not only remained calm, but began to whistle this very hymn, “Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art.” Taylor’s calm reply to the indignant missionary was said to be long remembered – he pointed out to the young man that his being anxious and troubled would not help those in danger, and could well incapacitate and hinder him from seeking God’s direction in the crisis. The Lord has often brought this story to my mind when, in the midst of a trial, I have been sorely tempted to “stew” rather than look to Him for guidance and deliverance.
*Found at http://mytwocents.wordpress.com/2006/07/29/jesus-i-am-resting-resting/ (March 04, 2009); blog by Lyn Marshall, July 30, 2006.
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