"I would have fainted unless I saw the goodness of God in the land of the living." -Psalm 27:13
Sometimes life knocks us down. It drags is around. It takes the breath right out of us. It causes us to faint under the weight and the pressures and the demands of everyday life.
I remember, on quite the handful of occasions, times in my life where I have literally, physically fainted. Some may attribute it to health concerns or problematic physical conditions, while others may look at it as my body simply giving up due to the amount of stress placed upon it. Either way, I know all-too-well what it feels like to faint. It's scary. Moment by moment, you can feel the actual energy of life fading from your body. The scariest thing is not knowing what to do or knowing there is simply nothing you can do because it is all out of your control.
Life is like that sometimes, isn't it? It can be scary sometimes because things are completely out of our control. Actually, who am I kidding? Life is always like that. Things, thankfully, aren't under our control. Sure, we try to make them appear under our control, but ultimately, we control nothing. Sadly, we bargain into this illusion that we can and do control things in our lives. That's where we get into trouble, and problems start to arise. You see, because we do not and ultimately can not control things, someone does it for us. Whether we acknowledge Him in the ins and outs of our daily dealings or not, our ever-loving and always-sovereign God holds the remote controls, if you will, of our lives.
Just yesterday, I was teaching my fourth graders about Paul's second missionary journey; and when I did, I noticed a cross-referenced verse mentioned in the storyline (teacher curriculum). The verse was this: "The steps of a good man are ordered of The Lord."
That may mean nothing to you. It should though. At first glance, we know that "good" people (aka people that have been justified and sanctified by Jesus Christ) have their way or path in life marked out by The Lord. That's reassuring and comforting to us all, right?
Let me take it a step further. Look at the verse again. "The steps of a good man are ordered of The Lord."
It doesn't say that The Lord marks out your path. Yes, paths are made up of steps, but it says nothing about a path in that verse. Why are we as Christians always looking for the "right path" to follow? If you're anything like me, you're always looking for the next big adventure that you and God can go on together. But that's not what this verse is talking about, this verse talks about steps. The daily-type stuff. Like the old hymn says, "I need Thee every hour." That kind of stuff. Breathing in God's grace every moment and breathing out His love to others.
Can I take you another step further with that verse? Not only is it referring to steps of a good man, but it also says these steps are ordered. Did you catch that? Not suggested. Not optional. Ordered. They're inescapable. The steps The Lord has ordered for our lives are inescapable. Now some of you may argue with me that due to sin nature and a fallen world and such that we are doomed to get off track, to go our own way, etc. I agree, but with this logic, you're still looking at the world as if you control it. Remember what we talked about earlier, we control nothing. God is sovereign over everything. "The steps of a good man are ordered of The Lord."
The use of the word "ordered" in that verse has grown in importance to me, personally, over the last few months' journey of my life. When I fell in love with my now-fiancé Jeff (the sweetest, most patient, most wonderful, most honorable, good, handsome, Godly man) who also happened to be in the US Army, I began to learn the meanings and feelings behind words like "deployment" and "orders." I began to relate to the world on a whole new level of emotions, meaning, and respect. I also have been cultivating more careful attention to what truly matters in life and seeking to pour my life into those things.
Amidst all the confusion of this emotional roller coaster called "deployment," it would be easy for me to blame the US Army for ordering Jeff around and for messing up our plans to get married this summer. But that's not fair to Jeff and me. If we did that, we'd be buying into a lie. It's not really fair to the Army, either. It'd be giving them too much misplaced control. Ultimately, it's not fair to God. He's the One planning, preparing, ordering, controlling this whole thing and sustaining the both of us in the process.
Now, I realize that the deployment of my sweet fiancé Jeff isn't the end-all-be-all of all hurdles in life, but it's already tough. It's the filter through which I'm currently seeing life, and it's not easy. It's not exactly fun times. But it's not in my control either.
With all said, that leaves me with some options:
I can stress about it. Oh, boy can I stress about it.
I can worry about it. Faint over it, even. (I've been getting fairly good at physically passing out within recent years.)
UNLESS.
I saw the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living.
Today, I do. Admist it all, I choose to.
Today, in the face of whatever insurmountable, uncontrollable odds you're facing, choose to see the goodness of God in the land of the living over fainting with the near-dead.
You may not control things in your life, but you do have access to the Power that does.
