Today's Forecast: Truth with No Chance of Variability

Rain, rain, go away! This has been one of the wettest summers I ever recall. Our lawn, which looked thick and green in June, now looks more like a fantasyland for gnomes. However, we are coming dangerously close to August, and August is --at least in our little corner of the world --becoming more and more unpredictable. Evenings go from moist and muggy, fraught with bloodthirsty mosquitoes, to cool and comfortable, perfect lightning bug catching weather and just enough to lure one into thoughts of sweaters and firepits. The rain all but disappears from the radar and new sources of sultriness --daytime humidity and evening dew --saturate the landscape. No doubt, local meteorologists will still predict things like "pop-up showers", the "occasional thunderstorm", and the "possibility of a heatwave" to cover the chance of everything but snow that might befall us. Welcome to modern-day forecasting. I can't help but long for the days when a local "weatherman" --that's the simple label they were given in those days --would grab his pointer and a few paper icons, head out before the cameras, and offer up an almost flawless 5-day forecast. A smiling sun on Monday, a sad little cloud parked somewhat askew on Tuesday, and lightning bolts stuck to the calendar for the remainder of the workweek were trustworthy predictors of what was to come. 

In this world, trustworthy predictors are hard to find. Sure, there are plenty of folks looking to profit off of telling us the things we want to hear --fortune tellers, really. If you serve God, your children will be accepted at the best colleges. If you give your tithe faithfully, fortune is waiting right around the corner. When I say "trustworthy predictors", I mean truth tellers; I mean those who will caution us as to what will happen if we don't do the things God requires or serve God as we should serve; those who are willing to risk being disliked or unpopular in order to share the truth in love; those who tell us Thus saith the Lord, regardless of outcome. Jesus clearly didn't seek prominence or favor when He spoke to people from all walks of life. The masses, however willing they were to receive His words, could certainly trust all He said was true. He spoke plainly; in a way all who wanted to understand could. Likewise, we can understand and trust His words today. 

And seeking out the truth is not the final measure. When we find truth, we must embrace it, follow it (follow Him), and assimilate it into the very fiber of our being. Truth must be as important to our character as oxygen is to our lungs. When that weatherman stuck that lacy paper snowflake up on his board, every child in viewing distance went to bed dreaming of school closings. We thanked God we had an extra day to finish the book report we'd been putting off and waxed the runners on our sleds. The truth became our North star, guiding our snow-covered path for at least the next twenty-four hours. As adults, can we say the same about all God says? Are we really seeking to know His words? Are we reading the Scriptures daily? How many of us are applying what we've read, whether we feel happy or successful doing it or not? How many of us are listening to pastors and teachers who are humble servants delivering the hard messages to the people of God? Are we repenting from the lives we've lived? Do we want nothing more than to obey God? Are we serious about obedience, or are we waiting for just the right time or the ideal circumstances to serve the Lord? How many of us are doing the hard things, breaking relationships and habits, developing relationships and habits, counting the cost and laying down everything for the sake of God's Kingdom? Or has truth become something only to possess for the moment or spout off to condemn others?

Trustworthy predictors, truth tellers, and truth will always be difficult to find in the world; but Jesus, the Light of the world has never wavered or gone underground. He doesn't use disclaimers, just in case things don't work out as He promised. He doesn't need expensive, cutting-edge technology or even paper clouds --He made the real ones Himself. His word is to be trusted and followed. 

Midweek: Shelter

Better to shelter in the LORD

than to trust in humankind.

Better to shelter in the LORD

than to trust in princes.

~ Psalm 118:8, 9 Alter

There's an overall message here: better to depend on, take refuge, place all your trust in the Lord than in any other entity. Got it. But it's the language used here that stands out to me. "Better to shelter in the Lord." Think back to a few years ago when a virus, unfamiliar to most of us and presented by officials as being a deadly enemy whose vulnerabilities were, as yet, unknown kept us "sheltered" in place. Is it spread strictly through touch or is it airborne? What is the incubation period? Are any of us more susceptible than others? We were told to disinfect our mail, wash our hands frequently, and to stay put. Our homes, for many, became a place of refuge. Social media and virtual meeting sites exploded as people longed for human contact or simply tried to do business. Food delivery services kept "unessential" workers' cupboards full. Governmental supplements quietly and without contact were deposited into our bank accounts to compensate for the lack of jobs or places in which to work. All of this as the powers-that-be attempted to gather information and find some way for us to all return to "normal", to a situation in which the entire globe itself was, once again, our refuge. Shelter.

