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“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall…” – Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV)
Most of us are guilty of wanting to govern our own paths. Our desire to direct, control, and manipulate our surroundings shows up loud and clear in our actions and attitudes. Strangely, these days we have all gotten a glimpse, that as much as we desire to operate as self-sovereign pilgrims on our own journeys, we aren’t even successful in venturing out of our own cul-de-sacs! Headlines blast the need for “cures” these days! Perhaps this new normal or pursuing global, medical antidotes is positioning us to ultimately seek an eternal cure through believing in Jesus. Perhaps these changes in our focus aren’t the world off the rails, but are God’s perfect plan. The one He will use to remind us how to reset our thinking beyond our temporal self-imposed wants to a Redeemer, not merely a fixer of our chaos.
Truly there is division all around us these days: countries blaming countries, political dysfunction, criticism dispensed like daily vitamins, and opinions posted larger than billboards on every social media outlet (tons of noise; but few answers, fewer kind words, less unity, stunted servanthood, and sparse grace). Perhaps the new set of rubrics being downloaded heavenly reveal, “The answers aren’t within us, but are only found in the tremendous grace of Jesus!” Could it be that we don’t have everything figured out? It’s difficult to imagine that if everyone fell in line behind our agendas we might not be better off!
Maybe this “shake up” in our daily lives is to remind us that we don’t have the capacity to see the front of the puzzle box as to how this is going to look when all the pieces are divinely placed together. And to act as though we do is to fail to resemble the wisdom of the Creator. If we chose to step away from the puzzle and extract our self-sovereign opinions, the focus could be on God’s finished work and plan of action, whatever He chooses. Americans especially find this type of thinking difficult to grasp. After all, we are informed, educated, independent, and empowered to take charge and create conversations and move things “forward”. But what if we are moving the ladder away from God’s wall? I don’t think we need more of us in the coming days. I think we need more of Him…His wisdom, His direction, His love, and His interruptions to our scheduled plans. If we choose His way, we automatically receive the cure that matters, that’s eternal, and worthy of a living sacrifice. Perhaps the only cure (for eternity that we should be seeking) as the puzzle pieces begin to take shape is simply Jesus!
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