Last week I was able to take part of the morning to ride to my favourite park. Instead of lolling around relaxing this time, though, I was there with a purpose: to do a portion of a spiritual retreat. I mentioned it last time I wrote, it's basically a series of three devotionals and reflections based on Isaiah 40 that two colleagues wrote and OMF Japan strongly suggested we take the time to use for a one-day retreat in the next month.
The focus was on God's greatness. There was some content to read, along with the Bible passage, but I guess what made it "retreat-like" was the list of possible activities to help with the reflection. More than just an intellectual or theological Bible study, it was a time to "sit with" the truths of Scripture, on my own.
I don't know when retreats really came onto the mainstream religious scene. They certainly weren't a part of my growing up years in the church. We had "quiet times" and "camps" (church, youth group, Scripture Union, women's gatherings, and missions weekends). But not retreats. And then I left Australia for 20 years! Maybe the closest I came to a retreat as a younger person was during a quiet time at a camp or, interestingly, a writer's workshop I attended as a school student, when we were let loose in the bush to write whatever came to mind. The latter was not a Christian event at all. So let’s just say it's taken me a while to get up to speed on these.
Last year in May I went to a spiritual retreat for missionaries over four days. It was both amazing and overwhelming. I've just taken a peak at some of the things I wrote down at the end of that retreat and am a bit surprised that it was the origin of some of the changes I've made in the last 12 months!
In any case, I wasn't sure how I wanted to work this idea of taking a retreat into the next month. As an extrovert, it hasn't been easy to be cooped up with the same three guys for the last few months. But I am actually an ambivert, meaning I need solitude as well as other people, in good balance. So, stuck at home with the rest of my family, I was really getting neither solitude nor recharging with others (not that my family aren't "people" but I have way too many words in me for them to cope with, so fresh people were needed). I don't think I realised it was so bad at the time, but recently, after spending time with other women, I've come home so energised that I realised how much I have missed being recharged by spending time with people.
So the idea of spending another day on my own doing a retreat wasn't so attractive. But last week when some spare time appeared on my workday schedule (yep, it sometimes happens!) I decided to give it a go. Not just skiving off from work, but doing something that my organisation had asked me to do.
I was pleasantly surprised. Though I only had about an hour and a half, it was sufficient time to reflect on God's greatness. Actually, I find it really overwhelming to focus too much longer on that. I should probably practice it more often and perhaps I’d get better at it! Maybe it's my tendency towards ADHD or a need to interact with others, or maybe it's just that God is too overwhelming to think about for too long!
Some of the activities that were suggested were:
- go to a park and walk around, considering what God must be like if he'd made all this.
- get out and see stars, if you can
- some questions to answer, like "What are the answers to the questions in verses 13 and 14 of Isaiah 40?"
- create a confession of faith based on Isaiah 40
That first one I often do as part of life, seeking out nature and enjoying God’s creation, though again, maybe not dwelling there as long as I could? I was also hoping that the camping trip we have planned from Monday would provide the “stars” option, but it’s looking like it could be a wet week, so there might not be so many stars.
But the one that intrigued me the most was the idea of writing a new verse to the modern hymn: "How Great is our God" by Chris Tomlin. I've never written lyrics and rarely write poetry. But I decided to give this a go. And it was an interesting experience. Turning thoughts from Isaiah 40 into verses that fit with music that I knew was an intriguing exercise for a writer of non-fiction prose.
It was a different way to actively reflect on Scripture. I wrote down various ideas that came out of the passage and fooled around with ideas and sounds. I was particularly struck by the idea that God holds us close to his heart, like mothers hold their babies—an amazing idea when you’re considering God’s greatness and all he’s done. Isaiah 40 really is an amazing chapter to read and ponder.
I was pretty chuffed when I managed to come up with 2 ½ verses before I had to return home, but I’ve finished that third verse just now.
Here’s what I wrote:
His strength, it has no end
Never needs to sleep.
Let’s worship at his feet,
Worship at his feet.
He holds us closely in,
We quiver in his arms,
And listen to his heart,
Listen to his heart.
He calls the stars by name,
And keeps them in his sight.
Let’s lift our eyes to him,
Lift our eyes to him.
How can we compare?
He has no equal here.
Let’s put our hope in him,
Put our hope in him.
The Word of God still stands,
Never ever ends.
He rules with mighty arm,
Rules with mighty arm.
But gently does he lead
Leads the weak and tired
Let us call on him
Let’s call his mighty name
(For reference, the original lyrics are here)
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