A Sprinkler for God--a Haiku

I am a sprinkler.

God uses me to spread LOVE.

Life-saving water.

(by Jenny S. Gregg, 4-2-2015)

Wander or Trust?

Lessons from the Desert

I have always been amazed at the Hebrews as Moses led them from Egypt.  Time and again, they turn away from God. They repent and over and over, he forgives them and all is well.  For a while. I’ve always wondered how could they possibly doubt God after all he had done for them and all he had shown them. Today I realized that there’s a huge metaphor in this story.

         

The Israelites were in bondage as slaves in Egypt.	We are in bondage as slaves to sin.
God send Moses to the Israelites to free them from Pharaoh and a life of slavery.	God sent Jesus to us to free us from Satan, and a life of slavery to sin.
They celebrated and praised God at first when they left Egypt.	We usually have a spiritual high (or honeymoon period) after accepting Jesus as our savior.
Despite all God did to free them, the Israelites panic and doubt that God will care for them.	Despite all that God did to save us, we panic and doubt that God will care for us.
When the going gets rough, Egypt starts to sound better than it was.	When the going gets rough, our old ways feel a lot more safe and comfortable.
God supplied their every basic need.	God supplies our every basic need.
The Israelites were never satisfied—they always wanted more.	We are rarely satisfied—we always want more.
They whined and complained (a lot).	We whine and complain (a lot).
When Moses was delayed on Mt. Sinai meeting with God, the people rebelled and turned to their own false “god”.  Even Aaron their leader.	When God feels very distant, and we are in a period of waiting, we often take matters into our own hands.  We turn to other things (gods).  Even our leaders are susceptible.
God rebukes the people, and disciplines them.	God rebukes us and disciplines us.
They repented (over and over).	We repent (over and over).
God was amazingly patient with these obstinate people.	God is amazingly patient with obstinate us.
God led them to the promised land.	God gives of the opportunity to move into a beautiful relationship, abiding in him—to be one with him.
When the spies scoped out the promised land, the majority of the people totally chickened out and did not trust God.	The majority of us don’t take the final step to trust God completely and cross over to completely abide in him.  We chicken out of completely surrendering control of our lives.
The Israelites turned away from the promised land, and spent the rest of their lives wandering in the desert.  They were no longer slaves in Egypt, but oh, what they could have had!  But they rejected what God trying to give them.	Many (most) Christians are content to “wander in the desert” because they are unwilling to completely surrender and trust God.  They are no longer slaves to sin (they are “saved”), but that’s it.  Therefore, they have dry, bleak spiritual existence—never comprehending how easily they could have lived in a spiritual paradise, abiding with God.
God continued to graciously meet the Israelites’ basic needs, including water and manna, but what a sad, sorry way to spend the rest of their days.	God continues to graciously meet our basic needs, even when we reject what he offers. And make no mistake about it—each and every one of us must accept or reject God’s offer of life with him in a land flowing with milk and honey.

Flexing My Spiritual Muscles

An image came to mind this morning as I thought about the importance of having regular quiet times with God. I mean, if I am to live my life in the presence of God without ceasing, then what difference does it make whether or not I have regular times with him in solitude?

Then I remembered that I have been struggling with physical pain in my upper back—pain that the experts tell me is being caused by poor posture (and too much time hunched over a computer!). The remedy is specific weight training exercises designed to strengthen the muscles that hold my shoulders back and keep my spine in alignment. Yes, I can remind myself throughout the day to stand up straight (and I do), but without those exercises, it’s really an exercise in futility. In the blink of an eye, my posture sags back into a caveman-like position.

But when I faithfully show up at the gyms and do my exercises, proper posture becomes almost effortless. By strengthening the muscles, my body maintains the correct position without conscious thought. And when that happens, the pain goes away, I feel better, and living my life becomes a lot more pleasant!

God is my Personal Trainer!
The same is true for regular quiet times with God. The object is not to get “warm fuzzies” and good feelings from God—it is to show up faithfully, trusting that God has my well-being at heart. At first, it is not easy and certainly not automatic to show up for one-on-one time with God. Every imaginable excuse why I can’t spend this time right now will pop into my head with alarming intensity. But with determination, faithfulness and most importantly, with the help of God himself, I CAN show up.

And when I begin to make this time a habit, I slowly come to see the connection between my quiet times with God, and my ability to live my life in his constant, loving presence. It goes from being a chore I feel obligated to do, to a loving response to the One who loves me the most—a time I don’t want to live without.