So many hopeless, and I had no idea the breadth. The number who count their lives as extinguishable and I fear this is not what Jesus meant when He talked about loving and hating our own lives. We are monumentally missing the flame that cannot be extinguished.
Because we make our lives our own (which is a deception), we are trading the truth (which is that God is love) for a lie (which is that God is not good).
How can we be ministers of reconciliation to the despairing? I watch a friend refuse over again the walking with part of life, and I know what this is like...a struggle, a wrestling with...Can I pray, knowing how Jacob's story ends, LORD of hosts put my hip out of place that I might have no other choice but to depend on you after I have held my ground for so long through the night?
So many would-be examples to imitate are keeping their distance for what reason?
To give us our space??? We don't need our space. We need you to break into our lives and ask the hard questions, demand a reply. We need you to ask us for that drink of water when you have the fountain within you ungrieved.
We don't seek you out because of so many reasons...maybe we don't want to bother you or make someone else look upon something wretched because when you're in it, it's hard to see that broken can be beautiful. It's not the broken alone that is art...it is the broken restored and brought into the light shadows and all...and the Lord made the heavens, great Artist...and you, his priesthood, have a glorious ministry with Him as he beautifies the new temple.
Look at our ugliness and darkness and still see the fingerprint of God on us and we will shine still. And not like a curiosity but as real flesh and blood and spirit. He makes dust sing!
Shepherd our hope when we cannot own our own hope.
Pray for us, take roof tiles out and lay us at the feet of Jesus.
Lord, let me shine like that. Let me wear this robe...confident in the name of Jesus and by the power of your Holy Spirit.
0 comments:
Post a Comment