Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Wondering

This morning I read Psalm 126 and wondered at the wild grace of God that restores His people's miserable captivity and sowing of seeds in tears, replacing them not with denial, not with mere healing, but with abundant harvest and shouts of joy.  I think of the friends sowing in tears today and the shouts of joy of the World Series champions on the screen last night, and I wonder.

Then I read in Ezekiel about God's coming judgment on Israel's neighbors.  These powerful countries on top of the world who abused God's people would surely be trodden underfoot.  The wealthy metropolis of Tyre would become a rock scraped bare by the sea.  I see the consequences of our actions and our pride, and I wonder.

My mind, sluggish and distracted today, loops round and round the phrases of Jeremiah 9:23-24, trying to learn them one word at a time:  no boasting in wisdom, nor in might, nor in riches, but only in knowing God and how He acts on earth.  The only ground of true boasting is not an acquisition or an accomplishment, but a gift?  I wonder.

Ann Voskamp writes about blogging in the Upside Down Kingdom, and I wonder if I am, or if I am just doing this for comments and page views, to convince myself of my own importance.

All these witnesses agree that God's kingdom and our earthly kingdom are oriented in different directions, and one of them is upside down.  I realize this, and I wonder: do I experience that culture shock when I open my Bible, or have I homogenized it with my daily life, though they ought to be as separate as milk and the cream floating on top?  When I close the Book and open the computer, do I even recognize the smell of mothballs and the feel of coats on my skin as I trade Narnia for the wardrobe in the spare room?

And if the radical upside-down nature of life doesn't shock me that way, why on earth not?  I wonder.


holy experience

1 comment:

Thank you for sharing your day with me! Your presence here is a gift. *You* are a gift. Right now I am unable to reply to every comment, but please know I read and pray for each and every commenter. Grace and peace to you in Christ.