9/18/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Among the forms of Christian-bashing popular in the last few hundred years, probably the one engaged in with the most zeal runs this way. “Christians are a bunch of weakling idiots who need a crutch. They want to bury their heads in the sane and hide because they can’t handle life in a real world.” Psalm 27:1-9 brings a powerful answer to this critique. What does it say? It says the Christian needs to seek refuge because the world is genuinely dangerous. When there are enemies who would bring harm, we all need a place of protection and safety.
Isn’t this true? Think of the firefighter in a flame retardant, insulated suit with a breather mask and a tank of oxygen. Do we really think it’s a sign of weakness to admit that the firefighter avoids going into high temperatures and threat of asphyxiation without protective gear? Not at all. Think of a soldier entering battle. It is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom that the soldier is armed, armored, and has an effective means of communication and escape if possible.
How much more important is it, in matters of eternal life and death, that we engage with reality in a wise way? Our world is full of adversaries. We can’t expect to be immune to them. Therefore, we take the protection of the God of all, who has promised to keep his people safe. This is not foolishness. In fact, it would be the most foolish thing of all to attempt life entirely on our own.
What does the Christian do with his security? He revels in the presence of God who is over all. He worships God according to God’s revealed word. He looks to God to keep all his promises. Again, this is wisdom. It’s part of knowing our place in the world, our role in the greater scheme of things. The same God who promises to care for all his creation by his mighty hand will be good to his word. That’s the track record we can see from the past. That’s what every reasonable expectation for the future should be. We can find refuge and safety in God’s promises revealed in the Scripture.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
Among the forms of Christian-bashing popular in the last few hundred years, probably the one engaged in with the most zeal runs this way. “Christians are a bunch of weakling idiots who need a crutch. They want to bury their heads in the sane and hide because they can’t handle life in a real world.” Psalm 27:1-9 brings a powerful answer to this critique. What does it say? It says the Christian needs to seek refuge because the world is genuinely dangerous. When there are enemies who would bring harm, we all need a place of protection and safety.
Isn’t this true? Think of the firefighter in a flame retardant, insulated suit with a breather mask and a tank of oxygen. Do we really think it’s a sign of weakness to admit that the firefighter avoids going into high temperatures and threat of asphyxiation without protective gear? Not at all. Think of a soldier entering battle. It is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom that the soldier is armed, armored, and has an effective means of communication and escape if possible.
How much more important is it, in matters of eternal life and death, that we engage with reality in a wise way? Our world is full of adversaries. We can’t expect to be immune to them. Therefore, we take the protection of the God of all, who has promised to keep his people safe. This is not foolishness. In fact, it would be the most foolish thing of all to attempt life entirely on our own.
What does the Christian do with his security? He revels in the presence of God who is over all. He worships God according to God’s revealed word. He looks to God to keep all his promises. Again, this is wisdom. It’s part of knowing our place in the world, our role in the greater scheme of things. The same God who promises to care for all his creation by his mighty hand will be good to his word. That’s the track record we can see from the past. That’s what every reasonable expectation for the future should be. We can find refuge and safety in God’s promises revealed in the Scripture.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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