Shade Tree Wisdom 6/19/09

If you go out at 6:20 or so, you’ll usually find a slight breeze and the air seems fresh. Later on, of course the heat and humidity sort of take control, and we pray the Lord to send the needed rain. And in His time, He will send it. Right now some counties are already declaring a burn-ban because things are so very dry.

Well, this morning I met two. One was really steaming along and will surely need a shower when she gets home. The other had a large dog on a strong leash and was going at its pace, sort of half way fast. When we met, the dog wanted to check me out, as is its nature, but she firmly held it back and apologized to me. She had control, but as I walked, I wondered whether she really could control the dog. She was a small lady, and the dog was big, healthy, and strong.

Then I thought of our life. How we think we have control of something when suddenly it jerks free and we fall. C.S. Lewis, in his The Screwtape Letters [you may recall this book pretended to be letters from an old experienced devil teaching a young devil how to tempt people], writes this about temptation: “Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings , without milestones, without signposts.”

That’s what signposts in life do. They help us, guide us, keep us safe from harm. The Psalmist said it like this, “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”. Psalm 119,105. Psalm 119 is filled with such wise advice. For example, and we can feel this as well, “I am a stranger in the earth, Oh, how I need a map.” V.19 Or this, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against it” v.11. And such a bit of wisdom, “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.” V.30

Someone has said that life is lived on a slippery slope because of the many sudden and often unexpected pressures and temptations. How right that is. Accidents happen when least expected and when we are least prepared to deal with them. The knock at the door always comes at 2 o’clock in the morning, doesn’t it?

So the Christian does well to arm himself before hand. Indeed, “I gain understanding from your precepts, therefore I hate every wrong path”.v.104, and “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word” v.147 So the Psalmist can pray, “Delver me according to your promise” for “great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble”. Yes indeed, for the Christian, God prepares him with word and promise and the Christian is in God’s hand. I pray such is your life.

GPD 6/19/09