God and circumstances and Godliness
29 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
A couple months ago( I wrote this then but never published it, ha) I had an experience at Church that was one of the most moving I’ve had in a long time. No single factor deserves the credit, except for God’s Spirit I suppose. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I had one of those “moments” where I “felt” the Holy Spirit in a special way and that I really liked it. Instead it was the form and content of all that was said and done that was formative and transformational for me where I was at. My weekend was on a downward trend of anxiety and frustration over a whole range of issues. One of the readings that morning was about when the people of Israel complained in the desert. It was convicting. A follow up reading was done antiphonally with the congregation repeating the second part of each poetic phrase of a selection from Psalm 78 where the people sang out the praises of how God provided for and led our ancestors in the faith. It was so wonderful to remind myself of God’s faithfulness in this very biblical fashion. I was ashamed at how much I had forgotten the goodness of God in my own life as well.
Furthermore, I began to scrawl out notes about three of the most significant events in the Gospel: The Transfiguration, the Cross, and the Resurrection. I quickly thought of it like this. The Transfiguration revealed God’s glory beyond circumstances. It was as if the curtain of this world’s darkness was pulled back for a moment allowing the full weight of truth to become visible (and terrifyingly good). The Cross revealed God’s love in circumstances. In this image, we see the full weight of trouble and sin and yet God’s powerful enduring love in it. How intimate and strong! In the Resurrection appearances, we see God’s victory over circumstances. All of this infused my heart with immeasurable hope and courage. Additionally I began to feel like I really could go forward and continue to profoundly love the unlovely (like myself) with unconditional value and respect, and also with courageous confrontation when necessary. If God is glorious beyond, victorious over, and loving in the midst of the darkest accumulation of the world’s wicked circumstances, then I could, by Him living in me, have no reason to faint under any complexity.
Sometimes, for me, I really do get zeroed in on circumstances in life. It’s not because I am forgetful of God, but rather, for the very sake of the kingdom of God, I view every aspect of life as an opportunity to manifest and witness His kingdom’s dominion- and this intense task orientation sometimes means I lose sight of the forest for the trees. But I have to admit that recently I’ve gotten dizzy and overwhelmed to the point of feeling like this was a battle with an uncertain conclusion. God gives more than a good hope. He gives beauty and happiness beyond the fight, strength and perspective in it, and the eternal victor’s prize beforehand! I felt more free to confess my faults than ever before and more peaceful and empowered afterward. It is His work beyond me, in and through me, and unto His own secure dominion. I will praise Him and give my all to accept and follow and learn. Just thought I’d share that.
