September 20, 2010 - Jeremiah 15:19-21 - Redemption

"Therefore thus says the Lord;
If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
not you who will turn to them.
And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you to save you and deliver you,
says the Lord.
I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless."

It is good to know that God is there to save us. In this passage He is talking about outside forces, but the same goes for our inward folly as well.

What I notice is that God doesn't just swoop out of the sky and grasp us like an eagle in His talons and carry us away from danger and sin and idiocy. No, we have to do something first. We have to turn back to Him. We have to utter precious words, not only with our lips, but in our lives. And even before that happens, we have to acknowledge to ourselves that we are lost. Lost, frightened, alone, and beset by dangers all around.

Enemies we thought were friends hang onto our hearts and sit in our heads when we would rather they be gone. Situations out of our control swirl about us like so many dust devils, not as devastating as a tornado, but enough to kick up enough dust so that it makes it difficult to see clearly.

Then, we turn to God, we turn to Christ, and He is always there. Always closer than the air inside our lungs. Closer than the heart that beats inside our chests. He blesses us, and opens His arms wide, and welcomes us in.

It is humbling to know that God finds me worthy enough to fight for, especially when I don't feel particularly worthy (or not worthy at all). Exodus 14:14 says: "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still." And isn't that one difficult? Since we were children we've been told we have to fight our own battles. We fight against bullies, and injustice and ourselves with a ruthless passion, and yes, sometimes our flesh needs to do that. But when it comes to our souls, our spirits, it is good to know that God Himself is in our corner. There is a passage that I cannot seem to find this morning, in the Old Testament, where deliverance is delayed because an angel was busy fighting for the person in question. (If you know where this is, would you let me know? It's going to drive me nuts until I find it...)

So, this morning, I just take heart in knowing that if God is for me, who can be against me? The dust devils that plague me are nothing against God's love for me. And when the dust clouds my vision, I know there is One who sees all things clearly, and I have only to trust in Him, and all will be well.

Blessings, Phoenix