Episode #257 The Sacred Spiral: Redirecting Anxious Thoughts Toward God – Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Hey friends, it's Jen. Welcome to Good God Talks. If you've been around the podcast for a little bit, then you already know that I am great at overthinking. I can stress and stew and spiral with the very best of them. And the question we're exploring today is what if that mental and emotional energy could be redirected into something life giving? Biblical meditation isn't about adding another thing to your plate. It's about shifting the focus of what you're already thinking about. Today, we're talking about how meditation, listening to God, thinking on him, pondering his word and his deeds, can transform everyday moments into spaces where you experience God's presence.

So as you already know about me, I tend to spiral in stress. This happens when I overthink things. I replay conversations. I imagine worst case scenarios. I can kind of get stuck in these stress spirals, but what if I could redirect my intentions and my focus there by inviting God into those messy spaces with me?

See, we've been talking about meditation as a form of spiritual discipline. But it's easy to think of meditation in some idyllic romanticized sense. Maybe for you it's with soft music playing in the background, a really good smell in the air, a calm, clean, quiet home. Maybe it's sitting under a tree or by a river with your Bible open and all these highlighted notes. I don't know what it is for you, but I also can romanticize meditation. And not only in the setting, but also in the output. Oh, well, meditation, maybe it will lead me to this huge epiphany about God. Maybe I'll have deep revelation of who he is in a vision or an understanding from scripture. That's just mind blowing. Earth shattering. And that does happen. Our God is way bigger than we can understand, more marvelous than we can wrap our minds around. So those things happen. He brings us awe and wonder all the time, but meditation is not just for that desired aim.

We want to listen and respond to what He would share with us. That includes the things that are stressing us out or overwhelming us. I've been reading Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline, and he says, "Often meditation will yield insights that are deeply practical, almost mundane. Instruction will come on how to relate to your wife or husband, or how to deal with this sensitive problem or that business situation. It is wonderful when a particular meditation leads to ecstasy, but it is far more common to be given guidance in dealing with ordinary human problems. Meditation sends us into our ordinary world with greater perspective and balance." (Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline)

Now sometimes that frustrates me. I want the mountaintop, mind blowing, earth shattering, seeing in a different dimension type experiences with God. And he offers those, right? But consider for a moment, the power of this outcome: God wants to be involved in our daily lives. He wants to give us practical insight into our relationships, into sensitive problems or business situations. He wants to give us the guidance that we need. And how we receive that comes in slowing down, in engaging in listening silences, and paying attention for what he would share with us by letting our thoughts dwell on him and his word and his acts.

So I've been growing in this practice of inviting God into these places where I'm spiraling, where I'm stuck, where I'm stressing, where I need practical guidance and insight. Richard says, "meditation is the one thing that can sufficiently redirect our lives so that we can deal with human life successfully." (Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline)

And so the invitation we have is to change the focus.
What happens in meditation, he goes on to say, “What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart…It is a portable sanctuary that is brought into all we are and do."

The wonderful verse “I stand at the door and knock . . .” was originally penned for believers, not unbelievers (Rev. 3:20). We who have turned our lives over to Christ need to know how very much he longs to eat with us, to commune with us."

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20 ESV)

Jesus longs to come into our everyday circumstances, into our homes, to sit at our tables and partake in meals with us. He longs to bring us everyday insight.

He stands at your door knocking. Invite him into your life and your circumstances in a new way today. And so here's our question:

“Hi Jesus, come on in here. I’m turning my attention to think on/look at/ponder you. What do you want to show me?”

If it helps you, or if you feel stuck here, open your Bible app or your Bible to Revelation 3:20 and sit with that verse and ponder it as you focus your attention on God.

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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