Shade Tree Wisdom 5/25/10

The morning walk is warmish made better with a little breeze. So I persist, especially since my heart Doctor says it’s good for me so to do.

After last Sunday the choir is taking a brief vacation to relax, regroup. But they left us with that wonderful Aaronic blessing with its sevenfold Amen. That always sends a deep message. You can just see the children of Israel at day’s end, bowing deeply and hearing Aaron, their High priest, speak these words into their ear. “The Lord bless thee and keep thee” to remind them, they are always under His watchful care. Then, “The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious unto you”, so He is ever watchful, but also filled with grace and favor toward them and their lives. So finally, “The Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace”. How best to see the setting sun and the ending of the day. To know they have peace with their God because sins are forgiven and God Himself has declared them righteous.

What better way to leave a worship service than to have those promises ringing in our ears. It eases the way for the soul and strengthens the faith in the heart that may be burdened with sorrow and cares.

That, too, is a part of our Christian heritage we cherish, but so often carelessly toss aside as ‘old fashioned’ or ‘out of date’.

And that attitude depresses me, scares me, for we see the fall- out all around us when we forget sin is sin and man is born that way.

We ought to live like Daniel did. He was living in a land where he was much alone, not surrounded by familiar people, not even having a temple near. Babylonia was a heathen land. Yet when he came, he determined not to leave his moorings. The report reads, “And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” Dan. 1,8, He made up his mind before any tests came how he would act. And God blessed him as he served his heathen king. Daniel did so well and was so able that he received promotions, and that provoked jealousy and brought on further tests. When his jealous opponents could find no fault in his work, they said, now listen closely, they said, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God”, ch.6,5. So they had a law passed about prayer, and Daniel prayed only to God, and did it openly. So he ended in the lion’s den, which he survived because God kept him safe.

When we look at the many problems and troubles facing us today we cannot but be dismayed how we are squandering our heritage, not only in this country, but also in Europe. The Christian Church is not the sound foundation to be counted on to lead and teach. Christians have too often not been faithful in their stated faith, for too many were not even sure just what that faith is. The Christian Church has not been forthright in declaring “Thus sayeth the Lord” because they declared parts of the Holy Bible irrelevant to this day. So for many there simply is no certain bugle call, no sure word, no certain guide.

I pray we will live like Daniel in this world, letting our light shine as God’s children, who may be living by a different drummer, but know where they are going and who saved them. They know and believe their sins have been paid for when the Son of God, Jesus Christ, suffered, died, and then rose again. The debt is paid, and they have “peace with God.” May it help you sleep better.

GPD 5/25/10