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Friday, May 06, 2005
If you read my personal blog, you'll get a similar taste of what's on my brain today.
See, I had an experience with God last night.
It didn't start out that way. In fact, if the events of earlier in the day were any indication, it didn't feel much like God was around. Don't get me wrong, there weren't seances and tarot cards...it's just that they day seemed so busy. Our church is hosting a Bible study conference this week, and the attendees seemed so serious and focused and regimented (which is not the way I study the Bible at all. I mean, I'm disciplined, but it usually involves flannel pants and a recliner and a bit more, ahem, shall we say, stream of consciousness.) I had a meeting. Two actually. There were some people needs. There was a bit of enjoyment watching my staff make a presentation and get what they wanted plus some gravy. There were normal dealings with people...explanations, meetings to set up, etc.
There weren't any deep revelations from God that brought goosebumps to my arms and there weren't any disasters that made my blood boil, either. It was just a normal day.
Until I got away from it all.
See, there was no Ranger's baseball game on TV last night (which is usually my drug of choice) and so I hit my hammock in my back yard. Just to clear my head and think.
Then another normal thing happened:
My youngest daughter brought out our copy of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It's a creative little conversation between demons and how they choose to get after people...and my daughter and I have been reading out loud to each other and then discussing what we learned after each chapter.
Anyway, here's what we read in chapter 8:
"One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propoganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself--creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in; He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself; the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."
Suddenly, I was keenly aware of God's presence. The stars were out. My neighborhood was surprisingly quiet, and I really felt like God was talking to me. I didn't share this with Shelby at the time, and very shortly after that it was her bed time and I tucked her in.
But then I went back out and started reflecting on those truths. My God, the Creator of the Universe loves me. He gives me freedom. He wants me to be like Himself. He wants me to have an abundant life. He wants me to walk with Him. He wants to adopt me. He wants to give. He wants to fill. He wants me to flow over. He wants me to belong to Him and still be me.
Manalive.
And that's a lot like what we're supposed to do from Psalm 46. Remember, yesterday we talked about the pauses and the time of reflection. Like a "grunge" song, the first verse goes tells us to focus on God and His ability to be our shelter and our power...no matter what's going on around us.
And then we pause, Selah. And think about that, and reflect on that.
Then it's time to realize that His ability to be our strength and power no matter what's going on around us is far beyond a theological concept...it's a reality. God is with us. Read verses 4--6:
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when the morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold."
And then we pause again, Selah.
Remember the context again. Israel is about the be invaded by an enemy. It FEELS like the city of God, Jerusalem, is about to be destroyed, and likely the Temple is the first thing to go. It FEELS like people will die. It FEELS like God doesn't care. It FEELS like the whole world is going topsy-turvy and there's nothing we can do about it and there's no God and there's...well...it FEELS hopeless. It FEELS like God isn't around.
And then we get a reminder. Entire nations rattle sabres and it rattles our cages. Kingdoms fall, right? Oh wait, God could speak and melt the whole friggin' earth. But that power has balance, too. God is our HOST, and He is with us.
See, our feelings should always be measured by the truth of Scripture. The feelings lied. The truth of Scripture is to be our reality. Not our feelings...which change minute by minute.
And it felt like my day was full of meetings.
It felt like my day was setting up meetings.
It felt like there were serious Bible students milling around.
It felt like I was just living a normal day in a normal way.
And then God reminded me through a book:
I am here.
I am with you.
I love you.
Even hanging out with your kid in your hammock...
The God of the Universe loves you.
The God of the Universe is here with you.
The God of the Universe is here.
There were goosebumps.
And my feelings weren't lying to me.
And I simply enjoyed the reality.
I don't know if you're life has an enemy army waiting outside waiting to make your world topsy-turvy or if you're life was simply mundane...but what I do know is that from Psalm 46, we learn that God is there in the midst of us.
You think you could tell us of a time when you experienced the presence of God and it changed your perspective? Yeah...that'd be great if you could do that in the comments.
Brent 4:54 AM
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