Knowing Momentum
Momentum. Whether you’re in a heated sports match up or working to progress in a specific direction, momentum is something you always want on your side. At the beginning of a new year, it’s imperative that we stop and assess whether the direction we’ve been heading is truly the direction we’d like to go.
I was reading one of my favorite Psalms this morning – Psalm 86. In it, there’s a line that says, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name” (Psalm 86:11).
When reading anything, especially the Bible, it’s important to have a decent grasp of sentence structure and the rules of the language. There are words and phrases that function as stated purposes. These are like big stop signs in a sentence or thought to let you know exactly what the author is trying to communicate.
“That” and “so that” are the two most common forms of a stated purpose that we see in the Bible. They connect the clause (what the author was talking about) to the objective (what the author would like you to do in light of what was previously mentioned).
English class over. Back to Psalm 86:11. David, the author, is pleading to be taught the ways of the Lord. That he would walk in the Lord’s truth. David’s intention in his request is not that he would be filled with knowledge, it’s that he would be filled with action. But, action that’s informed by the knowledge of God.
Friend, it is far too easy in Christian circles today to fall into the trap of only “knowing” a lot about God. I know the Bible stories, the general arc of redemption, I may even be able to quote an apropos verse or two, but here’s the rub – is my life changing because of what I know?
See, being puffed up in knowledge – if we’re not careful – can be a front or mask that we put up to others to make them think we’re living well in righteousness, when in reality we’re not living that way at all.
Picture it this way, you have 10 different lines of dominos lined up and you can only pick one to flick and start the forward tumble. Knowledge is akin to the process of discerning which of those 10 lines you ought to choose. Once you arrive at a conclusion (know the way to go), it makes no sense not to go ahead and proceed with the flick.
How often do we spend our lives just observing the lines of dominos? David, to pick up the analogy, sought after the Lord knowing he was going to flick one of those lines and had an urgency about him to go after the one that represented the way of the Lord.
Where do you find yourself in this picture? Have you flicked a domino and gone down a path you know is not the one you should be on? Fear not, there is grace and forgiveness to “flick again.” Maybe you, like I often do, find yourself looking at the lines over and over again knowing the way to go, but wanting to run through the options just one more time. Even the path of inaction is a “flick.”
God is after us becoming more like the man or woman he created us to be. This requires action and choice. David knew this. He also knew that whatever way he went needed to be the way of the Lord which required knowledge, but knowledge was always a means to informed action.
Friend, let me leave you with this. Whether you are the type that needs an encouragement to have a bias towards action, or you need to exercise a tad more patience before deciding, we need to be incredibly diligent and intentional in our pursuit of knowing the Lord. That pursuit is always the precursor to action. Would we be those who seek after and know the way of truth and walk with exceeding momentum down that path.
