Sometimes I root for the “bad guys” in the movie. In particular, I’m thinking of the safe cracker. You know the one whom all the other bad guys are protecting as he (or she!) turns the combination dial a bit one way and then the other, all the while keeping his ear to the safe to hear “the click.”
For me, a person who probably never once in her life has been successful in opening a rotary combination lock, this is the critical moment. Will he or won’t he hear the click? How can she concentrate with her heart pounding in her ears (which mine would be doing)? How does anybody hear anything in this crowded space with sparring characters all around? But then, all the commotion lessens and (in the best movies) everyone begins to move in quiet slow motion as the safe cracker makes the critical last rotation, listening ever so carefully and then she takes a deep breath and turns the handle on the safe and … pulls the door open! Victory from the midst of the chaos!
It’s not that I want whatever is in the safe to be stolen, unless they are stealing from a seriously bad guy! But I want the old-time “technology” to succeed. I want the honed-over-the-years skill to redeem itself above the current flash of the next new and better thingy that can open any safe from 50 or 50,000 miles away with an app on somebody’s smartphone. (I made that up but it’s probably more likely than I want to know.)
I’m already looking forward to Fall so I’ll just say … it’s like canned chili versus slow-cooked chili. One works but the other takes some patience, some skill, and some finessing; it’s classy and it’s worth the wait. Alas, I am often in short supply of both patience and skill, but I do want to live that way. I don’t eat the canned chili, ever.
In my time with the Lord’s Word or in awaiting answer to a prayer or many prayers, I can become impatient pretty quickly and think maybe God’s not hearing me. Maybe I should do what I think is best instead of waiting and continuing to seek Him in Word and prayer
Almost every selfish decision, in my experience, leads to disappointment with a side-helping of more trouble and more waiting – all self-imposed consequences. And that damages my witness, my opportunity to share what the Lord has done, is doing, and will continue to do, according to His Word.
From Psalm 145.8-18
8The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9The LORD is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
13b[The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14The LORD upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
17The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
God is kind and compassionate, good to all.
He is faithful.
He sustains and lifts up the weary and down-hearted.
He is righteous.
He is near to those who call on Him with submitted hearts.
He is preparing a place for us believers to be with Him !
No need for a gang to protect me while I unlock the safe where the good stuff is stored. The good stuff is the Scriptures. And they are not locked up in a safe. They are offered generously and specifically for you and for me. This is your moment with the treasure of God’s Word which has the power to restore equilibrium and right-thinking and astounding peace when you savor His message to you.
Blessings, Colleen
Here are a couple of VBS prayer points for this week …
- Praise for the efforts of many dedicated people to bring VBS to fruition.
- Please uphold Carin Agor and Jenna Morrison as they coordinate many moving parts of VBS leadership.
- Pray for families to come join the fun of VBS at PCC this summer, August 4-8, registering their kids soon.