In recent times I have become rather tired of myself. Today I remembered a game I used to play as a child, Snakes and Ladders. I realize how the game seems to follow my journey of faith. When major crises have occurred, when I have felt stripped of my strength or ability to hold things together, I have had times of wonderful spiritual growth where I climbed the ladder to mountaintop experiences. Then life levelled off again and normal routines sent me plodding along without consulting Him because I was handling things, you see. What was or is apparent, though, was that I was not simply plodding along, I was sliding down the snake of complacency. Each moment unsurrendered to Him is a step away from Him and His beloved Presence. And He has been teaching me this for such a long time.
Why, my God, do You tarry
When I am so tired of me?
I will never leave you or forsake you.
Grace, undeserved kindness, a love that will not let me go,
It is so hard to accept at times,
but how I realize that it is exactly what I need.
I want to drink a deep draught of Your love this night.
Fill my thirst, O God.
I long to be steadfast walking with You even as Noah did.
It is scary that suffering is intertwined with steadfastness,
but then again, don't I know it by now?
The Holy Bible
(NIV Version) 1 Peter 5:10:
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
(The Message) Romans 8:31 -39
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
Father, thank You that not even ME can get between Your love and me.
3 comments:
Sita, I hate that game, especially the humiliated feeling of sliding from almost the Finish point all the way back to Start! But how gracious the Lord allows me a fresh start!
Amen to that "not even ME can get between Your love and me". Thanks Sita, your post blessed me again.
Love, Ada
PS: thanks for the prayer last night, I'm off now in His presence and power and protection.
"Father, thank You that not even ME can get between Your love and me."
Hi! I'm back! I just cannot begin to tell you how much your last line resonates with me today. Sigh. I feel like I do get in the way, constantly. Thank you for this reminder. Nothing can seperate me from Him love. Not even back-sliding, self-sufficient, too often disobedient me. :)
Thanks for your openness. Thanks for making me feel less alone in my struggles today.
Blessings,
Kimberly
This analogy is so apt: there are times, especially right now, when I feel myself sliding down the snake in my spiritual life. It is easy to hide, hard to find the ladder and harder still to get the strength to climb it.
Thank you for your good words and appropriate scriptures.
Post a Comment