Back to the Basics: Practicing the Rhythms of God's Grace
I flip through the pages of my Bible, my bleary eyes searching for today’s passage as I sip my morning coffee. This time in God’s Word is a part of the liturgy of my days that tethers me, keeping me close to Christ.
“Jesus help me,” I whisper as I pause at the door before entering the nursery. My 10-month-old’s cries can tend to lead my heart towards anxiety, but this simple breath prayer centers me, reminding me of my dependence.
We walk into the familiar theater-turned-sanctuary, smiling at friendly faces and hugging friends-turned-family. We pray, sing, sit, and eat—the weekly rhythm of joining with our church family upholding us, nurturing our faith through seasons of both joy and heartache.
“He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast, for my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast.” I hum the words as I lay my sweet girl in her bed, entering into this normal yet holy moment of worship that bookends our day.
GOING BACK TO THE BASICS
Through the years, I’ve found that there are certain rhythms of the faith that have pressed me deeper into God’s grace in a way that has helped to uplift and carry my faith. In seasons of transition, joy, anxiety, beauty, and grief, these basic practices have been vital to sustaining and growing my walk with Jesus.
The gospel, Bible study, prayer, church fellowship, Scripture meditation, discipleship, evangelism, worship…these aspects of the Christian life are the fundamental practices that fuel our faith and help to keep us growing in Christ. And sometimes, I think, it’s helpful for us to reorient ourselves with these rhythms, to remind ourselves what this Christian life is about, to remember how we might grow into deeper knowledge of God, to go, if you will, back to the basics.
When I say, “basics,” I don’t mean basic as in elementary, but rather basics as in essential, foundational, and formative. I mean basics as in the pair of jeans and the well-made white sweater that make up the base of your capsule wardrobe (from which you build so many other outfits!). I mean basic as in the building blocks of faith that support a rich and vibrant life with Christ.
Some call them spiritual disciplines, but I think another helpful way to think of them is as the rhythms of God’s grace.
“Through the years, I’ve found that there are certain rhythms of the faith that have pressed me deeper into God’s grace in a way that has helped to uplift and carry my faith.”
PRACTICING THE RHYTHMS OF GOD’S GRACE
At the end of the day, our walk with God comes down to one thing: faith. Hebrews tells us "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). It is only by God's grace that we believe, and belief in the Son is ultimately all that God asks of us for salvation. When the disciples asked Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them with the simplest, most encouraging reply: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:28–29, emphasis mine).
The gospel assures us that we are kept and held and secured in Christ (that is unchanging and forever), but these rhythms of grace help us to press all the more deeply into him—again and again and again. We don’t pursue deeper holiness through the spiritual disciplines in order to achieve or earn anything before God; rather we grow into richer knowledge of him by weaving these rhythms into the fabric of our lives.
We will always (even in heaven!) be growing into deeper understanding of and love for God. And with the Spirit’s help, day by day we can work to grow in this knowledge of God by practicing the rhythms of God’s grace so that we might 1. love God more, 2. train ourselves for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7), and 3. teach, disciple, and grow alongside other brothers and sisters in the faith (Col. 3:16).
HOW DO WE DO THIS?
How can I preach the gospel to myself?
How might I more fully know what I believe so I might encourage and disciple others in the faith?
How does the liturgy of weekly worship with my brothers and sisters shape me?
Why is doing any of this important at all?
It has been deeply formative for me to regularly revisit my understanding of the very rhythms that keep me in the way of God’s grace. God’s Word is clear about the importance of these rhythms of the faith.
Colossians 3:16 reminds us to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Timothy compels believers to "train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7), and Paul tells us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”—while also reminding us that it is actually “God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13).
As we embrace this tension of resting in God’s salvation while walking toward holiness, we can look to these foundational truths and fundamental disciplines to press us more and more deeply into him.
We can meditate on God’s Word and study the Bible to come to a deeper understanding of the gospel of grace. We can pursue God’s heart through regular prayer and worship. We can regularly engage with believers in our local church body through weekly fellowship and discipleship relationships. And we can share our love and knowledge of God through bold evangelism to those around us.
Some may feel that the spiritual disciplines seem rigid or like a to-do list that needs checking off, but over the years I have actually found that adding these practices into the rhythm of my days has not felt rigid at all. It’s all simply part of the Christian life—various ways that I can walk in Christ and abide in him (Col. 2:6-7, John 15).
“The gospel assures us that we are kept and held and secured in Christ (that is unchanging and forever), but these rhythms of grace help us to press all the more deeply into him—again and again and again.”
WILL YOU JOIN US?
By God's grace, we don't do this faith life alone. So we are excited to share that our upcoming podcast series (dropping Monday!) is actually intended to invite you to come alongside us as we go Back to the Basics and practice the rhythms of God’s grace together.
In this series, we'll talk about several basics of the faith: The Gospel, Bible Study, Scripture Meditation/Memorization, Prayer, Church Membership/Christian Fellowship/Life Together, Discipling, Evangelism, and—our response to all of these things—Worship. We'll seek to—in a simple and straightforward way—talk about these key rhythms of our faith so that we might better understand them and dialogue about them both with unbelieving friends and fellow believers.
Our hope is that the conversations in this podcast series will prompt you toward a deeper understanding of God and therefore deeper love of him. We also pray that the series will be an aid to you in your discipleship relationships and friendships in the faith—that it might help you to grow in confidence as you have conversations with others about the why and how of our spiritual disciplines.
So join us on Monday (and invite a friend to come along too!) as we go Back to the Basics!
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen articles are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select writers each week, articles shared on the Journeywomen website do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the authors or any other resources mentioned.
