Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Rest and Peace in the Midst of Chaos

Life is always interesting!  There is so much to observe and learn.

Why?  There is so much chaos.  It is often hard to see what God is doing.  The illusion of control binds us, but it is certainly false.  Given all the difficulty and chaos, we have to walk by faith!

This is certainly one of those times in life.  Instead of knowing with certainty what I should do, I am in place of waiting in trust and rest in the grace of God.

I know this is where I should always be, but it is not always my experience!

I am glad to report that I am growing better at trusting and resting.  I am sad to report that I am still not really good at it!  I am much better at control than trust; at self-effort instead of rest; at worry and fear instead of peace and joy.

In the midst of these struggles, the Lord speaks Ps 86:11.

Teach me your way, O Lord, 
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name forever.

Unite my heart.  What a great phrase!  This is exactly what I need.

My very real human condition is most often marked by self-reliance.  Yet, I was created to be in complete reliance and trust by faith in the one true God.  When I live in my real human condition, I experience anxiety, fear, depression, and self-pity on the one hand and control issues, self-reliance, self-righteousness, and pride on the other.  Often, I seem to bounce back and forth between these two poles of human experience.  Sometimes I make this bounce within a single minute!

Unite my heart, O Lord.  How?

Unite it so I regain and live in faith and trust in Your love and mercy.  Unite it so learn to walk in Your truth and the gospel instead of in my selfish thoughts and self-righteousness.  

Lord, unite that which is separated!

Weeks like this past one help me to see that God is faithful and He will lead and guide.  Yet, I need His grace to believe it before the next week!  Experience is a good teacher, but God's grace is needed to change my heart, to unite my heart so I can rest in God's grace.

What about you?  I encourage you and I, like David before us, begin the week by praying Ps. 86:11.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name forever.

No comments:

Post a Comment