God is in the Valley of Striving
God is in the Valleys / 2
We continue looking at what God spoke to me at the New Wine Festival, which has the overall theme of God is in the Valley. Over the next few weeks we will be considering different areas under the title God is the Valley of ….
This week we reflect upon the idea that God is in the Valley of our striving, exhaustion and burnout.
Why are we all so tired? Why do we strive to gain things? Why do we keep running until we are exhausted and burnt out? Can we learn to slow down, to move to God’s rhythm of grace instead of the world’s rhythm of more? Let us take time to listen to God, to reflect upon what He is saying to us, and to recognise that He is with us in the Valley of striving, exhaustion and burnout.
Philippians 2:1-11 2 Corinthians 12:6
Quotes
“The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which our world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross.” Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
“Dear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me.” Henri Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life
“As soon as we are alone…inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again … when we have removed our outer distraction, we often find that our inner distraction manifests themselves to us in full force. We often use the outer distractions to shield ourselves from the interior noises.” Henri Nouwen, Making All Things New and Other Classics
“Aren’t you, like me, hoping that some person, thing, or event will come along to give you that final feeling of inner well-being you desire? Don’t you often hope: ‘May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country or relationship fulfill my deepest desire.’ But as long as you are waiting for that mysterious moment you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious and restless, always lustful and angry, never fully satisfied. You know that this is the compulsiveness that keeps us going and busy, but at the same time makes us wonder whether we are getting anywhere in the long run. This is the way to spiritual exhaustion and burn-out. This is the way to spiritual death.” Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World
Preacher: Alex Camp
Series: God is in the Valleys
Date: August 11, 2024