Just wanted to say a little more about the reality/experience thing I talked about last week. Hopefully, this will be a practical thing that is just one more way of bringing the truth from our heads into our hearts, as they say.
I'll start with an example of a song we often sing at church: Be the Centre. The words go something like this:
Jesus be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus
Jesus, be the centre
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus
As we sing this song the way it is written, we are praying for these things to be our experience, which is what we want. What I want us to recognize is that the things that we are asking for in this song are already reality. When I sing this song, (and many songs like it) I change the words to reflect the reality of what is already true. For example again:
Jesus you're the centre
You're my source, You're my light
Jesus
You're the fire in my heart
You're the wind in these sails
You're the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus
Jesus, You're the centre
You're my hope, You're my song
Jesus
You're my path, You're my guide
Jesus
In this way, by acknowledging what is already true, my thinking is changed to believe it and my experience will begin to reflect it. If all we do is pray for experience without recognizing reality as it already exists, we may never acknowledge that what we've been praying for IS our experience.
David did this in his praying. Psalm 31:2-3
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me! (experience)
For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me. (Reality)
Try praying in both these ways and see what happens in you. I think you'll find it makes a difference. It has, and still does, for me.
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