Still my Abba after all these years

My kids (yes, the youngest is 32 so they are not really kids) have blessed their Mom and me in this time of illness.  They call, encourage, re-arrange schedules to help care for her.  Through sentimental tears I remember when they thought their Dad was the smartest guy in the world. They believed I could make anything better! They trusted me with their lives. It was my God-given responsibility (and privilege) to teach them about the world they lived in, how to interact with other people, the meaning of life, and even about God Himself.  Now they know, better than ever, that Dad is just an ordinary guy. They ask for advice but realize I’m not a god. (smile) They still trust me, but not in the same way they did when they were 5; and that is a very good thing!

I am Abba’s child and, unlike an earthly father-child relationship, never outgrew my faith in His omnipotence or omniscience.  Some Christians become more “sophisticated” in wisdom and knowledge and learn to 'explain away' the promises of God.  Certainly faith matures, but it should grow stronger, more central to our daily lives, not less.  Still, there is no denying that  our experiences in life require that we work at trusting Him, don't they?  His ways can be hard to understand, even more difficult to accept. 

King David wanted to do a good thing and bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. (The Ark was the symbolic dwelling place of God among His people.) His enthusiasm outran his knowledge and he failed to do it in the way God prescribed. Instead of putting the Ark on poles, carried on the shoulders of priests,  David put the Ark in a cart. When the cart shook on the bumpy road, Uzzah reached out to steady it and as he touched it, he died! Take note of how David reacted to this tragedy - "Then David got angry because of God’s deadly outburst against Uzzah. . . .David became fearful of God that day and said, "This Chest is too hot to handle. How can I ever get it back to the City of David?" (2 Samuel 6:8-9, The Message)  I know that fear. When I focus on my own needs, diminishing the wisdom of my Father, He terrifies me!

And, yes, too - when God acts in ways I cannot understand and/or allows things to happen that do not make sense, I can become angry, too. Yes, I will admit to asking, (not so humbly)  "Is this the way You treat those who love and serve You? Who will ever trust You if you let things like this happen to people who give themselves wholeheartedly to You?"   He is patient and His Holy Spirit gently tugs me back to trust. I hear Him urging,  "Jerry, let your mind and heart become child-like. I know what I am doing! Pray in faith. Take new solace from my promise of eternal life."

So, I will! The sorrow I feel is relieved when I choose to trust Abba’s wisdom and providence in a situation that appears to have no 'up' side, at all. On this side of Eternity our 'why questions' will have no apparent answers. We can demand that God give us a reason, and remain furious with Him, cutting ourselves off from knowing His peace and comfort. Or, we can pray for a child-like trust. That kind of no reservation trust is the road to maturity.  There is a childish, chirpy kind 'faith' chatter that some misunderstand for trusting God. That is just a cover for great insecurity, a way to get God to do what we want Him to do by saying things we don't really believe. I will settle myself as I hear His Word tell me again - “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think." (Isaiah 55:8-9, The Message)

Jesus urges us to become child-like in faith. "Unless you become like a little child, you will not enter the Kingdom of God." (Mark 10:15) How I pray for a heart that comes to my Lord with child-like simplicity, that trusts Him without arguing, that accepts each day from Him without demanding that He act differently! Child-like faith admits anger and frustration with His ways, but steps over the barrier of 'why' and trusts Him anyway and shows that trust with total obedience! Do you trust Him today? Really trust Him in a way that causes you to obey Him completely, even when the sinful nature screams to do things differently?

Here's a passage for your meditation today. May the Word inform your faith and make it strong today. "We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so that his Son would be the first of many children. God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them. What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us?" (Romans 8:28-31, CEV) Amen.

_______

My faith has found a resting place,

Not in device nor creed.

I trust the Ever-living One,

His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea,

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

-          Public domain