Truth: Grounding in Sonship
None of us is a stranger to life's difficulties. We live in a fallen world- circumstances, events, and people remind us of that every day. It's easy then to lose ourselves in chaos - like a ship at sea, the stormy waters can cause us to lose True North. How do we remain grounded and steadfast? As God's sons, it's vital that we ask this question. It's one thing to remember who we are; we all need reminders. But when it comes to our identity, we want more than that. We want the truth about who we are to transform from head knowledge to heart knowledge- to move from a fact to a lived reality. To do so, we need more than occasional reminders; we need practices that help us stay grounded in our Identity as Sons and experience the goodness God has for us. Psalm 1 paints a beautiful picture of this for us.
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither-
whatever they do prospers.
"but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,"
In verse 2, when the Psalmist writes, "the law of the Lord," he is referring to the Torah, or the first four books of the Hebrew Bible. The Torah (amongst other texts) was widely read by the ancient Israelites as God's Words. It's what He gave them to exemplify life as His Children. Today, we extend that belief to the rest of the Hebrew Bible and include the New Testament. The Bible we use today is the text that grounds us in God's story and reveals who He is and who He says we are. It's his Word directly to us.
If you've been on a TNF trip, you understand what it means to delight in God's Words as described in verse 2. We do that all week while in Montana.
"You are my beloved son!"
We bask in that word from our Creator all week, enjoying what it means to just be God's son, free from the burden and brokenness of the Imposter Life. It's easy for us to do that in the Bitterroot Valley, where every blade of grass speaks of God's beauty and distraction is far away.
But, if I had to guess, you returned home to a gale of responsibilities and burdens that clamored for your attention. They threatened to pull you out of that delight. Maybe you've felt the same returning from a fantastic family vacation. As soon as you re-engage with the "real world," it sweeps in with the force of a tornado. Often, it uproots the tree of Beloved Sonship just planted in our hearts, and we find ourselves returning to Imposter Life because it's a convenient lifeline amidst the chaos.
"and who meditates on his law day and night."
This brings me back to my original question: How do we remain grounded and steadfast amidst the storm, rooted deep in our identity as sons?
I think the Psalmist has an answer for us: we meditate on God's truth day and night.
What does the word "meditate" here mean? Well, there are a few ways to define this word based on the way it's used in the Old Testament. It could mean, "ponder or focus our attention." In this case, we focus our attention on who God says we are according to his story. Another meaning could be to "utter or speak." In this case, we meditate by uttering or speaking aloud who God says we are. In either case, we begin to see what it means to "ground" ourselves in Sonship.
As a son of God, I can focus my heart's attention and utter or speak aloud the truth of who my heavenly Dad says I am. When the Imposter says, "You're nothing," or incites fear, anxiety, pride, or frustration within, we can turn to the Words our heavenly Dad speaks to us and "meditate" on them. We let them sink deep into our hearts and ground ourselves there. The storms won't overtake us because we are keeping our hearts' attention on our heavenly Dad.
Remember Peter's experience of walking on water amidst a storm in the Gospel accounts. When did he begin to sink? When he turned his attention away from Jesus. That is what our heavenly Father is calling us into: to embody meditating on Him and His Word amid the chaos of life.
I write that simply, but I am so aware of how difficult that is. God's truth often starts as words on a page. When we read them, they may not have deep meaning. But over time, as we return to them, they become a lifeline -our way of grounding our hearts to His heart and truth for us.
Looking at Jesus' Life
Jesus experienced many moments of chaos and trials in his life.
His cousin John the Baptizer, the one who helped prepare his arrival, questioned him, "Are you the one, or is there another?" Jesus replies by harkening back to Isaiah 61, the same verses he used to announce his ministry (Matthew 11). Jesus' mother and brothers question his sanity, saying, "He is out of his mind." Jesus responds by claiming that anyone who does the will of his Father is his brother, sister, and mother (Mark 3). The Pharisees and Sadducees question his identity; over and over, they try to trick him and expose him as an impostor, but they can't. Jesus always returns to the truth of who he is and why he is there.
The most potent moment occurs right before his greatest trial; the night before his death, he asks his Father if there is another way. But even in the midst of the overwhelming burden of what's to follow, he submits to his Father's authority. "Not my will, but yours be done" (Matthew 26).
Jesus remains grounded throughout the Gospels, always returning to the words spoken over him at his baptism, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3). His identity is the soil in which he roots. It's the way he navigates the storms of his life- an example we need as we learn to do the same.
Identity Verses
Before we introduce you to the rhythm we have prepared for you, we would like to do an activity. Via the link below, you will find a sheet of Bible verses. We affectionately call these identity verses- verses that remind us of who we are as Sons. Each series of verses is introdcued by an identity statement, or a concise summary of the verses in the series. Before you move on to the Trust section of this Rhythm of Sonship, take 10 to 15 minutes and read through the identity statements and verses.
Choose 4 - 5 verses that jump out to your heart, ones that seem to almost "leap" off the screen at you. Write them out in your journal and include the corresponding identity statements.
Once you finish, move on to the Trust: the Wilderness section for this rhythm.
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