"I would have fainted unless I saw the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living." -Psalm 27:13
Sometimes life knocks us down. It drags is around. It takes the breath right out of us. It causes us to faint under the weight and the pressures and the demands of everyday life.
I remember, on quite the handful of occasions, times in my life where I have literally, physically fainted. Some may attribute it to health concerns or problematic physical conditions, while others may look at it as my body simply giving up due to the amount of stress placed upon it. Either way, I know all-too-well what it feels like to faint. It's scary. Moment by moment, you can feel the actual energy of life fading from your body. The scariest thing is not knowing what to do or knowing there is simply nothing you can do because it is all out of your control.
Life is like that sometimes, isn't it? It can be scary sometimes because things are completely out of our control. Actually, who am I kidding? Life is always like that. Things, thankfully, aren't under our control. Sure, we try to make them appear under our control, but ultimately, we control nothing. Sadly, we bargain into this illusion that we can and do control things in our lives. That's where we get into trouble, and problems start to arise. You see, because we do not and ultimately can not control things, someone does it for us. Whether we acknowledge Him in the ins and outs of our daily dealings or not, our ever-loving and always-sovereign God holds the remote controls, if you will, of our lives.
Just yesterday, I was teaching my fourth graders about Paul's second missionary journey; and when I did, I noticed a cross-referenced verse mentioned in the storyline (teacher curriculum). The verse was this: "The steps of a good man are ordered of The Lord."
That may mean nothing to you. It should though. At first glance, we know that "good" people (aka people that have been justified and sanctified by Jesus Christ) have their way or path in life marked out by The Lord. That's reassuring and comforting to us all, right?
Let me take it a step further. Look at the verse again. "The steps of a good man are ordered of The Lord."
It doesn't say that The Lord marks out your path. Yes, paths are made up of steps, but it says nothing about a path in that verse. Why are we as Christians always looking for the "right path" to follow? If you're anything like me, you're always looking for the next big adventure that you and God can go on together. But that's not what this verse is talking about, this verse talks about steps. The daily-type stuff. Like the old hymn says, "I need Thee every hour." That kind of stuff. Breathing in God's grace every moment and breathing out His love to others.
Can I take you another step further with that verse? Not only is it referring to steps of a good man, but it also says these steps are ordered. Did you catch that? Not suggested. Not optional. Ordered. They're inescapable. The steps The Lord has ordered for our lives are inescapable. Now some of you may argue with me that due to sin nature and a fallen world and such that we are doomed to get off track, to go our own way, etc. I agree, but with this logic, you're still looking at the world as if you control it. Remember what we talked about earlier, we control nothing. God is sovereign over everything. "The steps of a good man are ordered of The Lord."
The use of the word "ordered" in that verse has grown in importance to me, personally, over the last few months' journey of my life. When I fell in love with my now-fiancé Jeff (the sweetest, most patient, most wonderful, most honorable, good, handsome, Godly man) who also happened to be in the US Army, I began to learn the meanings and feelings behind words like "deployment" and "orders." I began to relate to the world on a whole new level of emotions, meaning, and respect. I also have been cultivating more careful attention to what truly matters in life and seeking to pour my life into those things.
Amidst all the confusion of this emotional roller coaster called "deployment," it would be easy for me to blame the US Army for ordering Jeff around and for messing up our plans to get married this summer. But that's not fair to Jeff and me. If we did that, we'd be buying into a lie. It's not really fair to the Army, either. It'd be giving them too much misplaced control. Ultimately, it's not fair to God. He's the One planning, preparing, ordering, controlling this whole thing and sustaining the both of us in the process.
Now, I realize that the deployment of my sweet fiancé Jeff isn't the end-all-be-all of all hurdles in life, but it's already tough. It's the filter through which I'm currently seeing life, and it's not easy. It's not exactly fun times. But it's not in my control either.
With all said, that leaves me with some options:
I can stress about it. Oh, boy can I stress about it.
I can worry about it. Faint over it, even. (I've been getting fairly good at physically passing out within recent years.)
UNLESS.
I saw the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living.
Today, I do. Admist it all, I choose to.
Today, in the face of whatever insurmountable, uncontrollable odds you're facing, choose to see the goodness of God in the land of the living over fainting with the near-dead.
You may not control things in your life, but you do have access to the Power that does.
"I would have fainted unless I saw the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living." -Psalm 27:13
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