Jan 24, 2021

302 God Saw That They Had Returned, A Guided Christian Meditation on Jonah 3:6-10 with the Recenter With Christ app

I'm Chaplain Jared and I work as a hospice chaplain and an ICU chaplain, my purpose in making this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and to be more open for your heart to be changed by the Spirit of God. By using centuries old form of Christian Meditation named Lectio Divina:

Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.

Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing. If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.

Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:

Breathe and direct your thoughts to contacting God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate.

Bible verses for Meditation:

Jonah 3:6-10
ESV
6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

NRSV
6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Meditation on Scripture:

Something that always try and maintain is a balance between the graduate of God and a closeness that helps motivate my human heart. Similarly there is a balance between trying desperately to follow the path of Jesus and also accepting Gods grace when we inevitably fail. God honors repentance. God seems to value our feeble efforts as long as we are not deceptive in half hearted confessions or desires for us to feel we earn grace.

Gods grace comes as an unparalleled gift. Yet how do we receive this gift? Do we casually accept that of course God should forgive those who profess faith or do we accept how monumental it is that God has chosen to do this and lay out a clear plan whereby we are saved from certain destruction.

This scripture is inspiring to me because it demonstrates humility, clarity, and intensity in devotion. The king accepted a great need. He didn’t congratulate himself for getting an escape card. He poured out genuine grief at his sin. He also encouraged his people to do it as well. As a result God stated the hand of destruction for the city (which ironically frustrated Jonah). My hope is that we can embrace Gods grace while also recognizing how desperate we are for it and how grateful we should be to be saved from our fate.

Meditation of Prayer:

Pray as directed by the Spirit.

Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him.

Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:

I invite you to sit in silence feeling being patient for your own faults and trials.

Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life:
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Updates:

Final Question: How do you perceive grace?

Final Thought: I invite you to spend time pondering the above question do we see grace as the natural and logical consequence of the fall or do we see it with profound emotions of gratitude. I think it is normal for all people to struggle with this balance from time to time, which is what makes it such a valuable subject to focus on.

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