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- [00:00]
Francis Chan
Foreign.
- [00:06]
Podcast Host
Welcome to the Crazy Love Podcast. What if the reason we feel so drained isn't because we're doing too much, but because we're never still. In this episode of Staff Talks, Francis reflects on the lost discipline of waiting on God and how silence, not striving, is where our strength is, is renewed.
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Guest or Co-host
So last night, I spoke at Stanford to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Great group of people. I always have a good time there. But I asked the question, you know, I don't know how many people in the room. A hundred and something, probably around there. I said, hey, just be honest. How many of you are planning on tomorrow morning before you start your day? You're gonna spend at least half an hour in the Word, in prayer, just you and God, just by a show of hands, maybe six, six to eight, you know, hands that are kind of halfway like this. And I knew pretty much all of them, and it kind of shocked me. It really surprised me because I thought I grew up in a time where that was just the norm. That was the discipline. That's what I was taught in my youth group. Like, you just get up. And that's just been my process. Of course, I've missed days, but it's pretty much the staple of my life for over 40 years. And so I. I don't know, it just took me back a little bit. Like, wow. They really. Even as I was explaining, like, how many of you are planning on this? You just saw people's faces, like, no, you know, like, just the moment I said, wake up early, they're just like, you know, this look like, wow. And I get it, okay? These are the athletes at Stanford, So they're probably the most busy because you have the academic Stanford environment. But on top of that, to be a collegiate athlete aspiring for the big leagues, it's like, wow, that's. That's a busy person. These are busy people. Yet they made time to come, and they. They're there every week, and so applaud them for that. But it just surprised me how that's just not the norm anymore for people to sit and quiet their mind. And contrast that with last week. I. You know, I went to that convent. Did I say the right thing? Yeah. Where the nuns were. And the lifestyle when they showed me, like, yeah, this is the room. We go into kind of the chapel, and it's just silence for the first four to five hours of the day, and it's like, wow. And then all day, once a week, is complete silence before Jesus. Like these ultimate of extremes that we can't squeeze that time into and. And I started thinking about, you know, like, our pastors gathering on Sunday. A verse that was highlighted was out of Isaiah 40. I think it's 31. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They'll mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. And realizing, wow, there are a lot of people who don't know how to wait. And therefore their strength is not renewed. And therefore they're anxious, suicidal. They just are ready to lose it. And how much of this is over our inability to sit in silence, wait upon the Lord? So much of scripture is predicated on waiting. You know, it's like there are those who are their God is their stomach. Like, whatever their appetite is, they're just going to fulfill it right then. And then there are those who. And he contrasts that with those who are eagerly awaiting Savior from heaven. Even our resistance and sin and maintaining our purity is, I'm going to wait for that. I'm going to keep the marriage bed pure. So much of our faith is about waiting. And yet the enemy has got us in a culture right now where waiting is a bad thing. You got to wait for your Internet. You got to wait for a response on your, you know, on your text. It's like, gosh, I've been waiting for an hour for this guy. But everything is about how waiting is a bad thing. That's just our culture and it's what we're taught, and yet that's going to destroy your walk with the Lord. I mean, everything is about our hope, waiting. I mean, that's Hebrews 11. It's like, no, we're waiting for a better city. And I will suffer what I need to suffer. But even the church culture has become, wait, something's wrong because this isn't fixed yet. This isn't right yet. And meanwhile, Hebrews 11. Yeah, you may die and not see it. That's our faith. That. That's our. You're waiting for something greater. And so there isn't much of an eagerly awaiting the Savior because we don't eagerly wait for anything. Even Amazon now. It's like, you can get it the same day. It's like, okay, that's faster than me driving to the store. It's just this crazy time that we live in. But I don't think we're seeing how it's destroying the essence of what's kept our faith strong for so many years and kept the church strong for years is his ability to sit in Silence and with an expectation that he's going to reward those who earnestly seek him. And that's what faith is. And you're just sure of what you're hoping for. And I'm sure that I get alone with God and he will minister to me because he's a gracious God and that's his desire and that type of faith and expectation. And so something we committed to do as pastors, you know, so it's not just another convicting message is, hey, let's come back next week and talk about things we figured out that we could do to improve our waiting, to get better at that. We have to be getting better at waiting. And you know, for me, just initially, you almost have to wean yourself off. And so just yesterday I just started going, okay, I will only check texts during odd hours, you know, so like I could check it right now, but come 12 o' clock I gotta wait another hour. Just something as silly as that. And each time I wait, I go, that's right. I'm called to a life of waiting. And even that that nun was telling me, like, it's weird how she feels a pressure to respond to people as they text. And just like, that's not of the Lord. I'm not going to let them dictate to me how quickly I have to respond to them. And God in his time is going to do that. One of the things she asked me too, because, you know, did this whole thing in Brazil, get home, then the next morning, you know, fly out or I came here and then go to Phoenix. And right when I land, a priest picks me up because I have an appointment with him and he drives me to the hotel. But then we do quick, quick bite at this taco truck. And you know, we're talking, you know, because I just need to learn some things from him, find out some things from him, go to bed next morning, get my time with the Lord, and then jump in an Uber, five minute Uber. It's just like I'm checking Uber and checking Lyft. Lyft was only $5.63. I'm going with Lyft. It was only like a mile 0.3. But ask the Lord, hey, have something significant happen all day long. And so Uber driver shows up and I'm like, man, I got five minutes and powerful time with him. You know, this big African American guy, by the time he's getting my luggage out of the car, he's like crying and hugging me like three times. He came back to hug me like and just praying over him, and boom. That was awesome. And then did these six, you know, podcast series that we had to hurry up through because I wanted to get an hour before I go to the airport to meet with these nuns and see their convent and, you know, and then they were going to drop me off, you know, to my flight and everything. