Winter Thoughts

This has been quite a week! It’s a little over the top for those of us who have spent the last 15 years or so in temperate Texas!

     The word is that on February 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and headed back into his hole for six more weeks of winter weather, so it looks like we had better get used to it.

     I find it ironic that in my devotions this morning, I spent some time with Psalm 73. If you are not familiar with that Psalm, it raises some of the questions many of us have in life, but seldom give a voice. For instance, shouldn’t we as God’s children have an easier time of it than those who don’t fear God, don’t care about God, and never even give God the time of day?

     I think many of us live under the assumption that there must be some inherent advantage to being a believer; that maybe God listens more closely to our prayers, and grants us special favors. But I have never found this to be the case.

     Psalm 73 starts off with a declaration of faith, and says in verse 1, “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.” Don’t we who give special attention to God deserve special attention from him? If that is what we assume, we are mistaken.

     In verse 2, the Psalmist confesses his struggles. “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.” He had become aware of a situation that almost caused him to lose his faith. He almost slipped. What was it?

     It is the same struggle many of us deal with today. “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.”

     Doesn’t it really frost your muffin when you see someone who couldn’t care less about God or even basic morality, and yet his life seems to be sailing along just fine; better than yours, in fact? It can be more than merely irritating, it can be faith-challenging. We wonder, what is the point of being good and doing good if we don’t receive good in return? The Psalmist says it well, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” He feels like all his faithfulness is for nothing.

     But wait. In verse 17, he finally understands, “when I entered the sanctuary of God.” There is something clarifying about entering into God’s presence. Then we get it. Then we finally see clearly. Away from God and God’s people, we lose our focus. Like Peter walking on the water to Jesus, when he took his eyes off Christ and looked instead at the waves, at the turmoil all around him, he began to sink. (Matt 14:30)

     The same can happen to us. Sometimes we concentrate more on the good things that other people have than the blessings that we have. Sometimes we think more about our problems and challenges than our blessings, and that causes us to slip.

     Driving in snow and ice is always a challenge. I’m pretty sure no one thought of that when they built our church on top of a hill. When it’s slick, how do you get up there? That was my challenge on Monday morning. Here is how I solved it: along the edges and in certain spots, you could see pavement, the snow was either melted or it had been driven over many times and squished out of the way. Dry spots! I carefully drove so that my wheels went in those spots, where I knew I could get traction. Slowly and carefully, I made it to the top.

     I think that is what the Psalmist encourages us to do. In the sanctuary of the Lord is where we get our traction in this slippery world. That is where truth is to be found. If we are to navigate safely, we have to steer our lives to those places we know to be true and use them to make sure we get safely home.

     We live in a slippery world, both literally and metaphorically. Be careful out there, and keep your feet on the rock so you will not slip!