Divine Providence

 I shall return to the theme of Living Water, but now to interrupt for a "commercial break" on Divine Providence, ever with us, ever solicitous for us.....

During our recent move, things which we don't use every day ended up in new storage spaces.  Whenever we need a little-used item, we have to think about where we might have stored it and go looking until we find it.  

A couple of weeks ago, I was working in the garden and went into the tool shed to pull out a rake.  I noticed then a round bin with tall miscellaneous items -- poles for tying up vines, small rakes and hoes, etc.  Among the items there I noticed a walking cane that had belonged to my mother years ago.  It had been previously stored in the attic and I always knew where it was.  How it ended up in the tool shed when we moved is anyone's guess.  If I had needed it, I would have looked in the garage, in the storeroom, in closets -- but never in the tool shed.  Anyway, I pulled the cane out and hung it on a shelf, thinking we might need it eventually, as my husband had fallen a couple of times recently.

The next day, my right knee started collapsing as I walked, just a few times at first and then regularly.  Each time, I felt as if I might fall, so I headed for the tool shed to get the cane I had found the previous day, thanking God that He had provided what I needed before I knew I needed it!

 A visit to the doctor and an MRI indicated that I had a stress fracture and a torn meniscus and now need a leg brace and a walker for the next 6 to 12 weeks.  Amazingly, a wonderful neighbor had given us a really nice walker during our move.  Her husband had died about a year ago, and she knew my husband had fallen recently, so she graciously passed on his walker to us.  Once again, God had provided what I needed before I knew I needed it!  I could begin using it without delay.

I know that God is our provider -- Jesus taught us to pray for "our daily bread," and He said, "your Father knows what you need before you ask."  But rarely do we "see" His provision in our daily lives.  We are so used to providing for ourselves.  Those who have experienced hurricanes and other natural disasters are probably closer to the truth of God's provision than the rest of us.  And there is great truth to the first beatitude:  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.  "Poor in spirit" may have little or nothing to do with actual poverty, but the actual poor are much closer to the truth than those who think they have no need of God's daily provision.

Could I have provided my own cane and walker?  Yes, but having them right at hand at the moment I needed them caused me to overflow with praise and thanksgiving for the God who "goes before and behind us," directing our steps in His providence.  There is a passage in Scripture that says, "When Israel was a child,... I taught him to walk, taking them by the arms" (Hosea 11).  I am depending on Him doing the same in my old age!

A Question of Pregnancy

 Christ in me, my hope of glory....(Col. 1:27)

What good is it if Mary is full of grace, if we are not also full of grace?  And what good is it if Mary is the Mother of God, if we are not also the mothers of God? (Meister Eckhart)

It is not a question of our doctrine or church membership, but whether Christ is dwelling in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In the same way that Mary was "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit, and the Son of God began to grow in her, so we also must be overshadowed by the Spirit in order that Christ begin to dwell in us.

And if He indeed dwells in us, then He will certainly do in us the work of the Father and continue the mission for which He was sent.  

We need not wonder what it is we are supposed to do today or tomorrow if Christ is dwelling in us and we allow Him the freedom to do in us what He wills.

Living Water

 In the 4th chapter of John's Gospel, Jesus promises "living water" to the woman at the well; in the 7th chapter, He promises that those who are thirsty and come to Him will experience "streams of water" flowing from within them.

This water motif goes all the way back to Genesis and runs throughout the entire Old Testament.  To begin with, with the change of one vowel, the Hebrew word for "blessing" becomes "spring or pool of water:"

Berakah = benediction, fruitfulness, abundance, prosperity

Berekah= a reservoir, pool, oasis

Throughout the Bible, the image of a river or a stream is used as a metaphor for blessings that come from heaven and give us life.  According to Genesis 2, a river flowed out of the Garden of Paradise and branched into four tributaries that watered the earth.  In those days, there was no rain, but rather a mist that seemed to water and penetrate all living things -- the earth is viewed as a kind of biosphere wherein all living things reciprocated health and blessing.  

The Book of Psalms begins with a promise that those who delight in the Law of the Lord will be "like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in due season, and their leaves do not wither."

In contrast, Psalm 32 describes the man bearing unconfessed sin:  my strength (alternate: moisture) was sapped as in the heat of summer.  And Psalm 1 compares the "wicked" to 'chaff" which the wind blows away, rather than trees planted by streams of water.  The motif begins early on, with Adam's sin:  now the ground will yield "thorns and thistles" along with the fruit of the earth, and Adam will eat by the sweat of his brow.  Not so much a "curse" from God, but a statement that Adam (man) and adamah (earth) share the same spirit and destiny.  We breathe out our spirit on the earth as God has breathed out His.  Whatever spirit emanates from us either nourishes or destroys the world around us:  we can cause thorns and thistles to spring up in our wake, or in the words of Isaiah, "Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree; and instead of briers, the myrtle tree will grow" (55:13)

How will the earth flourish under our care?  Only when we stay connected to the Source of Living Water:  For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.  They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams (Is. 44: 3).....They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.  They will neither hunger or thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them.  He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water (Is. 49:9b-10).

...to be continued

The Gift

 I sought the Lord and he answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears (Ps. 34)

If you knew the gift of God, Jesus told the lonely woman at the well, if you knew the gift of God, and who it is who asks you for a drink, you would ask me, and I would give you living water." (Jn. 4:10).

The "Gift" of which He spoke was the Holy Spirit, a meaning that unfolds a few chapters later, in John 7.  We fail to ask for that Gift because we really don't know what it means for us -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, self-control.  These are called "the fruits of the Holy Spirit" because they come to us only by the indwelling spirit of Jesus Himself in us.  In other words, we cannot give these gifts to ourselves or attain them by discipline and practice.

Oh, I don't deny that we can practice self-control, for example, and reign in our anger, resentment, hostility, etc. for awhile-- perhaps for a lifetime even.  In the same way, we can practice patience for awhile, but whether that "practice" produces in us gentleness, joy, and peace -- well, I have my doubts. 

Before someone prayed for me to receive the Holy Spirit, I had tried transcendental meditation, yoga, and the power of positive thinking --- all of which served me well as long as no one aggravated me. (Yes, I know the proper term is "annoyed" here, but aggravated is more descriptive.)  Trying to meet the demands of three children under the age of 5, all of whom had chronic illness of one kind or another, defeated all my efforts to maintain equilibrium.

And we have not yet spoken about fear, or fears.  Who can deliver us from fear?  Fear of illness, fear of not having enough money, fear of public opinion, fear of not being adequate for the task at hand, fear of failure.....the list is endless.  Psalm 34 says, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears."  Now that would be a GIFT, if it were true!  What would anyone give to be delivered from fear?  

And that indeed is the Gift promised and given to us when we ask for the Gift of the Father (see Matthew 7 and Luke 11).  Instead of fear, we are given the "gifts" of the Holy Spirit to help us face life:  wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.  

Recently, I came across a passage from Sirach:  Those who fear the Lord will understand truth. First of all, "fear of the Lord" should be understood as reverence for the Lord.  And that itself is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  "Understanding truth" is a good way to understand wisdom, knowledge, counsel, etc.  Isaiah 29 says this:  Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."  If we have confidence in the guidance of the Holy Spirit at every turn, our fears will eventually diminish, and we can walk safely through the turmoils of life.

When I was 20, someone prayed for me that I might have joy.  Little then did I realize what a gift joy would be to me, especially now that I am 80, and death is nearer now than it was at 20.  My body fails, my mind gives way, my spirit falters at times  --- but the Gift of God is not diminished in me.  Joy is forever!