Walk with Patti and me . . .01

but they who wait for the LORD

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

(Isa 40:31)

This is a tired old verse – isn’t it?  It’s been used and abused since I can remember. 

As I read it today, though, I was struck by the conditional part of the verse:

they who wait for the LORD

That word “wait” is interesting.  Zodhiates in the, Complete Words Study Dictionary writes:

The root meaning is that of twisting or winding a strand of cord or rope,

but it is uncertain how that root meaning relates to the idea of hope.

Curious root.  Of course, the word “is used to signify depending on and ordering activities around a future event.”  However, for you and me it is ordering activities around Him, not an event.

Is the root meaning telling us that there is work to be done even while we wait?  I think so.  In our current – well – predicament – Patti and I are caught between furious and meaningless activity and – well – just waiting.  Neither has much appeal or a positive outcome.

I wonder, if indeed He is leading us to a new thing (or trying to teach us an old thing), whether there are things directly related to us and Him that we would could be doing and not just tapping our feet or drumming our fingers.  Not to ignore the common things one needs to do in this type of situation, but do along with those things.  We certainly have more time together.

Ok – you know me and how I love metaphors, analogies, even hyperbole and I have to be careful that I don’t get carried away.  But that “root” keeps picking at my mind.

It makes me think of an unraveled rope that needs to be repaired.  Or a fishing net with tears in it that need to be fixed.  It makes me think that regardless of the end of the circumstances, we need to be about repairing something – something regarding her – me – us and Him.

It’s natural to sit and imagine, “If God just did this or that everything would be OK.”  Tempts one to go buy a lottery ticket.  But God is never not working for His children.  He doesn’t nap or go on vacation.  However, that is, much to my dismay, what I do (when I’m not “keeping busy” at nothing.)

In times like this, one is tempted to sit very still and be very quiet and think good thoughts;or to take up some work that He will like and hence come through for you.  Neither of these (having been there) make a lot of sense to me.

What does make sense is repairing that which binds us to Him.  Not the stuff He does but the stuff He calls us to do.  I mean the personal intimate stuff of being His children.  Maybe that’s what the rope or net signify. 

I am thinking of Job right now.  My favorite thing is when he proclaims:

Though he slay me, I will hope in him;

yet I will argue my ways to his face.   (Job 13:15)

Job isn’t going to just sit there and stew.  Now exactly what he means by, “I will argue my ways to His face,” is a little troubling but we’ll get to that another time.

Job was going to take action that would bring him into direct and intimate contact with God.  That, my friends, is always life changing!  Sitting there without anyone to “cheer” him on, he goes to the source.  He may do it via the conversations he has with his buddies.  But he is really talking to God.

In “twisting the rope,” there is one thing Patti and I want to remain aware of and that is the very real threat of the world, the flesh and the devil.  This unholy triad is opposed to our goal of trusting in Him and growing in this time.

The flesh accuses us of all kind of sin and unfaithfulness.  Like scurvy, it opens old wounds.  It not only blames but shames us and pours the accusation of unworthiness down out throats.  It seeks to poison every moment of joy and kindness.  It seeks to breed undue sensitivity and suspicion between us.

The world – well the world just has to be the world.  It too accuses and shames and it distances itself across a line calling to us to compromise with it and accept its philosophies and ways.  It also works mightily on the desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes and pride in possessions (1Jn 2:16).  With its definition of success and good, it shames and woos at the same time.

 OK – I may get smacked here but I have found upon occasion that the standards the world has set for “normal” productive people is alive and well in the body of Christ.  Where the world has been accepted into the church, the same shame and seduction is offered by the church (I speak in generalities).  But, let me ask you to consider what your congregation’s response is it to those upon whom calamity falls.  Or, as I’ve seen a few times, is it just not appropriate to ask for help?

Then, the devil.  Well, somewhere along the way I must have missed the class on how he does what he does.  I know he has power but I know that power is limited by the hand of God.  I know he has helpers but I know they are limited as well.  So what do we do about this part of the threat?  There is, as far as I can see, but one strategy:

Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Jas 4:6-8a)

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

No, I’m not missing the context of these verses – they are indeed part and parcel of sustaining our hope and growing through this.  But these words are, I think, inclusive of the rest.  We submit to Him, resist the other and then – and what a wonderful thing it is – draw near to God.

Submission to God is a no brainer but not a simple thing.  Submission to God indicates duties toward God.  Duty is a work we don’t hear much in the church.  It smacks too much of legalism but it also makes obedience unavoidable.  But, in the King’s service there is our duty.

Keeping it simple, we have a duty to pray, study, fellowship and give.  Yes, I know there’s more to it, but why complicate things.  As a soldier has his daily duties, so do we.  These four are not occasional things but regular things, common things.  So daily, Patti and I will be about these things.  How?  What method?  Well, we’ll have to discover that by trial and error not out of a sense of finding our “comfort zone,” but rather finding our “consistency zone.”

Of course in our circumstances, “giving,” will be a toughie.  Not “giving” per se, but giving as the flesh play its games.  But, just the other day a young man I see regularly at my “office ;-}” who has CP came in on his electric chair.  His name is Michael so we hit if off even though communication can be difficult.  Anyway, he whispered and asked if I would do him a favor. He did not have the bucks to get his regular drink.  Without thinking I turned to the Barista and told them I’d cover Michael’s order, and I did.

OK, this isn’t "pat me on the back "time.  But the realization that I didn’t think twice about helping this sweet guy out was a real blessing.  I was so happy that even in our tight straights, I hadn’t gotten tight fisted.  We need money but that need, as I see it, is more a catalyst for mending our nets than being solvent.

Just an aside.  We are admonished to not love money.  Is the other end of the stick to not fear it either?   We’re are told that we either worship God or Mammon (god of gain).  So the elements or affections that apply to worshipping God must be looked for in our dealing with money – yes?  Awe, desire, fear, love – all these are part of worship; so, Patti and I will be  very careful to remember that money is ONLY a means – never a solution.

I’m almost at my self-imposed length limit so I’ll try to close.  Patti and I are “waiting” on the Lord.  We have a little more time and flexibility but more importantly, we have the desire to fix the frayed rope of our yoked service to Him and each other.  As I have been, writing she and I have talked about certain points in the article.  She’s always been my editor (the one’s she edits are the ones w/o typos) but now she’s also my collaborator and that is just wonderful.

Pray for us – we will be grateful.  First pray we will be dutiful in our net mending; second that we will be faithful in our care for others; and third – pray we are able to pay our bills – that Patti finds a lovely job, that I get more work and that we move forward in our ministry plans - following , not out running Him.