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And the nun asked me. She's like, so you just experience all of this in Brazil? You know, my gosh, that was a long time ago. And she asked, like, how do you forget the wording she used? But basically, what's your rhythm to process all that God did in Brazil and thank him for it and really sit in it? And I was like, nothing. You know, like, I process. Like, I don't. I said, this is something I'm bad at. I don't. I'm always thinking about the next thing, and I'm processing what I'm going to say or praying for what's about to happen, but I don't sit and think and reflect on something that happened. And so, again, it's just this whole. I'm just realizing, like, the enemy is really getting us on this. We are not waiters. And that is. That's a bad thing. Biblically. And, you know, even in Spanish, the word wait is same as the word hope. You know, it's like, I hope and I wait. It's. It's. But it's like. Yeah, I guess in Chinese, too. No, not really. No, it's not. It's just Spanish, I guess they're superior. But it's. It's. And I know it's in other languages, too. It's just. It's. You know, it's better. Okay. You know, I'm hoping that this is. You speak Spanish, right? You look like you should. Okay. You know, so. So it's like I'm waiting for the bus. Or, you know, or I hope so is the same word. It's like you're hoping for the bus. You're waiting for the bus. Like, it's. It's. It's this expectation it's going to happen. The bus is coming. I'm just waiting for it, and the reward is coming and just waiting for it. It's the same idea. And what's the word? Espero. Espero. Or I wait or I hope. And I don't know. It's just. I want us to just look at our lives and think through, are we giving in to some of the enemy's plans and expectations? Because, again, that is One of the things that I felt like God showed me on that airplane heading to Brazil is if I try to do everything, know everything I'm supposed to know, get back to everyone I need to get back to, and in a timely fashion, everything else, then I'm not going to hear his voice. You can't have it all. You just can't have it all. You can't know it all. Get back to everyone quickly and schedule your time. Boom, boom, boom, boom. And still be someone that can wait in the presence of God and stay in that silence until your mind is clear, until he ministers to you, until he shows you his holiness and his love and what he has to speak to. You just can't meet everyone's expectations and still enjoy that time with the Lord. Last thing is, you know, this last Saturday, I was with Al Cortez and Rob Zabala. We're just talking about stuff. And Taquan showed up and he wants to be a police officer. And then you've got Jarrett, who's heading off in the military. And. I was sharing about how Al is so unique, so unique in a lot of ways, but plug your ears, Sean. But he really is like my best friend. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know there's something so special to him because his walk with the Lord is fascinating to me. His sensitivity to the things of God as a police officer, even as a captain. Now, like, officers just. I've seen them change and. And there's like a, you know, this. I believe some of it is demonic. Why so many of them are suicidal. And, you know, Talal was wrestling with that. Obviously, my friend from early, early on, Gene, took his own life. And. And I was explaining to Dalal, like, every time you go to a crime scene and there's all these dead bodies, like, there's something demonic behind that, and there's something that attaches to you. And unless you're strong enough. And it's interesting because where Jared is going, we're talking about it at our gathering. And Dalali, I don't know if you guys have met her. She's one of her worship leader, amazing worship leader, great girl. But she's like, yeah, my brother went to that same, exact same boot camp, and now he works there. And she says it's dark. It's like she goes, it made it darker when my brother was there because he, you know, someone committed suicide the second week. And just these. This darkness, darkness, darkness in these places. And it's very rare to Find the person that comes out of that and unscathed by it, at a deeper walk. And that's what I see in Al. It's like, wow, this guy's God. And, you know, we're talking about that, and I'm like, what did you. He's like, it's just grace because I don't know, it's just grace because, you know me, I'm not anything special. It's just the grace of God. And I thought, wow, I say that about police officers, but I can almost. I feel like I can say the same thing about pastors. How many pastors do I meet where I'm like, wow, that guy is so sensitive to the things of God and so, like, enjoying his presence and walking in this deep intimacy, feeling fellowship with Jesus, and it requires that grace. And maybe it's worse with pastors because there's an assumption that that's happening. Of course they have this time. That's what they do. And it's interesting, though, when I talk to the priest and I talk to him about Sister Bethany, he just quickly stops me, goes, hey, I just want to make sure and clarify something you might not know. She's not a normal nun. I don't want you to think that all nuns are like, Sister Bethany. Okay, that's good to know. Because I'm like, dang, these are the most amazing people. He goes, no, she is amazing. You know, and so it's. It's kind of that. That same thing. And not to say. But he's just saying, you need to understand there is a special grace on that woman. And I go, okay, so I don't know. I don't know what that means for all of us. I think it's just being aware, just of your own life, being aware of our culture, being aware that maybe I even thought, oh, all of these college students in this room, because this is fca, and they are standing up to this culture in their school and coming here to worship God, which is awesome. But I just assume at least half of them would have some. Or a fourth of them would have some regular rhythm of quiet and enjoy the presence of God. And to me, that's my center. That's my foundation. That's my bread and butter. If I lose that, I lose everything. And maybe I've been operating under this assumption that more people have that time and have been disciplined in that. Then I realized, you know, like, there's a lot. However you say it, there's a lot fewer than I realized. And I think I've Been ignorant to that. And somehow we've got to train this generation and the next generation of leaders to learn how to wait in silence, humility, and enjoy the presence of God and the peace of God. And so, yeah, that's it.
