“Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the Mighty.” Job 35:9
The seven-year-old boy wandered off towards the tallest slide on the playground. His ability to conquer the smaller slide nearby bolstered his confidence and spurred him to leave his father’s side and venture off on his own. His dad, seeing the situation evolve, looked on in amusement at his son’s growing confidence in his own abilities. As the young boy climbed the steps of the grand slide, they seemed as if they would never end. They took him higher and higher, to the very top of the world it seemed. Once at the top, he carefully peered over at his father to make sure he was close, his father acknowledged with a wave and a smile of encouragement. Building his confidence to cresencdo, the boy stepped over the precipice and began his new journey...alone. But as he approached the ground, he was not prepared for his newfound velocity, and it spat him out on the earth as a stone from a sling. The tears immediately came along with the accompanied fright of newfound pain. All he could think was to cry out the one name he knew would help. Daddy! You see, in the many steps of our lives, we build confidence. Confidence in ourselves, confidence in our abilities, and confidence in our own strength. And if not kept in proper perspective, we can easily see God the Father as a rescue device instead of the source of our strength.
Elihu continues to get page time in God’s Word, and he uses it to lecture not only Job, but all three of his friends. Elihu leaps off the pages as arrogant, prideful, and egocentric in his delivery, yet one cannot argue that the truth of God is engrained deep within his message. It brings up an entirely different study topic, is your message of God being killed not by the content, but by your delivery? But as Elihu rebukes Job, he brings up an interesting point. Why exactly is there suffering in the life of a believer? God could easily snap His fingers and make the life of believers as Heaven on this Earth, free of tears and pain. Why doesn’t He? Just as the young adventurous boy on his journey of discovery thought he could do without His father, we can be oh so guilty of the very same. We can, in our life adventures, wander off in our own pride. We can assume that our own power, intellect, and history of successes will be enough to see us through to what we desire. But as things go awry, as things spiral out of control and you find yourself lying at the base of the slide with two skinned knees, who will you cry out to? For you see, in the process of crying out to the Father, in this process of you realizing who truly holds the power, God is purifying you.
Today, in whose strength are you walking? Is God at the forefront of your thinking or is He, as the father in our story, kept at a distance and only called upon if there’s an emergency? You see, the process of purification and sanctification comes through staying close to the Father, following Him closely and not adventuring without Him, but alongside Him. This is a constant struggle for me and one that brings many bruises and tears and much self-inflicted pain. But in the glory of God, He is always near, watching and waiting to help. I must only acknowledge that God’s primary role in my life is not one of an E.M.T., one to only be called upon in dire straits, but a Father. A heavenly Father that seeks to orchestrate every thread of my life with His perfect sovereignty. All I have to do is accept His role in directing my steps as I resist the urge to blaze my own trail.
Today, if you feel alone and scared, look around, you may find yourself at the top of a slide, with God merely watching from a distance. Climb down and rush to the Father’s arms and reside there. Reside in the safety of the one that loves you enough to constantly be sanctifying you to be more like His precious Son, Jesus Christ.
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3a
Comentários