Awake My Soul

Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
– Psalm 57:8

Dallas Willard reminds us of the vital importance of feeding our souls what is good, true, and beautiful for spiritual formation in Christ:

This is the fundamental secret of caring for our souls. Our part in thus practicing the presence of God is to direct and redirect our minds constantly to Him. In the early time of our “practicing” we may well be challenged by our burdensome habits of dwelling on things less than God. But these are habits—not the law of gravity—and can be broken. A new, grace-filled habit will replace the former ones as we take intentional steps toward keeping God before us. Soon our minds will return to God as the needle of a compass constantly returns to the north. If God is the great longing of our souls, He will become the pole star of our inward beings.

For some of us, sweeping, ethereal, orchestral music like Hoppipolla by Icelandic band Sigur Ros will remind us of beauty:

Or perhaps you agree with Pastor Dan’s theory that the soundtrack of heaven will be gospel music, because it understands pain and yet holds steadfast to the redemption and hope we have in Christ:

Developing intentional habits of feeding your soul might be difficult at first, but don’t give up! Makoto Fujimura reminds us, “Learning to perceive deeper depths of beauty includes training or apprenticeship in the craft and tradition in which we are participating. A viewer may need to be shown how to open him or herself to certain forms of beauty, or to be trained in how to read a painting. A listener may need instruction in hearing tone and color in a symphony… and of course anyone working in the arts will have to practice diligently.”

According to Scripture, what will feed your soul?

• Wisdom // Scripture leads us to deep wisdom in Christ: Proverbs 2:10
• Words of grace // Perhaps encouraging words you give and receive: Proverbs 16:24
• Good news from distant lands // This is part of why we talk about our Global Presence as a church, to remember we’re part of the worldwide body of Christ: Proverbs 25:25
• Singing praises to God // Try singing along to your favorite worship song during your commute to work one morning: Psalm 108:1-5
• The character of God // Search the Scriptures this week and reflect on the amazing qualities of our God: Isaiah 61:10-11
• Jesus // Read through the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and be filled with awe at Jesus: Luke 5:17-26