And, lately, too much of the connection has been about side show and pretense. It is not that these things are not important, or don't deserve comment. But, the bottom line is that I keep forgetting something that came back to me this morning. It is a broken passage from Psalm 46.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea...He says 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
When I let myself get too caught up in my opinions of the world, I forget a couple of key things here, that I have committed to keeping at a more consistent level. Nothing earth shattering, or changing the path of reality, but worthy of revealing, especially as I have been remiss in following it.
First, and foremost, the Lord is with us, our fortress, our refuge, our strength. It does not matter what comes here, where we go, what we see, or what we can imagine. We have a refuge and fortress that cannot be overcome.
When it feels like the world pays no attention at all to my very sensible points and concerns, it becomes easy to digest fear and turmoil as our wages in the world. Because no one else sees the plain common sense I am speaking, it becomes much easier to isolate myself within those thoughts. The world is a scary place, and if we let ourselves add all of our internal fear, it becomes a place of terror and dismay.
But, we are meant to live in a fortress that protects us from terror and dismay. Within the walls of our fortress, there is no harm that can come to us. Our strength is limitless and magnified by the power surrounding us. It is a refuge, a place that we can be us, be vulnerable, be less than is required, and still survive, understand and triumph, through the power of our Lord.
Nothing and no one can seperate us from that fortress, except ourselves and our own choices. So, all the externalized fear, it is a distraction to the true point. I don't mean to imply that we should be foolhardy and court danger, as that is akin to putting God to the test, and it is not our place. We are supposed to be wary and aware of the world, considered and wise about interacting with it. But, we are forbidden to fear it, and forbidden to turn away from it.
We are to be more than conquerors in Christ. We are to share the Good News, not focus on the bad news. Again, we are not to ignore the world, talking about it, understanding what is going on, these are important things. But, we are MORE than conquerors. We are SHARERS. No one wants to share with a terrified and weak, feeble viewpoint that sees destruction around the corner. Who wants any part of that, or could decide that God is going to deliver us into that?
We are supposed to trust in the Lord, live in the fortress, share the path and the news of the safe place we have found. It is supposed to make us smile as we consider the world, not for its perfection, but because we know the antidote to the imperfection. We are to act, to share, to come to the refuge and show as many as we can the path to that place of resort.
And, then, we are to do something that is probably the most difficult for me. We are to be still and know that He is God. I am one of those people, that sees things in logical sequences, rational steps. I am a fixer, a problem solver, a trouble shooter. I am an organized mind constantly engaged with a chaotic world, determined that I will win, that this world will submit to me and I will destroy its chaos.
But, that is the opposite of what my approach should be. I should be STILL. It is hard for a person like me to be still. I don't like slow, I don't like it when things are not humming along. Humming, clicking, wheels turning, cycles of something occuring that can be measured, timed, catalogued and followed to ensure order and efficiency. Those are the attributes by which I judge the world. What is the pace of the cycle, what is the predictability of the cycle and what is the waste in the cycle?
God wants us to be still. Forget the cycle, and KNOW that He is God. That terrifies me in some ways. When I am still and quiet, not only can I know that God is God, I also start to know that Joe is Joe. In those times, I don't much like Joe. He is at equal odds, mean spirited and kind, thankful and greedy, generous and stingy, mindful and heedless. He is a big ole mess of a mess. When I am still and quiet, that mess is overwhelmingly present.
And, that is when I am supposed to know that God is God. It does not matter about my mess. It does not matter about my pace, my errors. It does not matter what I did, what I forgot I did, what I never got around to being sorry for doing. God is God. Grace is constant, flowing with mercy to us. If we just trust in the grace, that it overcomes that stuff in us, and provides the bridge to God, it is possible to know God.
I get it in fleeting moments. I mean, I am a guy. I don't have the attention span I should. I don't have the consistency I should. I see shiny objects, and all other thoughts are lost. It happens. But, I know that in the fortress, where my strength is stored, I am safe and saved. I can be still, let what it means to be Joe, be evident and plain, and still know that God is God. In those moments, the world is a place it is meant to be. The presence of God filling you is enough of a teaser as to what heaven is like, that I am hooked.
So, while I don't like bringing terrorists into our country, while I don't like the fact that we continue to ignore the empoverished, while I don't like the fact that we don't honor things about God that we should, while I don't like the fact that the church is a place full of people and all the icky stuff that people bring, it should not be the focus of my days and my ways.
I have a fortress, a resort, a refuge. Within it, I am indestructable, and eternal. There, I can be still and know me, and know that God is God. I can exist in the same place as God, it is possible He is there with me. That means He can live in me every minute, every day. That means if I choose, I can stay in the fortress forever, no matter where I go.
Nothing in the world can overcome that. And, I should be much more in tune with that, and less stressed about what God has already told me is not in my control. So, while I don't think any of the stuff I have posted recently is wrong, or not worthwhile, sorry that I have been preoccupied with what I cannot overcome.
I am going to try to be consumed with what I can control, my choices. Hope you have a wonderful day, I will. GLYASDI.
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