Day 17: Disambiguation—G.E.G.

"Faith believes God to be truthful: hope waits for him to display his truthfulness at the appropriate time....Faith is the foundation on which hope is build: hope feeds faith and keeps it alive. And just as no one can expect or hope for anything from God without first believing his promises, in the same way the weakness of our faith (which, weary, must not falter) must be supported and preserved by persevering hope and expectancy." —John Calvin, Truth for All Time

In Psalm 3 we cactch a glimpse of David as he is overwhelmed by foes surrounding him, foes both of his own household and those without decrying owe and ill. In verse 3 David says, "But you, Oh Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head." He cried aloud to the Lord hoping—in his wearying faith—that these things might me true. Hoping that he will be given the faith to believe more fully. Hoping that God will display His truthfulness at the appropriate time. And then David went to sleep, "I lay down and slept" (verse 5). It's amazing what rest can do to disambiguate an overwhelming situation. Rest for the body. Rest for the soul. Rest for the mind. Rest in the One Who made us and in Whom we are hoping. God can use rest—that time when we actually dispare of our own competency, our own strength—to renew us body, mind, and soul. And in this rest God bestows on us, just as He did to David, the courage a new start and a new day has to offer. "I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid..." (verses 5-6). David's hope and expectancy is brought to fruition and faith is renewed. Not only does David truely believe once again in God's promises, but now he has been given the faith and strength to live like it, "Strength belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people" (verse 8).


Psalm 3
1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God. Selah [1]

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

A Short Sabatical

Yup, I know. This is not another installment of the 20 Days of Randomness. Let me apologize now. Due to a conference here, a conference there, and the minor tragedy of computer harddrive failure, posting has been anything but proficient these days. And as I am about to flee the country I must confess proficiency will not get any better within the next two weeks. But before I go I just wanted to say that I'm excited. And that while I'm away I have absolutely no plans save getting to my destination. I shall be bringing only the necessities, and I've whittled down the necessary books to equal 5. I was shooting for 3, but justified two more due to the fact that they are rather small and I could probably read them both twice a piece just on the flight over. But don't worry, where I am going there is a rather good and recourseful library so don't think that I'm starving myself due to the fact that each additional check in bag cost one arm plus $25.

Here's what I'm taking to English L'Abri, and heaven only knows what all I'll be bringing back:

Day 16: Belly Button Lint—G.D.W.

From the moment the last remaining bit of umbilical cord falls off till our dying day, we carry with us a companion that sticks with us through the toughest of times, maturing and growing better with age even as we do the same. It is the one constant, the ever present, the always faithful. It can start out small when we are small then grow to fill an ever growing void. It sees us through our first birthdays when our parents think it's cute to let us eat cake clothed only in a diaper. It holds our attention in kindergarten when our long-suffering teachers can not. It then becomes a teacher's aid when our elders seek (to no avail) to instill in us the importance of cleanliness in adolescence. From there it is little thought about, little heard of, little valued. Until the octogenarian age. Then it is rediscovered and appreciated for it's age and complexity, mostly because some one else has discovered it while giving us a sponge bath. Just think, it all started with a bit of left over cord, and then speck by speck, particle by particle it came into its own through ripe maturity. To it we owe a debt of gratitude, for it is part of who we are today.