Most Beautiful Questions
we can ask of our God
I’ve mentioned my wife, Jennifer, here before. She’s a writer, too — and a poet. We manage Gather Ministries together, and his week, I asked her if I could share some of her writing with you — here in the Rapt Newsletter. And she said yes!
So, without more preambulation, here’s a beautiful essay and poem from Jenn:
I am on the airplane writing. I have my AirPods in my ears and a navy notebook pulled open. I am in a window seat, which helps ease the challenge of being in tight quarters and pulling a pen across a page. Justin is next to me, my father-in-law in front of us. Flying above the clouds, tucked into a snug space, I turn my attention to God’s presence, wondering where he is, what his heart is feeling, what he is thinking as he speaks to me.
There were seasons when turning my attention to God had a rhythm that was regular but anything but predictable. When the kids were at school, and the house was quiet for a few hours, I would lay on the floor, my hands pressed to the wood, my knees on the carpet. I’d place my journal near me because I found that transcribing our conversations — words too kind and intensely loving to be my own — helped me hear them. It became an exercise in discernment. I was learning the sound of his voice in my heart; I was learning to trust that the words weren’t just thoughts of my own.
Even a decade later, I carry my journal with me — expecting his voice and hungry to hear.
Now, on the plane, I write down question after question and listen to his response. I am curious, a child eager to know him more. He often answers my questions with questions, and his questions prompt my deepest healing. His questions intrigue me and upset me, calm me and unsettle me; they make complacency impossible, waking me to beauty, pain and mystery in the midst of this suffering world.
My favorite way to start a conversation with God is simply this, “Hi,” and then I try to pause. I am eager to be present, alert and awake. He quiets my heart so I feel less inclined to fill the space with noise and opinion — although when my heart is aching, I let the words tumble out in cartwheels of emotion and mess (which is fine too). I want to be open to his direction. I want to turn where he wants me to turn.
Some favorite questions of mine: “How is my heart, Lord? How are you? What do you think about this situation, Jesus? What do you feel and see?”
It has taken me years to yearn for Jesus’ company more than his wisdom — to appreciate that a conversation with him does not always involve talking. There can be long pauses, and these can be the most sweet. In the quiet, in the space where words are more than words, I feel him holding me. I don’t need his words on my page — his words, his sentences — for me to feel noticed and loved.
Even while I appreciate the value of writing down his words to me in prayer, the last few years have been a season of finding God in places beyond my pen and page. “Hearing” God is more than words. In moments of quiet, when we could so easily decide that God is nowhere near because we don’t hear him speaking, we can listen to his love singing the loudest then.
Composition in March
How do you hold me —
with birdsong and blue
sky, clouds and green
moss between
brick on the
path? The cars
on the expressway rush
like the sound of ocean waves.
I can make myself
pretend I am there but
here
I am. I am
here and a
note of the song,
this more than
landscape,
not background
noise but a
composition
refined with study
and concentration,
an idea of the heart so that
here I am beckoned
forth and remain.
John Piper wrote “Writing Poetry: Where Do I Start?”
Jessica Hooten Wilson wrote “Why Christians Need a Poetic Imagination”
Dana Gioia wrote “Christianity and Poetry”
Sample ➼ Art & Faith by (Rapt alum) Makoto Fujimura
Sample ➼ Hearing God by Dallas Willard (redux)
We updated Rapt’s ‘Best of’ lists this week. Lots of new stuff!
This week, we’re highlighting a movie that’s not on our ‘Best of’ list — but might be soon. Set in a dystopian America where Bibles and Christianity are banned, “Disciples in the Moonlight” explores the harrowing reality of believers forced to worship in underground churches, where the very act of proclaiming one’s faith comes with a heavy price. Today is the last day to see the film in theaters, which began its nationwide limited release on July 17. Find out how to purchase tickets in your area at the end of this article.
Russell Joyce is the director of Foursquare Multiply, the church-planting movement of the Foursquare denomination for the United States.
Amanda Viviers is the creative director at Compassion Australia, overseeing the Neighbour Agency, Compassion Australia’s creative agency.
Cynthia Heald is an award-winning author and Bible teacher who encourages women worldwide to deepen their relationships with God.
Ricky Dickson rose from territory manager at Blue Bell Creameries to CEO of the entire company — and God was there each step of the way.
P.S. Who should we interview next? Click here to let us know. And what new question would you like us to ask them? Click here to submit your suggestion.
“Our failure to hear His voice when we want to is due to the fact that we do not in general want to hear it, that we want it only when we think we need it.” —Dallas Willard
How do Willard’s words hit today? Do you want to hear God’s voice? Or just put it off until tomorrow or next week, next month, or next year?
My friend, will you join me today, sitting in silence, straining to hear the kind, loving voice of your Abba Father, who wants so much to spend a few moments with you?
We’re in this together, my friend. Have a great rest of your week.
Editor-in-Chief, Rapt Interviews & WiRE for Men
Co-executive Director, Gather Ministries