I’ve never been a big fan of the famous Footprints poem. I don’t know if it is the cheesy factor, or the fact that the artwork of many prints are from the 70s and 80s. Certainly it is the theology—the mistaken conception that sometimes we are walking independently from God (there is a more theologically correct parody some may have heard by Peculiar People).
At the same time, God’s carrying us is one of the most beautiful images of our relationship from Scripture. Moses and Israel look back on God’s deliverance of them from Egypt and Moses says, “There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son” (Deut 1:31). God writes through Isaiah, “I have carried you since birth…I have made you and I will carry you” (Is 46:3).
Still, I wonder why I often feel alone; I often feel as if I am sinking (as King David wrote in Ps 69:1: “Save me, O Lord, for the waters have come up to my neck!”). I was carrying one of my young kids recently in a tight spot. I don’t remember the specifics, maybe it was across a busy intersection. But he was clinging to me with great fear, even though I knew he was perfectly safe. Only later in life, as he matures will he look back and see the (relative) strength of his dad’s arms. God, help me to know that no matter how alone I may feel, I am always safe in your arms.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them. - Is 63:9
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Cold Feet
I crawled into bed last night after a long day, and I was so looking forward to taking a deep breath and just cuddling with my wife. She jokes that she only has about a foot of bed to work with. Ok, it’s not so much a joke. I also have poor circulation, so she regularly warms my toes with her own.
I’ve reflected in recent months that this desire has not always been the case. There have been nights and even extended periods of time where I would be glad to stay on my side of the bed, even with cold toes. Why is this? One reason is summarized in Mt 24:12: “Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” We think of the Old West when we hear this old-fashioned word ‘lawlessness,’ but really it just means anything that is contrary to God and godliness. This could be a hidden sin, or a grudge, or selfishness, or anything contrary to pure, Christ-like love and service toward the other.
As I look back on my short marriage, it was those times I was farthest away from God (sometimes living in blatant lawlessness) that my love grew cold. But thank God that he will not leave us there if we are truly his! He ultimately brings a softening and warmth back to our hearts as he leads us in repentance, humility and pursuit of godliness.
How many are currently living with an emotional wall between them and their spouse, with (at least) one out in the cold, adding bricks daily to the wall? God, when this is the case with me, let me know it quickly! Make me sensitive to the dropping temperature and the rising barrier between us. And bring me quickly out of the cold and into the warmth of humility and repentance, a loving relationship—and warm toes.
I’ve reflected in recent months that this desire has not always been the case. There have been nights and even extended periods of time where I would be glad to stay on my side of the bed, even with cold toes. Why is this? One reason is summarized in Mt 24:12: “Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” We think of the Old West when we hear this old-fashioned word ‘lawlessness,’ but really it just means anything that is contrary to God and godliness. This could be a hidden sin, or a grudge, or selfishness, or anything contrary to pure, Christ-like love and service toward the other.
As I look back on my short marriage, it was those times I was farthest away from God (sometimes living in blatant lawlessness) that my love grew cold. But thank God that he will not leave us there if we are truly his! He ultimately brings a softening and warmth back to our hearts as he leads us in repentance, humility and pursuit of godliness.
How many are currently living with an emotional wall between them and their spouse, with (at least) one out in the cold, adding bricks daily to the wall? God, when this is the case with me, let me know it quickly! Make me sensitive to the dropping temperature and the rising barrier between us. And bring me quickly out of the cold and into the warmth of humility and repentance, a loving relationship—and warm toes.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Just the Right Time
For a long, repetitive paragraph in Numbers 9, God describes for us how Israel would follow his leading in the cloud. Sometimes they would remain in camp a long time and not set out (v. 19). I wonder how bored those kids got on long summer afternoons, struggling to come up with a creative game in the desert. At other times, they would stay only one day and set out the next morning to follow the cloud (v. 21). It was not only tedious but also hard work (11:1), meticulously setting up, then tearing down the tents and furnishings, hoisting them on their backs for yet another journey—“here we go again,” I can almost hear them say.
Sometimes God’s timing seems so arbitrary, so capricious for Israel—and so too for us. How long it took me to find a job after seminary. The timing and frequency of sinus infections. How long it takes a child to be potty-trained. The number of years I pray for a family member. The length of time it takes God to work out any given problem or complication.
Rom 5:6 says, “At just the right time…Christ died for the ungodly.” In what way was it just the right time? We don’t exactly know. For Simeon it must have seemed awfully late. It is frustrating sometimes not to have all the answers, and not to understand fully the mystery of interaction between God’s sovereign plan and man’s responsibilities. But it is unbelievably comforting to believe in a sovereign God who has set all times and dates (Acts 1:7), who has numbered our hairs and our days, who has ordained all things, and yes—who does so at just the right time.
Sometimes God’s timing seems so arbitrary, so capricious for Israel—and so too for us. How long it took me to find a job after seminary. The timing and frequency of sinus infections. How long it takes a child to be potty-trained. The number of years I pray for a family member. The length of time it takes God to work out any given problem or complication.
Rom 5:6 says, “At just the right time…Christ died for the ungodly.” In what way was it just the right time? We don’t exactly know. For Simeon it must have seemed awfully late. It is frustrating sometimes not to have all the answers, and not to understand fully the mystery of interaction between God’s sovereign plan and man’s responsibilities. But it is unbelievably comforting to believe in a sovereign God who has set all times and dates (Acts 1:7), who has numbered our hairs and our days, who has ordained all things, and yes—who does so at just the right time.
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