Provisional Disciplines (7)

I thought about my ways,
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments. Psalm 119.59, 60

Unpleasant, but necessary
It pleases God, from time to time, to allow or bring us to one or another form of suffering. This can come to us at the hand of others, as a result of unforeseen circumstances, or by our own foolish choices. At times things just seem to be going wrong, and we feel out of sorts, out of step with the Lord, and out of His will. These times can be most unpleasant, and this is precisely what the Lord intends (Heb. 12.3-11).

If the tribulations we encounter in this life were not unpleasant then we would have no incentive to be done with them to to return to that place of rest which we enjoy in the favor of the Lord. Provisional disciplines are those practices we turn to when our lives our out of sync and we’re trying to find our way back to the Lord. Recognition is the first step, when we come face to face with whatever is depriving us of the Lord’s rest. Then we seek return to that rest through rejoicing, abiding in the Lord, repenting of sin, or all of these together.

But when these disciplines have done their work in us, we will be ready to return to our rest in the Lord and to take up afresh our Kingdom journey with Him.

What will tell us that we’re truly ready to return to the Lord, and that we have entered into His rest once again?

Four indicators of rest
Four indicators should be present in us to suggest that our practice of provisional disciplines has cleared the way, paved the path, and brought us back to the favor and rest of the Lord. The first of these is humility. The picture of humility is the penitent on his knees before his Lord, sorrowful at their separation, ashamed at his failure or betrayal, weary from his woe, and seeking the restoring grace of his Master.

God does not owe us His rest. He grants rest to those who seek it humbly, knowing they don’t deserve His favor and pleading with Him to restore it. Humility is important to remind us who we are before God – foolish, fumbling sinners – and who He is before us – our Creator, Redeemer, Judge, and Lord.

With that humility we should experience a growing hunger for the Lord and His Word. When repentance has done its work, leading us to hate our sin and to seek a path of goodness and restoration, we will look eagerly for the lamp of God’s Word to illuminate our path. Our time in the Word should become more precious, concentrated, and fruitful. We should find greater delight in seeking the Lord in His Word, and more frequent encounters with Him there, as He makes His glory known to us.

At the same time, we should find that we are more interested in hearing the Lord as He speaks to us from His Word. We will pause and linger over the Scriptures, waiting on the Lord to reveal Himself and His will, reflecting on the implications of His Word for our daily lives, thinking deeply and personally about how the Word speaks into our daily lives. We will not satisfy the hunger we have for the Lord, as we enter into His rest, unless we make sure we’re hearing what He has to say to us specifically.

Then, finally, when we have heard God’s Word in all hunger and humility, we must hasten to obey it, beginning the moment He makes His will clear to us. Whatever you learn from the Lord, commit to Him in prayer. Write it down. Make plans for the day ahead, how you will actually put this Word from the Lord into practice in your life. Take the initiative, seeking the power of the Lord to help you carry out His will for every aspect of your life.

The rest which we can know in the Lord is sweet, reviving our souls, renewing hope and resolve, and giving us strength to serve the Lord in the Personal Mission Field to which He sends us each day. We can know that we have settled into that rest when we linger before the Lord in humility, hungry to hear and heed His Word, and to hasten from His presence into daily and complete obedience.

The practice of provisional disciplines allows us to overcome the trials and tests that threaten to divert us from the Kingdom path of the Lord. When challenges to our Kingdom-and-glory calling arise, we need to recognize them for what they are, rejoice at the prospect of growth they afford, seek the rest of the Lord, repent of any sin, remain in prayer and God’s Word, and return to Him by the most expeditious path.

We don’t have to let the tribulations of this life obstruct our progress in entering more deeply into the Kingdom and glory of God. When trials arise, have these provisional disciplines ready, and let them serve you well as you continue seeking the Kingdom and righteousness of God in every area of your life.

Next steps: How do you experience the rest of the Lord? How can Christians help one another enter more fully into the Lord’s rest? Talk with a Christian friend about these questions.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Provisional Disciplines, is part 7 of a 7-part series on The Disciplined Life, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We have prepared a special worksheet to help you begin getting your disciplines in proper shape for seeking the Kingdom. Write to T. M. at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for your free PDF of the “Disciplined Life Worksheet.”

A rightly-disciplined life requires a Kingdom vision, and that vision is centered on Jesus Christ exalted. T. M. has prepared a series of meditations on the glorious vision of Christ, based on Scripture and insights from the Celtic Christian tradition. Order your copy of Be Thou My Vision by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.