Cooperating With Our Creator

Elk on trail to Sky Pond - Rocky Mountain National Park

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 The Message)

July 2023 was a much needed month of Sabbatical rest after nearly 30 years of serving in ministry. I was, and continue to be, grateful for the gift extended to me by Jesus to “get away and recover my life.” Fueled by a desire to say yes to whatever the Holy Spirit was doing in my soul, I set out each day to “keep company” with God and cooperate with the inner-work that leads to life.

My place of sojourn was Rocky Mountain National Park, just over an hour to the west of my home in North Denver. Armed with my camera and curiosity, I regularly left my house in the dark and beelined it to the majestic peaks and quiet trails where I could return to listening and receiving. That posture sounds a lot healthier than striving and constantly pouring out, doesn’t it?

Ten days into my adventure of being with Jesus I came around a corner on the trail to Sky Pond and saw a couple guys standing quietly and staring at a couple medium-sized elk right next to the trail. It’s a good thing those guys were there because I was trucking pretty fast and might’ve spooked the elk. As it turns out, we quietly watched as these magnificent Elk slowly crossed the trail and lept up on some boulders for a different view.

As great as that moment was, the best was yet to come. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t trucking along any more. I was alert, paying attention, hoping I would see more wildlife around the next turn. My curiosity was on full tilt and my soul was soaring as I thanked Jesus for the amazing gift of his loving presence in creation.

Walking in a more relaxed manner now, I came into a clearing and saw about 10 elk, including a couple spotted calves, quietly resting and eating. The image above felt like a gift as one of the elk deigned to pose for my photo.

The invitation to slow down and be with Jesus is more than just a nice idea. It’s actually possible. We must pay attention, become curious, and turn aside to what God wants to show us. This is what cooperation looks like. In healthy relationships, we choose to work together (co-operate) toward a common goal. For me, the goal has been to recognize God’s faithfulness in my life and in the world and to remain in his loving gaze.

If we’re honest, this cooperative posture is actually harder than it seems. We are constantly pulled away from the present moment with God by pressures from within and without. Our desire to produce and perform for God and for others seems to run deep under the surface, causing us to question our own worthiness and, perhaps even deeper, God’s trustworthiness.

In Dale Gish’s devotional, “Beloved: A Journey of Prayer,” we are encouraged to consider key truths to help us remain in a place of trust and surrender. He writes:

“Many of us have the experience of being invisible, feeling that other people don’t see who we truly are or value us as persons. Other times we experience being misunderstood, mischaracterized, or seen through a negative and destructive lens. All of this can be exhausting, alienating, and a significant source of pain for us. But God, in great love for us, sees us truly and knows us fully. We are never just a face in the crowd to God. We are each a unique and beloved child of God, and God is big enough to always be with each of us, to give us full attention and care. God knows our need to be seen and known, and God works diligently to love us in this way, to care for us exactly in the way that we need.” (p.26)

To cooperate with God is to choose to take him at his word. We really do matter to God, and that’s what truly matters. Look at what God actually says:

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
    I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Others were given in exchange for you.
    I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
    You are honored, and I love you. (Isaiah 43:1-4 NLT)

To cooperate with God is to pay attention and participate in our own transformation, for the glory of God and for the sake of the world. We are precious to God. We are honored and loved simply because we were created by God and we belong to God. Soul care is our intentional cooperation in the cure of our own brokenness and the brokenness of those around us. God wants to redeem and restore all the parts of us. Nothing is off the table: our thinking, our feeling, our hurts, our hardships, our failures, our doubts, our habits, our relationships, even our experience of these feeble bodies we occupy.

Whether we like it or not, we are limited. We try to control outcomes, but we eventually come face to face with our frailty and humanity. We cannot continue to truck along without regard for the health of our souls. We must take Jesus up on his invitation to come to him, relinquish our desire for control, and learn to live in his unforced rhythms of grace. We must cooperate with the Good Shepherd.

As I contemplate what it means to cooperate with God for the care of my soul, I recognize a deep yearning to freely and lightly abide with Jesus, to know my Shepherd’s voice, to trust what he says, and to follow where he leads. This journal entry, written after I intentionally decided to slow down, pay attention, become curious, and turn aside to witness the herd of elk on the trail, perfectly captures my desire:

God, I imagine that as I am out in nature, hiking and praying, you are shaping me; your hands are molding me. You’re in no hurry. You know exactly what you are forming. You’ve always known. Fashion me into a vessel of grace, someone who looks and acts like Jesus. I’m trusting that you love me and you’re delighting in my surrender to you. I simply want to be caught up in your kingdom, with you at the center, and I want to be in union with you. So keep doing what you love to do and I’ll keep focusing on your loving gaze.

What is your response to God’s loving gaze? What is the Holy Spirit showing you? What is God forming in you? These are big questions, but you have a big God who is faithful to complete the work that he began in you. Simply join Jesus on the journey and enjoy the trail of transformation.

Our cooperation with God’s action within is the sign of a healthy relationship. God loves us just the way we are, and he loves us too much to leave us that way. How about letting Jesus do the heavy lifting for a change!