Recovering the WOW!

By Ian Acheson

As December progressed I began to meditate upon a word for 2016. Last year, my word was ADORATION. I’ve loved taking a few moments at the beginning of a day reflecting on a characteristic of God.¹

Over the past couple of years I’ve felt the Lord calling me to want more of Him. So much of my life had become ‘me-focused’; even my devotional time would be spent on building me up. Fears and anxiety had dominated too much of my thinking in recent years: fears of not finishing my manuscript, illness, unemployability and so on have filled many a session with my counselor plus anxiety over a bevy of stuff. As my pastor said only yesterday in his message: “the number one scheme of the devil is to throw fear at you. He wants to hinder your purpose.”

But through soaking more in Scripture I’ve begun, slowly, to believe the many promises in it. We really are His chosen people. Yes, God, the creator of everything, chose me. And you! And guess what we’re holy and dearly beloved.² By Him! It still blows my mind.

Awe

Staying with a word that helps me focus on Him kept percolating in my heart. One of the books sitting next to my table is titled “Awe” by Paul David Tripp. So for a week or two I bounced that one around in my mind. It clicked in my mind but something in my heart was holding back. BTW, I’ve read the first few chapters of “Awe” and it’s tremendous. BTW No 2., I love everything Paul Tripp writes. His thoughts on grace and sin are brilliant.

The New Year

January 1 came around and I’d started working through Tim Keller’s new book on the Psalms. It’s a year-long devotional where each psalm is covered. So January 1 starts with Psalm 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, But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who mediates on his law day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)

Blessed are those who delight in the Word, so much so they meditate on it day and night. They don’t just obey it, but love it. It’s in the loving it, that we obey it.

My mind immediately went to another one of my favorite verses on “delight”, yes, you’ve guessed it:

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

For years I reflected on the second half of that verse until it dawned on me that to realise the second half you’ve got to do the first half.

Hmmm … delighting.

Revelation

Have you ever wondered why Jesus was able to resist temptation? He was fully human and we’re told He was faced all the same temptations we do?

I have. Often. And I’ve often asked Him.

On Sunday the third of January I was out walking and I reflected on this once again and asked Him. Then it hit me.

The reason Jesus was able to resist temptation was that communing with the Father was that much better! He spent so much time with the Father, they delighted in each other. There was a ‘knowing’ that was so much better than anything … yes, anything, that the world could offer.

That blew my mind.

Still does.

And that’s what I want!

Delight

Sorry for dragging that out but I wanted to share the process and reflections I’d had to discover my word for 2016 – DELIGHT.

Do you have a word for the year? Don’t worry if you don’t. It’s a relatively new thing for me as up until about three years ago I’d never heard of the idea. But I like it especially as I try to start everyday doing something in relation to it. It provides a focus for my day.

Notes: 1. I found Sara Hagerty’s monthly adoration verses especially useful last year. One verse on a characteristic of God’s nature. 2. Colossians 3:12

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney, Australia. Ian’s first novel, Angelguard, is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Angelguard won the Selah Award 2014 for Best Speculative Fiction Novel. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian’s website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter.