“Mommy,
is Pharaoh’s army going to kill us?” The
little boys’ mom hesitated. The Red Sea
in front of them and the army behind them left little room for a positive
answer. Remembering their spiritual father
Abraham, she responded, “God will deliver us.”
Often
what makes a trial bearable is the assurance of future escape. Trials present
us with this Red Sea motif; we are stuck in a situation. The options for escape look grim; diving into
a churning, dark river. My job feels that way today.
Weeks ago the wife and I went to
Yosemite! We had the chance to see
Yosemite in the spring for a week-long vacation. Before going we spent an evening choosing
lodging. We viewed waterfall live-cams
and sunset still pics on Instagram. After days at work we whispered, “We are
going to Yosemite!” Before sleep we’d
share with each other our expectations. Our upcoming escape pulled us through; tough
day after tough day.
Heaven
should have the same affect. Not some
dreamlike escape but a solid place that I’ll be at home in soon. The still-pics stir imagination. Being close to Jesus; an eternal escape from
sin and pain; mansions of glory and fullness realized. The New Testament refers to heaven 217
times. Obviously I should focus on it
more than I do. Much, much more.
The
blessing in a period of pressure is this crying out for escape. The hand is
jarred loose. Eyes, God willing, are
refocused on heaven; on deliverance, on deliverer. “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From
where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
No comments:
Post a Comment