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Podcast Host
That's really good.
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Guest or Co-host
Yeah.
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Francis Chan
If you have. If you were in front of, you know, a hundred, like, modern, you know, busy pastors, and you were to ask them, how many of you guys, you know, like, wake up in the morning
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Guest or Co-host
to
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Francis Chan
pray, be in the Word. Not because you're, you know, prepping a sermon or a Bible study, not because you're attending, you know, like, the morning prayer meeting, and not because your church has a we are church reading plan that you gotta, like, be like, well, I'm the dazzler. I better do this thing. But just like, with your own hunger, desire, waiting. How many of you guys, every day wake up in the morning and kind of, like, have this time with the Lord in a room full of 100 pastors? How many would be like, yes, absolutely, that's me. What first subject you would say?
- [21:44]
Guest or Co-host
I would be surprised if it's over 10%. Really? Yeah, I would be very surprised. It was over 10%. I think that's why that beloved message is so important that I have to remind myself, now, you got to get back to that. They don't. I think, what. And it was a great night last night. I feel like they're. I don't know if imagination is the right word, but, like, I don't think they really ever thought that something awesome could happen. During that time with the Lord, there wasn't a expectation of, well, if God is a God of grace and understanding that if, you know, like John 14, like, the spirit of truth is in me, you know, when he says, he's with you and he will be in you. And then a few verses later in verse 23, when he says, you know, if anyone loves me, he will obey my commands, and the Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. And I said, look, you've got Father, Son, Holy Spirit, according to the word of God, this God of grace. And he is in that room with you, merciful, eager for you to, like, he's wanting to bless you. He's knocking on the door. He's the pursuer. And because I did ask, I go, hey, how much would you pay tonight if God spoke to you? How many would pay 100 bucks. And, you know, Stanford kids, so it's, you know, they dropped 100 bucks on the way there, and a thousand bucks, 10,000. Just about every hand still came up. And I get it at Stanford. They come from money, but still the idea is I do want to hear from the Lord, but I don't expect to in my time with him, I don't really expect a I could receive this. I could. And so I talked about that, about what God can do in your soul. What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived. And I don't think, I don't know, I don't know that for a lot of my life I thought that way. But there was no thought of the spirit pouring out the love of God into my heart. And so I think there was that. I think so for a lot of pastors. You're right, it is. Keep up. Let me check off on this box so I can tell the congregation, hey, I did the reading plan also and studying for sermons, but I. I'd be really surprised if more than 10% had that expectation and excitement of I cannot wait, wait. Kind of like Lisa's grandma used to, you know, she would tell Lisa as a little girl, see that corner of the bed? That's where I meet with Jesus every morning. And when I pass that corner throughout the day, I just go, oh God, I can't wait till tomorrow morning. And I just tell him, you know, and just this sweet old lady and this expectation. And then as she was in the old folks home, she would just tell Lisa, and I, like every night I go to bed, I go, tonight. Would tonight be it? God, did I get to see you, you know, like this? I can't wait to see your face. Just like I can't wait till tomorrow morning. Now. How many pastors ever feel that, you know, or even have the thought of that versus every day having that anticipation? I don't know. I don't want to be judgy, but I just. It's not judgy. It's sad. Like, are we missing out on what we're created for? Like, just to be reminded that this is what we're created for. We're created in his image to walk with him. That's why he made us in his image, so that we could fellowship with him and he could walk amongst us and, and for us to be eagerly awaiting the morning to be with him is a sign of how eagerly we're waiting for eternity. When God makes his dwelling with man again, it all goes together.
- [27:06]
Podcast Host
Thank you for listening to the Crazy Love podcast. Join us next week for a new episode, but until then, for more resources from Crazy Love. Ministries or to support the work of Crazy Love, please visit our website@crazylove.org.
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Guest or Co-host
Sa.