Nana Tracks

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.  But let them not return to their foolish ways.  Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.  Unfailing love and truth have met together.  Righteousness and peace have kissed!  Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.  Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings.  Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.  Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.  

Psalm 85:8-13^(NLT)

Our grandkids have always known they will leave our house with Nana tracks.  My bride cannot resist an exposed baby nose, toes or chubby arms; there will always be a transfer of lipstick from Grandma Nana to whatever baby is within reach!  One of our little ones once told me:  You KNOW when Nana’s been here!

For the Psalmist that kind of reality is also true when the character and behavior of human beings bends towards heaven.  God speaks peace to us and (when we’re not so foolish as to ignore Him), the land is filled with glory.  That’s what we see when the unfailing love of God meets with truthful human character.  God’s glory is the result when humankind wages peace because we revere the righteousness of the LORD.  When we are truthful with each other His righteousness smiles from heaven, and blessings of his presence pour over us like the dew of Mt. Hermon.  And, particularly meaningful in Advent, we see that response to righteousness as the herald of the coming of the Lord.

Just as you know Grandma has been loving her grands because of the Nana tracks, you also know when God is near; righteousness and peace kissing is a wonder to behold!

But we do not live in a peaceful world.  That is because we do not live in a world culture where people trust each other…and often with good reason.  The mayhem of shouted insults, harsh language, and persistent grab for a larger piece of the pie is a stridency that cannot invite anyone to the table of peace.

There is an incredibly fine balance between righteousness and peace.  On the one hand peace is favored by most people I’ve ever met.  (There have been a few I’ve known for whom drama piled atop anger is a way of life; they wouldn’t feel right without it).  But peace is a longing within the human heart, a faded leftover of the disappearing stamp of God’s image on our souls.  We want peace, but we learn otherwise.  But the fact remains that only when the righteousness of God is honored entirely can peace have a place at the table.

Christ came as the Prince of Peace, and sin cried CRUCIFY!  And yet His resurrection still offered peace to all hearts and lives. 

What the Psalmist said that God said:  let them not return to their foolish ways…is only possible when we determine we will live in peace; anything less and we crucify him again.

For You Today

Let righteousness and peace have their kiss in your life; walk around with some heavenly Nana tracks; let the world know He’s been here!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

My Cliff to Climb

Monday, December 15, 2014

You’re my cave to hide in, my cliff to climb.  

Be my safe leader, be my true mountain guide.  

Free me from hidden traps; I want to hide in you.  

I’ve put my life in your hands.  

You won’t drop me, you’ll never let me down.      

Psalms 31:3-5 (MSG)

This picture was taken on a family visit to Pilot Mountain last month.  We’ve been there so many times, but when scattered family gathers for Thanksgiving, you’ve got to do something together. 

It’s a good thing my bride, Elizabeth (their grandmother) never saw the picture being taken.  The sight of four of her grandkids scaling mountain walls might have stopped her pacemaker.  (OK, she doesn’t have a pacemaker, but you get the unsettling reference).

Looking at the picture recently made me think of King David’s “mountain experiences”.  He hid in caves, hills, behind cliffs and anywhere he could to avoid being detected by the king’s army chasing him.  David was a hunted man; this was no time for a walk in Pilot Mountain’s park.  King Saul wanted David’s head; he could not stop to enjoy the scenery.

When David later wrote this psalm, the idea of mountains and safe crags in the rock were indelible pictures his mind recalled as he hid and was guided by God’s hand.

There is a life-parallel here:  David climbed physical cliffs and hid in dark, damp and smelly caves; there are a lot of spiritual places like that. 

The days we would color a “depressive blue” are like cave-dwelling.  This time of year, with its bare trees, bleak gray skies and impending winter sometimes brings a cold rock kind of melancholy.  (Especially when older bones start to groan and creak!). 

So why did David recall his cave-dwelling, mountain-hiding days so fondly?

He didn’t! 

But he did remember that, despite the fear and furious pursuit the king unleashed towards David, the hiding place of God – dark, smelly and dangerous as it looks to a grandmother worried about her grandkids – in reality was a haven of protection.

At the risk of offending those who hold to the theory that God won’t put anything more on you than you can handle – sometimes there is more than you can handle…and God is the one who made sure you had to face it!  It’s a mountain, or a king chasing you, or a spouse that leaves, or a bill that will break your bank.  It may be the doctor’s report or something that goes “bump in the night”.  But God is right there, seeing to it that you can’t get to the left or right of it; you can’t go over or under…you’ve got to look it right in the eyes and deal with it!  And it’s more than you can bear!

And that’s the whole point.

There are some things, like “death” for instance, that you cannot bear or handle, or even understand. 

And because of that you don’t need a poor theology that says you can DO it; you need God’s hand guiding, protecting, leading and healing, because you CAN’T do it.

It’s called faith.  It’s like a cliff, dangerous and scary; but it’s how God’s children walk. 

For you, today

Got your day planned?  Got your resources in place?  All going well today?

Well…good; just don’t let all that lead – let faith in God light your path.