September 27th, 2013
Psalm 39:7 — And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
We’re preparing a song in choir at present. It has a repeated phrase — “You’re all we want, you’re all we need …”. I’ve been thinking out whether I’m really honest when I sing it. I know I should be. I know I want to be.
Consider this “bargain”. The Lord says to you, “I’m going to take your family, your home, your job, your finances, your health — everything you’ve got. In return, you get Me. Constant access, constant presence. All of Me, all the time.” Think carefully. Would you really take the deal?
Of course Job got a deal like this … but he didn’t get a chance to opt in. It was imposed upon him. It worked out OK for him — but he didn’t know what he was getting into, and what he was getting out of it!
If, like me, you have to struggle with this, perhaps you shouldn’t feel too bad. First of all, I’ve come to the realization that I’m not perfect (yet!). Second, I think I might be mistaking the case. It’s not “you can have me, or you can have the other stuff”. It’s “you can have it all, and you can have Me — as long as you depend on me to provide what you need, and don’t go depending on anyone else”.
You might think that’s a bit exclusive. But depending on anyone or anything but God is to make a false god.
I know God provides all I need. See what Psalm 104 says — “These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.” But what happens if I turn my eyes from God? How does the Psalm continue? “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.”
God gives us the gift of life and the possibility of eternal life. Beyond these, perhaps the greatest gift God gives us is the gift of choice — and then after the gift of choice comes, maybe, the gift of knowing who to depend on. God trusts us to get it right — to choose Him. What He doesn’t give us is autopilot. Getting it right, every time, is not automatic.
I know God is all I need. I want Him to be all I want. Maybe I’m not all the way there yet — but I’m working on it.