..."and a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the way of holiness; evil minded people shall not travel on it, but it shall be for those wayfarers who are traveling toward God. (Isaiah 35:8, adapted)



Saturday, June 02, 2007

Everlasting Splendors or Immortal Horrors? God wants to Heal the Dark, Broken Places

Today I caught a glimpse of God. Out of the
the corner of my spiritual eye: the Intense
One preparing to work. He is after far more
than a gentle bath in the tub for us, you know.

He is headed for the inner depths. The
places we barely know about hidden
deep within. But why? Today I saw Him pull
up in His sleek search and rescue boat,
He found just the most murky, sea-weed
entangled spot and quietly and confidently
looked down. He was not worried that His
boat would stall in the tangled subterranean
weeds. No, he wasn't on a pleasure trip.
He had work to do. "Do you absolutely
want the best?" He grins down at me.
All I know is what I think I want. I suppose
its a place to start. I also suppose that
the Lord has other plans, He always does.

Today they had new home video of the
alleged Loch Ness Monster. Why do we keep
looking for this monster? Because we are
fascinated with the idea of a monster
lurking in the depths of our lakes. Such
stories keep resurfacing, excuse the pun,
because it is an archetype for our own inner
monsters, the ones we know are there but
rarely catch a glimpse of. We are both
scared of what could be there, and eager
to see an other-worldly beauty.

Sin didn't just nick us. It wrecked us.
But we are still made in the image of
God and He still can see that image
even underneath layers of tarnish.
This healing process isn't about
bandaiding the little hurts that
life inflicts on us, it isn't even
about botoxing the big ones. It is about
pulling the the deepest, darkest
sin-enrobed monsters inside of us out
by the roots. This isn't day surgery,
it is seriously foundational healing. It is
about putting the fear and wonder back
into "fearfully and wonderfully
made."

It is about the "inside being bigger then
the outside." It is about being
three days and three nights in the belly
of a whale. And it is also about being
a glorious son or daughter of God--fully
restored, fully functioning, ALL that God
intended.

Think about being "fearfully and
wonderfully made" just for a moment
and let the shiver run up and down your
spine. Everyone who knows me knows that
they can often find me out antiquing.
There is nothing more thrilling then
finding an old dust and grease covered
object whose beauty is just waiting to
be rediscovered and restored despite
the ravage of the years. Are we really
any different?

There is far more to us then we know.
And God wants to not just heal us, He
wants to make us whole, and not just
whole, but better than before. I think
He will make things, us included,
even better than the original plan
because God is never trumped by
sin. His new plan for the Bride, created
and ransomed by and for His Son,
will be a greater sight to behold then
whatever He had originally planned
for Adam and Eve.

Do you like to go treasure seeking?
So does God : spelunking in the inner
caves of our souls, diving into the
depths of our murky subterranean
darkness; searching for gold on
the shipwrecked galleons of our
hearts. Our God is after healing.
He is heaven-bent on restoration.


When He fixes something He makes
it better than new. He will trump
every evil every committed. He
will work ALL things together for
good. If that hope seems dim
because the light inside you has
become a smoldering wick, fear not!
He shall fan you back into a
roaring fire! He shall
do more then restore the years
that the locusts ate, He will
raise you up as His eternal
inheritance. Do not doubt Him.


Here's what I have been mulling
over:

"All creation is waiting for the
manifestation of the sons of God."
(Romans 8:19).


Say that slowly and really give it
a whirl. Its on the same shiver
level as "fearfully and wonderfully
made" only more so. If it
doesn't produce a rise inside
of you, we'll have to call that
heavenly search and rescue
squad over to take a look.

Remember that we are still in
our salad days, green as a cabbage.
God has a long way to go with us, but
go He will.

C.S. Lewis said, "To remember that
millions of years from now, the dullest
and most uninteresting person you
meet may one day an incredible
creature, who if you saw him now
you would be strongly tempted to
worship, or, a horror as you
only now meet in a nightmare.

All day long we are in some
degrees helping each other to one
or the other of these destinations. ...
There are no ordinary people. You
have never talked to a mere mortal.
... But it is immortals with whom we
joke, work, marry, snub, and exploit.
Immortal horrors or everlasting
splendors, your neighbor is the holiest
object presented to your senses."

Which will you be?

God is aching to heal you. Make haste
toward Him. Cut a hole in the roof and
get your friends to lower you down. Jump
in the water as soon as it stirs. Climb up
in a tree to see Jesus. Let some strange
Galilean spit on some dirt and put it on
your blind eyes. Call out, "Jesus, Son of
God, have mercy on me a sinner!" Pour
out your burial oil on the feet and head
of your Lord. Go do it, immortal one!
Eternity fast approaches!

Whatever you do, don't hold back, and don't
let go, and don't give up and don't delay.
Make haste toward your Saviour and Lord.
One day you will stand whole and healed.
And even better than that: one day you
will be a worthy reflection of His image.
He will be victorious IN YOU. Let Him be.

Let God do what He wants. His intent
toward you is always good. His ability
to cleanse, even the murkiest of depths,
is unrivaled.

All creation is waiting for the manifestation
of the sons of God.

All creation waits
for YOU.









No comments: