Over Here Under My Rock…
There’s a whole lot going on right now.
That statement is true of my own life, and essentially has been all year. And it’s certainly true of our world and our society at large, isn’t it?
To anyone paying attention, I know that recently it might appear that I’ve given up writing.
I haven’t.
As a matter of fact, over the past year, I’ve probably written more than I ever have before. It’s just that I’ve done it for a specific purpose and a specific “audience.” Along the way, it’s occurred to me a few times that something going on there might be helpful to share with others beyond that space. But in the end, time constraints and Real Life have ultimately eclipsed my good intentions…
Until now.
Because one very specific thing keeps landing on my heart over and over again, and I keep wondering what – if anything – I’m supposed to do with it. In the work I’ve found myself doing these days, I’ve had to practice learning to discern: What does God mean for me to share with others, and what does He mean just for me… for my own conviction, understanding, and growth… at least for now?
So, for a while, I’ve wondered if this thing that I keep thinking might just be that: My own assurance and North Star in a time that feels like pretty turbulent waters.
But I mentioned conviction… And nudge after nudge keeps making me wonder if someone else out there might really need the same assurance and North Star right now. I’ve let other things get in the way long enough; so I’m dropping everything else to finally follow that prompting today…
When I refer to the work I’ve found myself doing, maybe you already know a little bit about it. I lead an online community called Ordinary Life, Extraordinary God. We took a little break for summer, but otherwise have been working together for over a year now at exactly what the name implies: Maintaining an awareness, throughout the course of our “Ordinary” days, of our Extraordinary God; of remembering that, whether or not we remember to perceive it, He is always working in our lives.
It has changed my life. In the best possible way.
Recently, some of our work together led me way back to the literal beginning when it comes to God’s word in the Bible. I noticed something there that really struck me. Especially in light of what it feels like to live in this world at this time.
If you think I came here today to tell you that I’m sure we are in the “end times” – I didn’t.
Because I’m not.
God’s word clearly states that no one knows that day or hour. And I happen to fall into the camp of people who recognize and believe that all throughout world history, many societies have had very justifiable reasons to believe that things had “never been so bad.” We do hear that a lot these days, for some very justifiable reasons. And also? We are far from the first to think or say it…
But with that said, in the whole scheme of things - biblically speaking – we are certainly in the “last days”. Because actually, that can identify all of time between when Jesus was born, crucified, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven - and when he comes again. So, there’s that…
Nevertheless, at this moment, there is undeniable turmoil in so many places. So much that feels quite dark, and actually sometimes even evil. I often (only semi-jokingly) describe myself as living, voluntarily, “under a rock”. Because in general, I deliberately refuse to fixate on the 24-hour news cycle… or on the anger, hate, doom, and gloom it would happily usher into every corner of my life. That’s not what God created me to do. But with all that said, even I see it, notice it, and feel it.
So, when in the course of working on something for our group, I wandered into Genesis 18, some parallels between the story there and so much of what we’re experiencing now really grabbed my attention.
I’m linking the chapter here. If you’re so inclined, I encourage you to read it for yourself.
But I’ll give you a preview:
…The land has become consumed by evil and filled with people who have turned away from and blatantly rejected God. Despite all He had done… all the ways He had rescued and saved them to that point… they chose to go their own way. To do whatever felt good at the time. To decide He wasn’t all that important anymore.
And He noticed.
God loves and cares for those who love Him. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. He gave all the people warning after warning. Chance after chance to get their acts together and turn back to Him. Some did. But even more did not. Time is different to God than it is to us. To Him, a day can be a like thousand years, and a thousand years can be like a day. But even He eventually reaches a point where time is up!
That point was rapidly approaching back then; and to those with eyes to see it, the signs were everywhere. Abraham could see it, and he really wanted to change God’s mind. He and his family had done their best to be faithful to God. He couldn’t imagine that they should be destroyed because of other people’s terrible choices.
A prevalent feeling and sentiment right now in our day and time, too, no?
…So, Abraham kept on talking to God about that. Asking him over and over again whether, if He could find a certain number of righteous people in the land, He would reconsider destroying it. This was a bold move, even for a guy like Abraham!
When we know his story, we might tend to think, “He was Abraham.” But it’s important to remember that back then, he was just a dude doing his best to try to live his Real Life in a really weird time. And God was… and has always been… GOD!
But here’s the thing: God listened - and He cared.
Abraham’s persistent, bold questioning didn’t change God’s ultimate plan… That had to happen.
Because good must – and will – always triumph over evil.
But it did bring to God’s mind the people... however few… who didn’t deserve His wrath: Those who had not conformed to the evil around them but instead remained faithful to Him. He would destroy that land. But not before He gave His faithful ones a way out…
Fast forward more than two-thousand years, to right now: As much as things have changed… they actually remain so much the same.
Only we have some very important information that Abraham did not! We now get to know “The Way” out - and we have access to it right now - right in this very moment.
The Way is Jesus.
When we understand and believe that God sent him… His one and only son… because He loves each and every person He has created so much that he wants us all to make it out alive… eternally… We need only reach out and accept that indescribable gift!
When we do, unlike Abraham’s family, we don’t have to flee to unknown territory to escape the wrath that God doesn’t mean for us. We need only live in the land we’re in under the covering of that love; trusting that when time is up and God does eventually destroy all evil – we do have not only “a” way, but The Way out!
…So, am I saying it’s like a “Get out of jail free” card? Does it exempt us from paying attention to and caring about what’s happening in the world around us?
Nope.
In fact, it gives us greater responsibility… along with a greater ability… to do those things.
For as long as we get to live in this world, it matters that we keep our eyes open. That we do our best to show God’s love to the people living in it with us. That we do what we can to shine light wherever there is darkness. That we remember that we always have a Way out of allowing the darkness to pervade too much of the life that God has given us – here and now… because we have something so much more worthy of our attention and our hearts…
For the past week, our group has repeatedly ended up circling Psalm 37. It happened again today, and I especially noticed verse 7. It says,
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
In my study bible, there’s a note next to it. To the question of whether, as believers, we should “stand by while others carry out wicked schemes”, it reminds us that we should “see the wisdom of working hard to change what we can but trusting God with what we cannot”.
Reading that convicted me to finally take the time to say all this today.
…All those years ago, Abraham worked hard to do what he could to make a difference for those who chose to follow God. Looking back now, we can see that what he did mattered.
I have no idea if this… or anything I ever say or do… will make one bit of difference or matter to anyone else at all. And that’s OK. I don’t need to know that. I only need know that I have obeyed the nudges (even when it’s taken more than a few…) to do the things I can…
I guess you could say that taking the time to talk about this today required that I come out from under my rock for a while.
It feels worth doing.
Because actually, I want everyone to know that they, too, can choose to live under my Rock.
I highly recommend it.