Faith For Exiles By David Kinnaman And Mark MatlockSample

Day Two:  Practice 1—To Form a Resilient Identity, Experience Intimacy with Jesus

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19

Time for a quick family flashback. My daughter Emily is eight. I am lying in bed next to her, tucking her in for the night. After some conversation and her asking the questions, I ask one: “Hey, Emily, do you believe in Jesus?” 

Emily exclaims, “Yes!”

“Why do you believe in Him?”

“Because we read about Him in the Bible.”

That’s a good answer. “Do you have any other reasons?”

After a long and thoughtful pause, Emily says, “Dad, do you remember when we prayed for that family, about whether they should join our home group? And then we saw them in Home Depot, and it gave us a chance to ask them to come?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“That was a miracle, Dad. That’s why I believe in Jesus.” Even to a growing soul, experiencing Jesus at an intimate and accessible level reinforces who they are and what they believe. 

Our data shows two themes emerge. First, resilient disciples express a feeling of intimacy with God, closeness that frequently seems lacking in the experience of those who walk away from the faith. Statements like “Jesus understands what my life is like these days” and “Reading the Bible makes me feel closer to God” capture this feeling. Resilience is felt at a deep, emotional level.

Second, resilient disciples experience conversational intimacy with Jesus. More than four out of five resilient disciples strongly agree with the statement “Jesus speaks to me in a way that is relevant to my life.” Prayer is a “vibrant part” of resilient disciples’ lives, and it includes “listening to God.”

Hearing from God isn’t some spooky, transcendental thing in which our eyes glaze over and God takes over our bodies. The profile of resilient disciples shows us that it’s much more natural; it’s an everyday reliance on God and dependence on His presence. It’s cultivating a soft heart to God’s leading.

Taken together, the data tells us that resilient disciples build their identity in Jesus. This is rare. In digital Babylon, as in other societies, figuring out who we are is one of the epic struggles of being human. This battle to define identity is one reason disciple making is so difficult today. 

Still, the voice of Jesus calls for our repentance and obedience. For courage. For quiet. For us to know how much we are loved and who we truly are.

It’s the voice that speaks to an eight-year-old girl’s heart.

What recent intimate moment with Jesus shaped how you hear Him? What is He saying to you now?