Divine Pandora Intervention

One of the things that I am so thankful for is that I grew up in a church where I was exposed to and learned several traditional hymns   They contain such truth - such solid Biblical doctrine that I find myself drawing on day after day.  This one I discuss today is no exception - a true gem.

 Blessed Assurance

        Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! 
 O what a foretaste of glory divine! 
 Heir of salvation, purchase of God, 
 born of his Spirit, washed in his blood. 
Refrain:
 This is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long; 
 this is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long. 

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight, 
 visions of rapture now burst on my sight; 
 angels descending bring from above 
 echoes of mercy, whispers of love. 
 (Refrain) 

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest; 
 I in my Savior am happy and blest, 
 watching and waiting, looking above, 
 filled with his goodness, lost in his love. 
 (Refrain) 

Written by Fanny Crosby, it has been my comfort over the last couple of days.   Again, things are changing.  Again.  It seems like the only things that we can count on the last couple of weeks has been change.  And I don't mean little stuff.  I'm talking big, dramatic, major-decisions change that affects choices that we make - as a couple, as a family, for the immediate future and down the line.  Seriously, April and May seem like a literal roller coaster for our little quartet of Lutzkys. 

This time, the change was a good one - a great one, even.   A cause for celebration.  But of course, my prideful self, instead of celebrating, instead of praising God, simply shook my fist at Him.  "What do you mean that the old reality, the one we had just gotten used to, the one that was only old in the way that mayflies are old ( they only live for 18 hours or so before they die off)...What do you mean that we are replacing it with yet another new reality?  Seriously, can't we just get on a path and stay there for more than five minutes before veering off again?"  This was my first thought.  And my second.  And my third.  But somehow, between three and however many thoughts it takes to form an actual attitude about something, this hymn came to me.  ( I'll call it Divine Pandora Intervention.)  It caused me to stop and ponder.  To think about my reaction to our change, to my reaction to God's revelation of the next step in His plan for our lives.  (Especially verse three)

Perfect submission, all is at rest   This part reminded me:  So many people think of submission as simply being a doormat - as being used and walked all over.  To me, even the control-freak in me, (which is a HUGE part of me!) submission is beautiful, restful, peaceful.  I know that God loves me and has a plan for me, and I also know (here is the huge secret!) I can't do it all. Even as competent as I am, sometimes, I can't hold it all together.  Something always has to give.  To be able to fully submit and trust someone who has my very best interests at heart, it is a relief and a burden off of me - But that means that I trust even when I can't see the way.  And even when the way seems to change.  I am not in front and don't see the all the circumstances surrounding my "path", or our life.  I don't know what reason our lives keep changing.  But if I claim to trust God, to submit to His will, I must remember that He always always always loves us, that He always always always has my best interests at heart.  This is not my path.  This is God's path for me.  God is the one going before us with the machete, hacking down the tall grass and spiderwebs before we even walk through.  Have I not seen, again and again, God's blessing and grace, as we have walked His path unscathed?  Have we not experienced the beauty of trusting Him, the joy and peace of knowing that He is walking in front of us, preparing this path for us?  If it were my path -  well, who knows where we'd be?  

Frustrated, discouraged enslaved , unhappy, uncertain, hopeless, lonely, anxious,  emotional, unstable, indebted, gluttonous, prideful, arrogant,...

My path sucks.  I can't clear out the wilderness.  Only Christ has the machete.  I have a pair of child-proof scissors!    The enemy wants us to fear, doubt, question.  He wants us to pridefully shake our fists at the Lord and say "What you have done for me is not good enough!  Even I could do better than you!"  He wants us to mourn, grieve the death of our selves, to spend time pitying ourselves.  He cannot take us out of God's hand, but He can make us want to jump!  He can steal our joy and try to thwart the plans God has to use us in His kingdom by making us ineffective and bitter towards God.  He wants us to query God's faithfulness.  He wants us to hold back from giving all of ourselves to God, especially if it means trouble, or sorrow, or suffering. 
But first, King David got it right, then Fanny.

Psalms 55: 4-8, 16-19a, 22-23

⁴ My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen on me.
⁵ Fear and trembling have beset me;
    horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;^[c]
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
    far from the tempest and storm.”

¹⁶ As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning and noon
    I cry out in distress,
    and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He rescues me unharmed
    from the battle waged against me,
    even though many oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is enthroned from of old,
    who does not change—

²² Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.
²³ But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
    will not live out half their days.

But as for me, I trust in you.

 

Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you;  He will never let the righteous be shaken.  Perfect submission, all is at rest.