Trusting in God's favorable vision

6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138.6-8 (NIV, 1984)

My son, Jesse, is a high school freshman this year...his sister, Hannah, is starting her senior year. My heart is anxious particularly for my son. Jesse is developmentally disabled, with a sweet and gentle spirit. The high school environment is tough and carnal. I already had a personal demonstration of that. As I walked the hall with him, I accidentally bumped into a young "lady." I sincerely apologized, but she took it upon herself to get smart with me. If she had no respect for an adult stranger, what kind of treatment could Jesse expect from her? I know many awesome students at his school...I'm not taking her as representative of the whole. But kids like my son can be the objects of scorn and ridicule from peers.

This morning I am holding on to the psalmist's words--God is looking favorably on Jesse today. He will not be abandoned, indeed I can trust that God will fulfill God's purpose for him. (It's easy to say...much harder to live into.)

Letting go of control

Genesis 13:8-9 (NSRV)

Who doesn’t like being in control? You and I like being the master of our own destiny, the captain of our fate. We often like to be in control of things beyond our own selves…our families, our workplace, and our church. Control issues can be major points of contention in these relationships.

Recently I read through the early chapters of Genesis. I noticed some things about Abram (later known as Abraham) I hadn’t before. For example, when his nephew Lot was kidnapped, he put together an Old Testament version of a SWAT team. He led them in a successful rescue of Lot and all the people and goods taken by his captors (Genesis 14). I never thought of Abram as a warrior before.

What Abram is better known for is his trust in God. In the scripture above, he and his nephew Lot had both been blessed by the Lord with substantial wealth. They had been traveling together for sometime and the land could no longer sustain both of their enormous herds of livestock. As you read, it was leading to conflict.

Abram became a peacemaker with Lot and his people. Notice in verse 8, he was willing to defer his control over the circumstances in order to keep his relationship good with Lot. Abram permitted Lot to choose where he would go and trusted that God would bless him in whatever land was left. Sure enough, God blessed Abram and his family in the land of Canaan, the land he got as “leftovers.”

Some Greek converts to Judaism once sought Jesus out. He had this wisdom for them about being his follower:

“Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.” (John 12:25-26, NRSV)

Jesus calls us to give up the white-knuckle grip of control on our lives for life-giving service to him. Trust God to take care of you. Trust Jesus to lead you to the right places. Trust the Holy Spirit to give you the gifts, skills, talents, and experiences you need to flourish. God honors those who are able to let go of control and serve. This is the path to discovering, as Abram did, the peace and blessing that comes with trusting God for the outcome.