For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.--Psalm 62:1-2
Proverbs 7:7-8,13-23
Before I read this passage, Father, I ask you, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to make your presence tangible to me, allowing me to almost feel as if I can touch you. Make me open to whatever you give this morning. Even if I disagree with something, let me be open to the truth that you present.
This passage is about the foolish man who is lured into sinful behavior by the smooth seductress. And oh, how smooth she is!! And I can so relate to this story. It's the story of my life.
First of all, what was the guy doing walking by her house, anyway?? I bet he knew she would be out there. We should not put ourselves in places where we know we are weak. Plain and simple. I should not be anywhere, seeing anything, looking at anything (as far as I have any control over it) that I know might cause me to stumble. I can't control the billboards on the side of the road, can I? But as Andy so profoundly stated, we do have a choice how react in the next few minutes to that stimulus. I like what his...was it grandmother?...nope, mother, I just looked again...said. Do what you know is right; don't do what you know is wrong. Hah! Is it really that simple?? Unfortunately, I really think it is. We make it a lot more complicated than it really needs to be.
Anyway, back to our "hero." He's walking down the sidewalk, when, BAM! The seductress grabs him. Throws her arms around his neck. Sweet talks him with smooth words. She's all perfumed up (she's married, too, mind you, which makes this whole encounter punishable by DEATH). Her husband is out of town, won't be back for a few days. Then what happens?
The traditional translations say, "All of a sudden..." Just like that. The Message says, "Before you know it, he's trotting behind her, like a calf let to the butcher shop, like a stag lured into ambush and then shot with an arrow, like a bird flying into a net not knowing that its flying life is over."
Wow.
"All of a sudden..."
I'm so familiar with this. There are so many times when I have the greatest of intentions. I'm not going to do so-and-so today. My mind is made up. Then I get home from work. I'm tired. I sit down at the computer and before you know it, BAM! I'm trapped again.
It's maddening. (By the way, I'm getting a little more real here than I ever have before, so please accept this in the spirit in which it is offered...)
What's the point? Certainly not to beat ourselves up over our sinful nature. After all, we were born with it. We are always and forever responsible for our actions, but in a large way, we can't help it. Especially before we receive the salvation given ups by Christ.
At least with Jesus, we have a fighting chance. And that's where we need to keep taking it. Over and over. Never giving up. And then one day, we will wake up and realize.."Hey, I haven't fallen for that in a while, have I?" Glory to God. It can happen, it takes vigilance on our parts. God is faithful. And I believe that we can and will prevail. The point is, we are all creatures badly in need of God's grace and mercy. Which he seems to possess in endless quantities.
Praise his name for that.
God, this is who I am. No excuses. Sometimes I'm stupid. Sometimes I'm sinful. It's who I am. I know who you are, and I throw myself at your feet, into your arms. As Rich Mullins said, "Hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shakin' like leaf...you have been King of my glory, won't you be my Prince of Peace." I can't fix myself and don't want to try. Because everything I "fix" actually winds up more "broke." So I need you to fix me. Daily. Not just once. But daily. In fact, fix me now. Then fix me in a couple of hours when I've let someone at church get under my skin, threatening to undo any positive ministry I might achieve this morning. Then fix me again when I get home and someone in the family does something to get me upset. Then help me to stay fixed!
You are good, Lord! So very good. You are my rock and my fortress and in you along I am able to stand. I cannot fully trust anyone else but you. Even my closest friends are human and fallible. They will let me down eventually. Just as I will let them down. You, however, will never let me down. You are faithful even when we are not.
Praise your holy name. Praises to you.
Sigh....I could go on like this forever, but I must end this for now.
Grace and peace, my friends.