To Hang or to be Carried.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

     Life is scary. The afterlife can be worse.

     We can't be certain what will happen in the very next moment, let alone in eternity. We humans are small and weak and scared. We know full well that we have no control at all and so we do everything we can to gain and keep control. We are comforted by any semblance of it and we are very uncomfortable when without it. We like control.

     We don't want to rely on others. We don't want to have any part of the plan be dependent on the actions of another and for a very simple reason. We don't trust anyone but ourselves. If we let anything depend on someone else, that person may fail us. That person may choose to not fulfill their responsibilities and we may find ourselves in trouble. For many of us that is simply too great a risk to take.

     How scary it is then that God asks us to trust Him. We are asked to trust Him in something far bigger than our evening plans or even our marital life; we are told to trust Him with our eternity. It can be scary. This is the reason so many people have a hard time understanding grace. Surely there is something we have to do, surely there is something I have to prove, or some ritual I can perform. Surely I can earn my place in Heaven because if I can earn it, if it is mine by right, then I can demand it. If I can demand it then it is due me and if it is due me than it is mine by right, but God's plan is different.

“The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”

(Nahum 1:7)

     He doesn't provide us a ladder that we can climb to Heaven. God doesn't allow us the luxury of merit or even exchange. God requires trust. We must trust Him. The one thing that is required of us is the one thing that so many of us are so terrified to give, trust. We are asked to sit in the palm of His hand and simply accept that we will not fall off. He carries us and He cares for us and He has us firmly and securely in His safe embrace and the best part of it is that He can be trusted.

     Unlike so many others who have come and gone in our lives, He can be trusted. Unlike the parent who wasn't there when you needed them, He can be trusted. Unlike the the wife who left you, He can be trusted. Unlike the friends who abandoned you, or the boyfriend who hurt you, or the boss who mistreats you, or the doctor who failed you, or your own traitor heart, or the cold impersonal world that rejected you, He can be trusted!

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”

(Proverbs 30:5)

     In His hands you are safe. In His heart you are home. We need not fear betrayal from the one whose very name is love. He who died that we may live is worthy of all of our trust.

Before us lies the choice. Do we tire our arms in the ceaseless need to hang on to the cliff edge, too weak to pull ourselves up and too scared to look down? Or do we listen to Father and let go, trusting that He will catch us? Must we hang on or are we willing to be carried? Our fear of trusting Him keeps us from a simple truth, to trust and to have that trust repaid is a glorious thing. Ask anyone in a faithful committed marriage and they will tell you that having just that one person who is always there changes your whole life.

     Do you think you're strong enough? How badly do you need control? Are you honest enough to admit that you've never really had any? The God of all that is will never betray you, never let you down, never turn out to be less than you had hoped. He is and forever will be everything you've ever wanted, needed, and more.

Will you trust Him?

I know not where the path may lead,

How dark the way that I must tread;

My feet may walk on fragrant mead,

Or midst deep bogs that ’round them spread.

But this I know, whate’er betide,

I need not fear nor walk alone;

I still may have One at my side,

And feel my hand within His own.

I may not have strength of my own,

To do the task before me laid;

Heart shrink to make the fight alone

Against the foe I see arrayed.

But this I know, whate’er the task,

Or foe that seeks my soul’s alarm,

I need not fear; I need but ask

The helpful strength of His strong arm.

I may not know what waits the day,

Nor part the veil that hangs between;

I may not glimpse one golden ray

Upon the further distant scene.

But this I know, if with my best

I played the part I had to play,

’Tis safe to leave to Him the rest,

For His own time, in His own way.

“The Lord is Our Trust”

Words by. Will M. Maupin, 1921

A Proverbial Request

     An honest plea. Truly honest. A request not born of lust or desire, not fed by greed or covetousness; a question that looks inward as well as outward with clarity. Have you ever heard such a request? Have you ever asked such a question?

     We want many things: new cars, new houses, new toys, a better job, a better life! We want and we want and we desperately shove an endless stream of objects and accolades into the gaping hole in our heart in our mad need to fill the void. And yet we are empty still. Even we who should be seeking the face of God find ourselves caught up in the hunt for more.

     But what do we need?

     What is truly best for us in this life? What is a good life? I think the answer is found in the Bible -of course- and in the book of Proverbs specifically.

“Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

(Proverbs 30:7-9)

     Here we read the words of a man named Agur the son of Jakeh, who he was and from what tribe he came we do not know but just read those few verses again! Two things and two things only does he ask: to be free from evil and to have what is needed; simple things. He does not ask for fine clothing or a comfortable home. He does not ask for wealth or fame or prominence. This man simply wants to be righteous and to be content.

     How close do we get to evil? The word translated vanity is “shawv” and has a range of meanings from destructive evil to simple uselessness. Agur wants to be far from this, removed entirely and beyond sight. I think we tend to dance close to the line. If we are to be righteous then we must love that which is good and we love love! However we forget that hatred has it's place. If we truly love good we must hate -hate- evil. We, like Agur, shouldn't want it within us, in front of us, in back of us, within a hundred miles of us! Lord remove from us evil and the love of it!

Neither poverty nor riches he asks. He goes on to explain himself saying that to be rich and fat is to forget our need for God and to be poor and starving can lead to sin for the sake of survival which dishonors God as well. May I have enough, he says; enough and no more, enough and no less.

     Are we okay with enough? How much of our endless march up the corporate ladder stems from a true desire to provide for our families and how much of is simple greed and desire? Do you need that promotion, do you need that bonus? Are they worth skipping church, skipping recitals, skipping dinner? Are you trying to do your best or are you simply unwilling to trust in God to provide?

     Do your work, do it as well as you can and if He blesses you with more be grateful. If He does not then be thankful still for you have what you need.

     Lord may I be a righteous man. Lord may I lay my trust on you for myself and for my family. Lord I ask not for riches or for glory, nor for fame or ease, but may my life be one that honors you. May my life be a song of praise and an image of faith in motion.   Amen.