Where Were You?

Hey, Y'all,

Pardon the interruption :-) These past couple-three weeks have really made me think... In fact it's been the work of several days to put this RST together (and I still can't say I've got it all down the way I'd like). Been ruminating on all sorts of things--interestingly, they've been mostly common yet devastatingly profound things...

Sunlight.
Hard rain.
Providence.
Coincidence?
The restless ocean.
Vast desert panoramas.
Colossal mountains.
Wide open plains.
The inscrutable night sky.
The past.
The future?
Weddings.
Funerals.
Births.
Love.
Change.

Can't really say precisely how these are tied together, but they certainly are in my head and heart. The experience has, I think, changed me, grown me, opened my eyes a bit more. And most importantly lent me some perspective.

I've often thought these last couple of weeks of God's non-answer to Job's questioning--it starts out like this:

Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions?
Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone--
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

I find myself staggered, literally, to my knees, reminded again that God is God, and I truly know nothing. I find myself answering, like Job: "I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer...Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to comprehend...I repent in dust and ashes."

Yep, as we've discussed (well, especially with one of you :-) real prayer is totally positional--it's how I know, how I learn, my place. And I find this to be a very good thing, because He said I should have no other gods before Him, and I keep dethroning Him.

So, you've been prayed for today...

Even as I put my hand over my mouth, reverently...
For surely I speak of things I do not truly understand,
things too wonderful for me to comprehend.

"Gracious Uncertainty"

Hey, Y'all,

Today's RST comes to us courtesy of Sharon (thanks!) and is for me a (relatively :-) gentle reminder of what I ought to be striving toward...'course I'm sure it's just me (oh, and Sharon of course LOL!). Check it out...

Came across this in "My Utmost for His Highest" for April 29th. Thought you might appreciate it...it reminded me of our conversation about being "still" [ed.: not an easy thing, at all].

"Our natural inclination is to be so precise--trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next--that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty...Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life--gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life...We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God...We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But, when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy."

Someone passed this along too:

"A simple life....a simple faith...an uncluttered mind."

Oh how life could be if we didn't have all these grandiose plans and expectations. If we exercised that good "uncertainty" we might actually achieve greater plans and expectations.

Just thought I would share.

Words to live by, Sharon--not easy by any stretch, but words to live by nonetheless. Thanks for the reminder. You (and the rest of the list) have been prayed for today...