This Christmas morning begins with a reverence for many things in my mind that brings me to the point of hopelessness and neediness. Though I acknowledge the desire of so many to hold only to the promises of God that bring about joy, peace, and prosperity of heart, which are founded in truth and the light of God’s word, there remains the weightiness of responsibility to the word of God and leadership of His Spirit.
There are certain scriptures that our ears have almost become dull of hearing because we have heard them so much. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. This promise is so wonderful in its delivery of security to the people of God that we may forget that God is also promising to bring us into our destiny whether we want to go or not. We are brought into a reality that we have a responsibility beyond what we can bear. Because of this, God’s call to our life as an individual carries the weight of the total principle of God’s plan in His word. The standard of God’s holiness that we cannot live up to can only be endured through the blood and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. While His righteousness demands our obedience and surrender, our weakness of flesh nature demands a reevaluation of God’s expectations.
If I were to list the many failures of my own life, that weight would crush me to dust. I’m becoming convinced that the crushing was by permission of God. Could we be so lost that we cannot find our way to the light without being crushed? Are we so depraved that without the crushing, we will never be able to realize the goodness of our God? To look back at things lost during our journey through life is not always bad. At the very least, I would say it is unavoidable. The question remains in my mind: how did this happen? Can we not come close to the God we love without being destroyed somehow? The violation of God’s holiness is the most dreadful place you can find yourself. Coming face-to-face with yourself and realizing that you are the chief of sinners does more than bring a point of humility; it brings you to dust. We cannot negotiate our sin with such holiness. We cannot minimize our violations against the righteousness of God. I conclude that the God that gives me such extraordinary grace and mercy is the God that brings us to dust in the first place. Our sin brings us to dust. The call of God and His designed plan for our lives also brings us to dust. Acts chapter 5 gives the conclusion from a doctor of the law named Gamaliel. His conclusion was it is futile to fight against God. This was his message to those on the outside of the faith. I declare the same conclusion to those inside the faith: it is futile to fight against God.
Our only hope lies in Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Thank you, Lord, for the blessed hope. The same call that comes with the weightiness beyond what we can bear, that brings us to dust, comes with a call to awake and sing. Dust can sing. Dust will sing. Dust must sing the glorious praises of our God. As Job said, though you slay me, yet will I trust you? The beautiful sound of heaven is heard when Dust begins to sing.
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