Monday Moment Discovering Movement in an Ancient Letter God Moves Me Along
In my own faith development, and as I read stories in the Bible, I see God is constantly taking His children someplace new. The divine work of transformation doesn’t seem like a destination we fully reach during our earthly sojourn. For me, that makes my faith journey less stagnant and more adventuresome. Join me in today’s post for more …
As I dig more deeply into Philippians 4:4-9, the passage of scripture I will be unpacking with you during the next few posts, I have been aware of the movement of Paul’s words, which call his friends and fellow believers to trust in the divine work which occurs even during dark, difficult times.
Paul’s words are moving me into a new and greater depth of faith in the absolute, complete work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
My mother, who at the age of 94, transitioned to her heavenly home, loved to sing. Some of my fondest memories are of Mom in her lovely, rich contralto voice singing hymns as she putzed around the house doing whatever she needed to do to make our home an orderly and welcoming space.
As I began writing this post, I recalled one of the hymns Mom liked to sing, “God Leads Us Along.” The lyrics of the first verse and refrain are:
In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,God leads His dear children along;where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,God leads His dear children along.
Refrain:
Some through the waters, some through the flood,
some through the fire, but all through the blood;
some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
in the night season and all the day long. (https://hymnary.org/)
This classic hymn was written in 1903 by George A. Young. The tragic story behind the words is compelling, and if that type of historical connection interests you, I hope you’ll do a search to learn more.
While the Apostle Paul languished in a Roman prison writing his letter to friends in Philippi, I imagine he would have agreed wholeheartedly with the lyrics of this hymn and might even have sung it, except it had yet to be written.
Several years ago, my pastor at the time, told me he felt the Lord gave him a passage of scripture to encourage me. Here’s a portion of the opening verses from Isaiah 43:
But now, this is what the Lord says—
… “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God …
At that time, my pastor wasn’t familiar with my story, but I understood immediately the significance of these verses. During my 20’s, I experienced the metaphors of waters sweeping over me until I felt sure I would go under and drown. I also experienced the agony of scorching fire which caused great pain but didn’t consume me. I have a feeling many of you reading this post today would agree with me even though your “water” and “fire” experiences were or are different than mine. I wonder if you agree:
Even during dreadful days, the Triune God kept moving me along, revealing new aspects of love, mercy, grace, and goodness.
Please join me on Thursday, when we will move into Verse 4 of Philippians 4:4-9. Until then,
Blessings on your journey as God moves you along,
