* I have an asterisk in the title because there is no Scripture involved with this particular devotional. I haven't been able to find either of my Bibles since I've moved back to Chicago, and I'm beginning to think they're still in storage somewhere. I'll have to make do with experiences, other books, and things I've heard word-of-mouth.
At small group last night I banded with a couple of brothers in the last part of the evening in which we break up into even smaller groups (i.e. 2 or 3, or sometimes 4), tell each other what's going on in our lives and in our minds at the moment, and then pray for each other. The three of us have been somewhat in the same boat, all past "normal" college age, but still trying to find our way to success in life (or however you might like to call it). In essence, we're all going through trials. But in our discussions and prayers, the following things came through our minds:
1.) The season of joy. I will admit that of the ones I will list in today's post, this point is the one I have the weakest handle on. But as I (barely) understand it, the season of joy always follows the season of trial. At some point our hard work will pay off, and we will be handsomely rewarded (what said reward is, or how it comes about is still very much a mystery), but we have to trust in it and take some chances. That's about all I know on this, and I will now segway to my second point...
2.) God can only "steer the boat if it's moving." This is something that I've been aware of for some time, but always struggled with. Having grown up not really trusting in anything (the church was the one thing I did trust until it too imploded when I was far too young), I've always looked at God and the idea of Him being all-powerful as totalitarian. He makes the rules, so we just pretty much have to obey them. Therefore, since I stopped working for AmeriCorps late last summer, I found myself in a position where I kept waiting for God to tell me what to do (after all, it is He that decides). But apparently, He can't say yes or no if I do nothing.
...And, that's actually a really mind-blowing concept. You see, it has been preached and preached that God has all the power (and it is true), but the reality is, we have to trust Him to use His power for Him to actually use it. Confusing? Do remember that when we worship God we are also in a relationship with Him. Relationships are two-way streets; relationships with God are no exception, either.
That's really scary. Somehow, because of this, I feel like I have more power. I'm not sure why. But it probably only works so long as God and I are on the same page. I would have no power if I decide to do something, and He decides, nuh-uh, I don't want you to do that. But if somehow I'm doing something and He wills it, then, holy crijole ... !
[Before I move onto the third point, I have to say this revelation actually hit me right as I was writing. Usually when I write about these things, I'm reflecting on something that recently happened, and by said time of writing, I am more able to communicate whatever profound truth it is that I have learned. The point of all this, is that I took my time writing point #2, and it's the only reason that it's moderately coherent.]
3.) The third thing that came to mind was the phrase "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, but deliver us from evil." For some reason I feel like I've recently blogged about this, but I wanted to bring it up now because that phrase has stuck with me for much of the last month. The funny thing is, I grew up saying the "traditional" version of the Lord's Prayer, the one that starts with "Our Father, who art in heaven..." I guess I never really thought highly of the "contemporary" version, but I'm beginning to reconsider, thanks to the phrase I mentioned in the first sentence of this paragraph. Thing is, the traditional version substitutes "sins" with "trespasses," and substitutes saving us from trial with leading us not into temptation. Given that right now I'm more responsive to "sins" than "trespasses", and concerned with surviving my trials than staying away from temptation, I've been leaning more towards the newer version.
* * * * * * * *
Dang, now I want to go get something accomplished. Ideally, that means finding a job (and in a longer-term sense, continuing to grow socially), but I may decide to settle for assembling a couple pieces of furniture. I'm just a little sick of the tall stacks of books and papers, and having to go through them all the time to find whatever it is I'm looking for.
No comments:
Post a Comment