How thankful I am for the truth and reality of that verse. Maybe it's because I'm getting older but I can't recall another time in my life when I've experienced as much change in one year's time. It's astounding! Friends have come and gone, major illness has struck
my family, major life changes are happening all around me - some very, very good and some not so good. I sometimes feel I can hardly catch my breath from one event when something else rolls through and leaves me spinning. How could I possibly continue with any degree of sanity and faith without knowing that our Lord is the ever-present, ever-faithful, ever-constant, loving, strong presence in this life?
In two conversations yesterday, I was reminded that it's the presence of God that we must seek first and foremost. All the striving to do the "right" thing, the good thing, pales in comparison to being in the presence of the Lord. I know how much I need that solid, unchanging presence of God. The awareness of his nearness, his direction, his strength and comfort is what enables me to keep on putting one foot in front of the other in the midst of all these unsettled days.
Most mornings I wake up with a song playing in my mind. I have no idea where that comes from, but it's a rare morning that it doesn't happen. A couple of weeks ago, during an especially difficult and spiritually dry time, the tune playing in my head was "As the Deer". Two of my devotional readings for that day included the psalm that tune is based on, Psalm 42. The first two verses reflected the state of my soul so well:
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
I think the Lord was gently pointing out the obvious to me. It took the three different encounters with these words for me to recognize my own need - to put words to my unsettled feelings. How sweet God is to nudge us, to call us into his sweet presence, to invite us to come and be still and sit with him a while, spend time in the presence of the One who is always the same, always IS.
God is calling us to choose. Do we choose to follow him, to draw close to him, listen for his direction, his guidance, his loving words? Or do we choose to follow the world's ways, to struggle through under our own power, striving to do what is expected and perhaps feeling like we don't quite measure up? How long do we have to struggle along, feeling spent and exhausted before we answer the call to Be still and know that I am God?
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Thanks be to our God!
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