True Learning (4)

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day. Psalm 25.5

Teaching as He went
Very little of the teaching Jesus did was in the kind of context in which we normally pursue the work of Christian education. He had no classroom, no chalk board or PowerPoints, and no certificate to offer those who completed His course. Jesus taught His disciples as they walked in the way, in the midst of a busy crowd, pointing to everyday situations and things, and challenging them concerning their own thoughts, fears, and desires.

Jesus’ teaching was an ongoing activity; He didn’t just isolate His instruction to scheduled meetings and formal settings. Certainly there was some of that; however, mostly Jesus worked to help His disciples be always alert, always open to His input, and thinking continuously about the applications of His instruction to their daily activities.

Which means, of course, that not only was Jesus’ teaching of this informal, as-you-are-going nature, so was His disciples’ learning. True learning occurs in the midst of everyday life, along the way God has chosen for us, as we are walking in and working our Personal Mission Fields, waiting on the Lord to help us make the most of all the time of our lives.

We will make more progress in true learning if we take up this practice, which David described as “waiting” on the Lord, in every situation.

A constant vigil
When we’re waiting for someone we’re practicing a kind of vigil. At any moment we expect those we’re waiting for to show up. We make preparations accordingly, block out distractions, put our diversions on hold, and keep glancing at the clock or out the window to see if our expected guests are about to arrive.

Waiting, in other words, is a very active posture. When we’re waiting, we’re anticipating what will transpire when our guests arrive, planning what we might say, thinking about the best ways to please them, and readying our hearts to welcome and serve them.

Something like this should characterize how we enter into our everyday lives if we are going to learn the truth of God along the way He has prepared for us, and travel in that way as His friends. We need times of formal instruction from the Lord, beginning in time with Him each day.

But we also need to learn the discipline of waiting on Him throughout the day. By waiting on the Lord, we will be able to learn how to apply His Word to the various situations and opportunities of our lives. Because true learning comes to fruition in the everyday contexts of life. If it does not, then our learning is merely intellectual, and we may be learning and learning more and more all the time, but we will not come to the knowledge of truth until we live it out in the way and along the path God has chosen for us.

Pray without ceasing
How can we improve this critical component of learning? Waiting on the Lord begins in an attitude of continuous prayer. When Jesus commanded His disciples to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, they immediately set up a continuous prayer meeting that lasted for ten days (Acts 1). We wait on the Lord as we set our minds on Him, tune our hearts to beat with His, and maintain open communications with Him in every situation.

As we wait on the Lord we will engage in what Paul described as prayer without ceasing (1 Thess. 5.17). While we can’t be always talking to the Lord about this, that, or the other, we can always be in communion with Him, ready whenever He speaks to us, and responsive to however He leads.

This ability can be greatly helped by setting aside several times during the day for brief retreats of prayer, in which we draw aside from our daily activities, focus on Jesus Christ exalted at the Father’s right hand, and offer words of praise, thanks, and intercession. We can make these standing appointments at set times of the day, or we can develop the ability of beginning and ending each task or meeting with prayer, if only within our souls.

The more we do this, the more we will carry that attitude of prayer into every waking moment. As that begins to happen, we will find that our hearts and minds seem to be more open to the Lord. We can hear His Spirit guiding us this way and that. We will see opportunities for serving others, which we will want to make the most of as the Lord’s friends. Every moment, every activity, and every relationship of our lives will begin to seem more like a staging-ground for God’s redeeming grace and truth to flow through us to others as we learn to wait on the Lord throughout the day.

True learning will not occur, as David pointed out, until waiting on the Lord becomes the envelope within which we live along the way our God has chosen for us.

For reflection
1.  Would you describe your daily life as “waiting” on the Lord at this time? Why or why not?

2.  What do we mean by saying that true learning comes to fruition in daily life? Can you give an example of this in your own experience?

3.  Suggest some ways you might begin to improve your practice of waiting on the Lord.

Next steps – Transformation: What will you need to do in order to begin waiting on the Lord more consciously and consistently throughout the day?

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Learning Jesus, is Part 4 of a 5-part series on Following Jesus.Each week’s study is available in a free PDF which you can download by clicking here.

Christians learn best when their learning is framed within a Christian worldview. Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, is available any time, and at no charge. Click here to learn more about this helpful and challenging introduction to Christian worldview, presented in 12 diagrams by T. M. Moore.

Take up the challenge of your Personal Mission Field – and do so with a friend. Watch the video on our Mission Partners Outreach for more information about how you can begin to follow Jesus in your Personal Mission Field (click here).

The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute button at the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

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