Sept 1 - Psalm 88:6-7

You have put me in the lowest pit,

in the darkest depths.

Your wrath lies heavily on me;

you have overwhelmed me

with all your waves.

Psalm 88:6-7

I must confess that my view of the universe is shaped by the word "dominion" in Genesis 1:27. 

God makes us lower-case kings of this planet. We are in charge of our day-to-day. 

To help us God gives us wisdom -- actually laws and wisdom. If we follow them, our days tend to be good. If we don't follow them, our days tend to be bad. And if unwise and unlawful people infringe on our lives -- like an unwise and unlawful drunken driver -- we suffer consequences that we did not create. 

Where is God in all of this? Working in our hearts ... as we let him. 

Have you heard the phrase, "Life is 10% what happens, and 90% how you respond to it?" Well, I think that's true spiritually too. Generally, God does not need to test us. Why? Because life tests us ... constantly. 

I'm tested with choices that I make moment to moment -- will I choose my way? the world's way? or God's way?

When the world steps on my toes and invades my life, will I love and forgive, or will I be petty and mean?

Generally, life is 90% how we respond to what is happening around us. And generally, this is where God works ... if we let him. The more I give the Holy Spirit room to work in my life, the more I respond to whatever befalls me with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Wait. That's generally how life works ... and notice how many times I've said, "generally." 

The danger of seeing life this way is that we don't see God's hand even when it's there. We chalk everything up to cause and effect. And we ignore God even when he's standing right in front of us. 

The Psalmists didn't ignore God presence. Their world wasn't flat. They sought to walk in the paths of wisdom. They tried to follow God's laws. They knew the earthly consequences of having murderous enemies. And yet they saw God's presence woven into every moment. Leading and guiding, yes. Rescuing and protecting, certainly. But also challenging and chastising ... which is what today's verse is all about. 

Why would a good God put us in the lowest pit? To challenge us and help us grow. To chastise us so we won't make the same mistakes again. Isn't that what good parents do? Good parents carefully calibrate love and discipline, comfort and challenge. It helps us grow. And while no human parent gets it perfectly right, we can trust that God does. 

Our Lord is in the midst of everything in life. He generally works in our hearts -- as we give him room ... or not -- and this means that he can generally let life unfold and let day-to-day events test and refine us. 

But ... this world is not flat. God is everywhere. He works in ways that we cannot physically see. And the most joyful people I know are the ones who've learned to spiritually see. They've learned to look for God in everything ... because he really is there. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who often relies

more on wisdom than awe

(and needs to tip the balance

more toward looking

and wonder more often)