Monday, March 21, 2022
We are merely moving
shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend
it. And so, Lord, where do I
put my hope? My only hope is in you. Rescue me from my rebellion. Do not let fools mock me. I am silent before you; I won’t say a
word, for my punishment is from you. But please stop striking me! I am exhausted by the blows from your hand. When you discipline us for our sins, you
consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude
Hear my prayer,
O Lord! Listen to my cries for
help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest—a traveler passing
through, as my ancestors were before me. Leave me alone so I can smile again before
I am gone and exist no more. Psalm
39:1-13
A shadow has little substance. Now that is
more than an obvious truth; it opens a host of cans of worms for us
humans. Our shadow is a subtle reminder
of where we go, and what we do. And when
the track of the shadow moves away from God, or without connected relevance to
God, it is rebellion unmasked; our deeds give us away. When we prefer the shadows we give traction to
what Apostle John wrote about the incarnation of Godly substance:
And the judgment is
based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but
people loved the darkness more than the light, for their
actions were evil. John 3:19
The Psalmist admitted this well before John wrote about
it:
Darkness is my
closest friend. Psalm 88:18b
Both the Old Testament Psalmist, and New Testament
Apostle give rise to the shadow David wrote about in the beloved 23rd
Psalm, a valley of shadows, announcing death like a foreboding spectre.
The point of bringing the shadows into the light for our
examination is not a morose elevation of gloom, but rather the warning intended
by Scripture’s overwhelming juxtaposition of light and darkness. God’s Word shows us the difference between
rebellion’s darkness, and the purpose of God’s light of truth. God’s desire is to bring us out of the
darkness, into His marvellous light.
But you are not like
that, for you are a chosen people. You
are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness
of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
For You Today
We understand
darkness because we are fallen creatures, living in a fallen, twisted,
rebellious-towards-God-world. But we
cannot come up with one sound reason as to why we are fascinated-by, and pulled
towards the darkness.
But we also understand the call of God (as
C.S. Lewis put it) to leave the Shadowlands of darkness behind. We are called to walk in His light; there is
no blind stumbling there.
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have
a blessed day!
[1] Title image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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