Apples of Gold

My husband and I have enjoyed a few precious days off over the past week. As we wound our way through some mountainous areas on roads that were probably not frequently travelled, we saw several abandoned homes. You know the kind, sagging roofs, empty voids where shiny panes of glass once glistened in the sunlight. No one has lived there for years. I always wonder about the families that at one time likely cared thoughtfully for these buildings. The celebrations and times of mourning that took place within those walls have faded along with the paint and wallpaper. 

The realization that at some point the home was given up on, whether it was a heartbreaking decision or casual nuance it sits kind of heavy. It was no longer worth keeping up or maybe just became too much for a family to handle and it was abandoned to slowly wither away until it reached its current state of dilapidation.

We all go through seasons in which we question our own value in the eyes of God, our loved ones, and sometimes even our own eyes questioningly staring back at us from our reflection. 

We are not alone in these musings. King David had them too:

Do not abandon me, O LORD. Do not stand at a distance, my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior. Psalm 38:21-22

David was pleading with God not to leave him behind. It is interesting this psalm begins with his confession and repentance:

O LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Psalm 38:1-2

My guilt overwhelms me-it is a burden too heavy to bear. Psalm 38:4

I find it easy to relate with David as he wrestles with the weight of his own misbehavior. The connection of performance to reward is so tight in our culture that they seem quite inseparable. It often follows that we place our perceived value on a sliding scale that rises and falls when our most recent performance evaluation is submitted. We put ourselves through much unnecessary grief and anxiety when we fear that God will be shocked at our behavior or that he will withhold his love from us because we had a rough week, or month or year. (But perhaps even more dangerous is the other extreme when we feel that our latest efforts deserve a perfect 10 and a round of applause from our Lord!) 

When our approach to God seems to be hindered by a deep chasm formed by our own disobedience and languorous efforts God has provided the key to restoration, written on the pages of His Word.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

I don’t see might or maybe appearing in these promises, instead, it reads as a solid guarantee of his response to our pleas. When we reach for God, he reaches back for us. 

For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors. Deuteronomy 4:31

God doesn’t forget our conversations with him. He doesn’t forget that we are weak and needy. Although there are times that his presence seems harder to feel, his voice more difficult to discern and his plans more. complicated and treacherous we have his word that he has not moved on and left us behind. 

The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. Psalm 121:8

Scripture talks a lot about the protection of the Lord. We live in a time where it is critical that we understand that he has our back. It is also critical that we understand that it might appear on the surface that he must have blinked. There are things that we might not understand on this side of heaven. Evil can appear to be winning the battle. I imagine things looked pretty bleak when Jesus was laid in a tomb; but God had a plan and that was part of it! Hold on tight in the difficult times. You are trusting God with your eternal soul, trust him with your daily steps.  

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 

Many versions translate self-discipline as “sound mind”. When fear is spiraling out of control we need to discipline ourselves to maintain a sound mind. Battles are frequently waged in our own minds, playing off our fears and imaginations. 

We must remember that God is good, all the time and his plans for us are also good. You can face your challenges with confidence, knowing that not only will God never abandon you, but his carefully thought out plans are filled with good things of eternal value.

For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11