But even as we attempted to shelter in places where we might have once thought we could never want for anything --food, clothing, a hot shower, a clean bed, family --we discovered outside services were necessary. We are not completely self-sufficient --even in our homes. We cannot survive without a continuous flow of provisions. We depend on contact with other beings and entities. As we learned when we attempted to shelter within our safest places, we need shelter of an entirely different, a divinely perfected caliber. 

To shelter in a relationship --All I need is a husband and I will be complete. All I need is a wife and I can be happy. --is no guarantee we will have fullness of joy or eternal life. To shelter in our careers is no promise of security or peace. To shelter in our physicians or even the concept of health perfected cannot provide comfort and encouragement when our hearts are aching from loss. To shelter in our politicians, our teachers, or even our pastors does not assure us we know the truth that provides us with freedom or the strength that allows us to course like eagles through cloudless blue skies. To shelter in anyone or anything but the Lord will always require more. Better to shelter in the Lord. 

He has given us many other things --relationships, work to do, bodies, leaders --in which we can place trust momentarily, even superficially; hands and talents through which He can conduct His business. Trusting in the helps that He has placed before our eyes and ears, is never meant to be a substitute for abiding in Him, but a picture of, a glimpse of what He does for those who seek Him. Better to shelter in the Lord, the Lord our refuge and strength in all things, for all circumstances, and for all eternity. 

 

A Most Worthy Lord

It's Ren Faire season! If you don't know, I suggest you fire up your Google machine, find one nearest you, and go. It's days and days of stepping back in time, immersing yourself in some period food, entertainment, and fun! There's always something to be learned as well. In fact, this week I had the opportunity to review a 1611 King James Bible, and Scott and I unintentionally began bingeing a period drama about a week ago. Unlike our God, who is not wont to waste anything, I wasted years in Miss Williamson's World History classes and now find myself Googling every fifteen minutes, trying to gain context. But I'm learning! And God is merciful. Despite my carelessness, He is showing me other things as well. For instance, the word "lord" is used throughout the Bible to designate a human master. 1 Samuel 1:26 and 25:28 are two examples:

And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord.

Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.

Both of these verses are translated with a capitalized rendering of the word "lord" and a lower-case rendering. In the original Hebrew, these are two different words and are, in the King James, translated accordingly; but the thing that struck me as I found myself perusing this 1611 Bible, watching Netflix, and wishing I was walking the paths of our local Ren Faire, is the substance of the word "lord" --its weight.

When a person was subject to a lord or king, next level obedience was expected. The king demands you hand over your land, your wife and children to him? Obey, and without question. You have been captured by the enemy and forced to live apart from your lord for years? You've earned the respect of your captors and have made a halfway decent life for yourself when your lord shows up? Follow him back to his kingdom with zero hesitation. Your best friend is suspected of treason? You execute the enemy of your master with zeal. Your prince leads you to battle what all evidence points to as an insurmountable foe? You take your position on the front lines and fight with your all until the very end --whatever end. 

Why did those who followed fallible, mortal, sometimes corrupt kings follow so whole-heartedly? Sure, there were dire consequences to disobedience, but monarchs also offered protection within the walls of their kingdom. The lord's army fought for the kingdom and all its inhabitants; victory belonged to the ruler and his people. Kings promised the faithful land, kingdoms of their own and a title, an identity. They fed and provided for subjects in return for fealty and a portion of their yield. Their lives were not their own, but by design, loyalty was not without rewards.

HOW MUCH MORE our King of all kings? our Lord of all lords? Superlative in nature, perfect in justice, infinite in wisdom, boundless in mercy, magnanimous and kind! How much more should we readily obey Him? How much more zealous should we be to bring others to His Kingdom? How much more immediately should we jump to serve Him --and with joy?! How much of an honor should we consider it that our Lord has called us to suffer for His name? His bountiful rewards aside, how much more deserving is He of our all?

As I sat there admiring the quaintness of an archaic font and reading Scripture in the King's English, as I thought of strolling amongst leathercrafters and blacksmiths, as I dug into a bag of popcorn and snuggled next to my husband, it struck me: I and most Americans have no idea what it means to serve a monarch or dictator. We might think we do, but we are far too privileged to have that experience. Perhaps that is why many who call themselves "Christians" serve our King so poorly. We are without zeal for Him. We want to manipulate Him for our own prosperity. We think our relationship with Him is some sort of democracy. We are driven by our selves and break covenant when we are unsatisfied with outcomes. Obedience is practiced at our convenience. When the God through the Apostle Paul tells us we are not our own but have been bought with a price and are subject to our Redeemer, we struggle to understand the substance of that relationship. Everything for the glory of God? First and foremost? But that is the nature of our relationship with our Savior, our King, our Lord. And that is where we find the greatest fulfillment, for our Savior, our King, our Lord is good and worthy of our fealty!